William Lawrence, state coordinator for the Rent is too Damn High Coalition welcomes housing advocates from across the state to a meeting at Lansing’s Central United Methodist Church on November 13, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
After more than a hundred organizations submitted a letter to Michigan’s elected leaders calling for passage of the Fair Chance Housing Act, housing advocates from across the state gathered in Lansing to continue their efforts to reform the state’s laws surrounding landlords and tenants to reform.
Advocates gathered Wednesday at Central United Methodist Church to discuss several bills that would support renters and ensure access to housing before taking steps to pressure lawmakers for their passage and calling for their passage at the Capitol.
“If you don’t understand what homelessness has to do with these bills, you really don’t understand the issue. Because if you don’t have a roof over your head, you lose your ability to make a living. You can’t work, you can’t pay your bills, you can’t feed your body, you can’t do anything if you don’t have a roof over your head, so it has a direct impact on homelessness and housing insecurity,” said Rosey White, a housing advocate from Detroit.
In addition to the Fair Chance Access to Housing Act, House Bill 4878which would generally prohibit a landlord from considering an individual’s criminal record when reviewing a potential tenant’s application, advocate efforts to eliminate housing discrimination based on source of income, allow expungement of eviction records, give tenants the right to organize and guarantee tenants the right to legal advice, the right to repair your apartment and deduct the costs from the rent, the banning of junk fees and several other policies.
The rent is too damn the High Coalition’s bill for housing
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House Bills 4062–4063 and Senate bills 205–207These bills would prevent landlords and people involved in real estate transactions from discriminating against anyone because of their source of income and allow individuals who face this type of discrimination to seek damages.
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Senate Bill 801: This bill would allow an individual’s deportation record to be expunged.
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Senate bills 900–903: These bills ensure that tenants have the right to organize and form a tenants’ association, in addition to the right to make repairs to their apartment and deduct the costs from the rent.
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House Bill 4878: Generally prohibits a landlord from considering an individual’s criminal record when reviewing a potential tenant’s application.
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House Bills 5157–5163 and Senate bills 486–492: These bills make a number of changes to state laws governing mobile home parks, including establishing permitting requirements, limiting rent increases, and tightening water and safety regulations.
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Senate Bill 661: Creates limitations on the fees charged to tenants.
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House Bills 5237–5238: Ensures that income-eligible tenants have the right to court-appointed counsel in tenant-landlord matters.
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House Bill 5605:Allows the reuse of certain screening reports when applying for a rental property and imposes additional requirements on landlords when assessing rental applications.
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House Bill 5756: Prohibits steep rent increases and denial of lease renewals to tenants in good standing.
“We have seen no action on these bills from Democratic leaders. Bills that would impact three million Michigan renters are stuck in committee. They just sit there. And now Democrats have lost the House of Representatives in the recent elections, which means time is running out,” said William Lawrence, state coordinator for the Rent is Too Damn High Coalition.
Democrats control both chambers of the legislature. Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives for the next term starting in January.
House Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck), who sponsored the Fair Chance Housing Act, encouraged individuals struggling with housing to continue sharing their stories as the clock runs out on Democrats’ control of the House of Representatives.
“If they don’t take the time to listen to their districts, we’re going to bring the districts to Lansing, and you’re going to share these stories with these politicians in Lansing, because when they’re too busy to have coffee hours or to busy to answer your calls or too busy to answer email, make sure they have time to see you and tell you to your face,” Aiyash said.
Aiyash did not run for re-election this year.
In addition to presenting the bills, many speakers shared their experiences with the fight against housing.
Jessica Henry, the senior program manager of Nation Outside, a group that advocates for the formerly incarcerated, shared her continued challenges finding housing after spending nine of her 42 years in prison.
Despite receiving her master’s degree in December, Henry says she still lives in a dorm.
“It was a tough job to get on campus there, but they accepted me because they knew who I was. They knew the changes I was making in my life. I had been a student there for a year. But guess what? If I’m not a student, I have nowhere to live. I have to go through the process of filling out the applications again and paying $50 each time, going through and coming and knowing that I will be rejected even though I have a good credit score,” Henry said.
“There are so many people here who are trying to change their lives but keep letting our system hold them back,” Henry said.
Housing advocates and organizations from across the state gathered in Lansing on November 13, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Rosey White of Detroit addresses fellow housing advocates at Central United Methodist Church in Lansing on November 13, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Housing advocates demonstrated at the Michigan State Capitol on November 13, 2024, calling on lawmakers to enact a slew of rent reforms. | Kyle Davidson
Housing advocates demonstrate at the Michigan State Capitol on November 13, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Housing advocates demonstrate at the Michigan State Capitol on November 13, 2024, calling on lawmakers to pass a slew of pro-renter policies. | Kyle Davidson
Housing advocates demonstrating at the Michigan state Capitol lower a banner between floors in the rotunda as they call on lawmakers to enact a number of rent reforms. | Kyle Davidson
Jessica Henry, senior program manager for Nation Outside, shares her difficulties finding housing as a formerly incarcerated person during a meeting at Lansing’s Central United Methodist Church on November 13, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Rep. Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck) encourages individuals pushing for rent reform to continue sharing their stories during a gathering at Lansing’s Central United Methodist Church on November 13, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
William Lawrence, state coordinator for the Rent is too Damn High Coalition, discusses legislation to support renters during a meeting at Lansing’s Central United Methodist Church on November 13, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
Holly Hook of Manufactured Housing Action said out-of-state private equity firms in recent years have seen communities of manufactured homeslike hers. While her community’s previous mom-and-pop owners were accommodating and kept the rent on their lots affordable, the new owners are raising rents higher and higher, citing costs when water quality issues arise.
“I’ve seen very scary water coming out of people’s taps. I have seen the rainbow from brown to yellow to gray. It’s terrifying. …Worst of all, this happens to veterans. It happens to seniors on a fixed income. It happens to hardworking families,” Hook said.
“I know people who will become homeless with the next rent increase. I know a guy who turns on the tap, the water comes out brown and he pays more and more rent to a business manager,” Hook said.
After speeches from attorneys and a working lunch, attendees marched to the Capitol and gathered on several floors of the rotunda. They chanted, among other things, “The rent is too high” and “No excuses, no excuses, show people you’re not useless,” while occasionally pausing for additional speeches.
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