Lansing sees increase in minority home ownership
However, the gap is still wider than the national average
LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - A new study, places the Lansing & East Lansing area below the national average for minority homeownership compared to white homeownership. Although it’s improved since 2023, experts in the field say there’s still lots of work to be done.
While the minority homeownership rate in the Lansing & East Lansing area is nearly 50%, the white homeownership rate is just over 70%.
That’s according to Construction Coverage, which pulled data from the American Community Survey.
With a housing shortage across the nation... affordable housing is difficult to find for many, but it’s especially difficult for minority groups.
Moody Analytics estimates the housing deficit in the U.S. could be as high as 2 million units, sparking programs and policy efforts at the national level.
“We created the 3 million net new black homeowners by 2030 mission of the Black Homeownership Collaborative. We identified a 7-point plan strategy to highlight the issues facing minorities in terms of homeownership,” said Erika Ramirez, a Michigan State University graduate with the National Housing Conference.
The minority homeownership gap in the Lansing-East Lansing area closed by about 5 percentage points in the past year, although it’s still a wider gap than the national average.
The improvement could be attributed to the creation of several new groups and initiatives over the past few years, working to address the problem in Mid-Michigan.
“To support low to moderate income home buyers, and our hope is to make these resources more available in communities of color,” said Diana Bartlett, with the Ingham County Housing Trust Fund.
Groups like the Ingham County Housing Trust Fund, the Capital Area Housing Partnership, the Ingham County Land Bank, and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, have all been working to address the problem. It’s an issue that can be attributed to historical inequalities, with effects bleeding into today.
They encourage people to look at the support available, as the help has increased greatly over the past few years.
“We know that it’s just a drop in the bucket for what is needed, just because housing at all price points... we’re facing a shortage that we haven’t seen before,” said Diana Bartlett, the Ingham County Housing Trust Fund.
Working to close the gaps, with creative solutions and community input.
The Ingham County Housing Trust Fund is hosting a community input session on April 17th, starting at six p.m. at the Ingham County Fairgrounds. They hope to learn more about the needs of those impacted. An RSVP is required.
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