According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2010 and 2020, Keweenaw County’s population showed a decline of about 6%. That was before the pandemic.

Between 2020 and 2022, the county’s population showed an increase in people moving into the county. That is not counting the increase in visitors to Keweenaw County that have sparked an increase in purchases of residential housing for the purpose of converting them to short term rentals.

On Wednesday, Lisa McKenzie, assistant regional planner with the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region told the Keweenaw County Board that her organization has collaborated with several partners for a number of projects.

In May, 2023, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) named WUPPDR as one of 15 Regional Housing Partnerships across the state, tasked with working with local governments, nonprofits, developers, businesses and other stakeholders to create and implement action plans to address the housing needs in those regions that align with Michigan’s Statewide Housing Plan.

The state plan was created in August, 2022. The housing plan is a strategic planning process aimed at increasing the stock of affordable housing and ensuring every Michigander who needs it has access.

McKenzie said that WUPPDR’s being named as a RHP coincided with the Housing Study and Strategy that WUPPDR created around the same time, which is more localized, McKenzie said.

“WUPPDR planners have been in meetings with two committees, the Pathways to Housing, which is focused on social side of housing,” McKenzie said, “equity, fairness, inclusion in housing, homelessness, things like that. So, we’re working with some groups to see what we can do about homelessness.”

The second group is called Housing Stock, she said, “which is kind of devoted to actual ‘How are we going to push forward workforce housing to create some more housing in our entire region.'”

The meetings led to the creation of a list of action plans to accomplish those goals.

“We chose about 12 action plans to do in the next two years,” said McKenzie. “The current goals we are working on is we are attempting to strengthen some linkages between some of the referral sources and helping to support 2-1-1 in some of the work that they do. Michigan 2-1-1 is a helpline that provides referrals to programs to assist with food, housing, financial assistance, utility assistance and more in the state of Michigan.”

McKenzie said that WUPPDR is also working on a housing guidebook that is designed to address the question of how property owners can develop the property they own.

“That is our biggest question,” said McKenzie, “so, we’re working on that. That’s our second goal.”

“The other thing is I had the opportunity to go to Lansing in November and meet with MSHDA and the other 15 regions, where they announced their 2024 housing strategy and the funding that will be put toward the programs in the coming up year, totaling some $65 million statewide for the programs.

“They have a formula because they wanted to make sure that every region got a portion of the funding. Their formula includes, based on per capita population of a region, it’s based on the economic growth and development that is for the future. It’s also on racial equity, and it’s also on based on housing need.”

So, within that formula, the state of Michigan has designated $1.1 million for 2024 to be available for the Western Upper Peninsula.

“It may not sound like a lot of money out of $65 million dollars,” McKenzie said, “but our communities do not have to compete with downstate for that money. That money can come to us.”

There can also be additional funding if other regions do not use all their funding and we have a project or a plan, we may be able get that funding as well. But everyone gets at least that amount of money this time.”

Going beyond housing, said McKenzie, on Jan. 16, 2024, the portal for a new program, Housing Readiness, through MSHDA. It is designed for townships and municipalities to apply for $50,000 to assist them with zoning and master plans to assist with housing growth and address barriers to the same.