Hey BridgeDetroit readers!
Earlier this month, Detroit City Council voted to assemble a commission to advocate for renters’ rights.
Council members passed an ordinance to establish a tenants’ rights commission — a nine-member body tasked with developing policy recommendations to reduce evictions, enforce landlord compliance and help city departments educate tenants and landlords on issues related to residential rentals.
The commission, made up of members appointed by both council and the mayor, would include at least four renters living in Detroit and a resident who owns no more than 10 properties. Members, who must be Detroit residents, can serve a two-year term and are expected to meet monthly.
Ann Arbor also has a renters commission, which was established in 2021. The group advises Ann Arbor City Council and the City Administrator on issues important to renters.
At-Large Council Member Mary Waters spearheaded Detroit’s ordinance. Her office plans to work with the Legislative Policy Division and the city administration to craft the application process. Waters, in a memo expected to be introduced this week, wants the application available to the public by June 17 and to close in mid-August. City council would approve all members.
We’ll be tracking the progress of this new commission.
Are you a renter, advocate or property owner interested in joining this commission? Tell us why? What issues would you like to see the commission tackle?
Reach me at nrahman@freepress.com.
A market-style emergency food assistance facility — with a drive-through, curb-side pick up and fresh produce and dairy — is in the works to serve metro Detroit families struggling to put food on the table.
The Detroit-based nonprofit, Gleaners Community Food Bank, expects to open Fresh! by Gleaner early next year. The $4.8 million project has been years in the making and aims to combine service models that have worked in the past under one umbrella.
The announcement comes as Gleaners and other metro Detroit organizations have seen a spike in need for food assistance after pandemic-era programs waned and food costs increased. This year, Gleaners has seen a more than 30% increase in the meal packages it distributes.
📣 On Your Radar
🏙️ NEIGHBORHOOD FUND: A fund meant to invigorate 10 Detroit neighborhoods received a $15 million boost. The Gilbert Family Foundation announced its recent investment into the Strategic Neighborhood Fund (SNF), which launches the third phase of the partnership between the City of Detroit and Invest Detroit to improve parks and streetscapes, develop commercial corridors and create more housing in designated communities. Read more.
- Do you live in an SNF neighborhood and have thoughts on your neighborhood’s progress? Let us know!
🥗 MISSION CAFE: The Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency and TechTown Detroit recently opened Mission Cafe at Wayne Metro’s Welcome Center located at 7310 Woodward Avenue. The space provides an ecosystem for local entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. Eater Detroit has the details.
🌆 POPULATION GROWTH: Detroit’s population grew for the first time in decades. New Census figures show the city gained 1,852 more residents in 2023. The City of Detroit had sued the U.S. Census Bureau, alleging that the agency undercounted the city’s population. Learn more.
