Northern Michigan communities understand how much effort it takes to move a project from concept to reality. Whether it is housing, workforce development, infrastructure, or education, progress here is built slowly, deliberately, and through strong partnerships. That is why the Michigan Legislature’s recent decision to strip hundreds of millions of dollars from previously supported projects is so deeply concerning.
I want to be clear: while these cuts may not directly eliminate current programs through the Regional Housing Partnership led by Housing North, they absolutely undermine our ability—and the ability of our partners—to deliver housing and infrastructure solutions across northern Michigan.
The House Appropriations Committee’s unilateral decision to remove $645 million in work projects from the FY25 budget, including more than $55 million from northern Lower Michigan alone, sends a troubling message to rural regions. These were not last-minute requests or frivolous expenditures. They were vetted investments that had bipartisan support and were developed in collaboration with local leaders, employers, educational institutions, and tribes.
Projects eliminated or placed at risk include funding for Northwestern Michigan College, Michigan Tech, workforce development agencies, economic development organizations like Traverse Connect, tribal communities, and local governments. Each of these entities plays a critical role in addressing the interconnected challenges of housing availability, workforce shortages, and infrastructure readiness.
Housing does not exist in isolation. You cannot build attainable housing without infrastructure and skilled workers. You cannot attract or retain workers without training programs, transportation, and community services. You cannot finance housing without stable local governments and predictable state partnerships. When Lansing removes funding from workforce programs, infrastructure investments, and regional development efforts, housing is inevitably impacted—even if indirectly.
Equally troubling is the growing pattern of budget instability. Housing and infrastructure development requires long timelines and predictable systems. Developers, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and lenders all rely on the assumption that once funding is approved, it will not be abruptly rescinded months later. Repeated disruptions erode trust, stall projects, and discourage future investment—particularly in rural regions where margins are already thin.
For organizations working to expand housing across northern Michigan, this uncertainty has a chilling effect. Communities hesitate to pursue ambitious zoning updates or infrastructure investments when state and federal commitments feel unreliable. Emerging developers struggle to assemble financing. Employers delay expansion plans. Ultimately, residents pay the price through higher costs, limited housing choices, and slower economic growth.
There is also a deeper issue at play: a persistent disconnect between decision-makers in Lansing and the realities of rural and northern communities. What may appear expendable from afar is often essential on the ground. Northern Michigan does not have the redundancy or scale of larger metropolitan areas. When a single workforce program, infrastructure project, or educational investment is removed, there is no backup system waiting in the wings.
In Region D, you have an organization that works with counties and communities that are eager to be part of the solution. Local leaders are updating zoning ordinances, pursuing public-private partnerships, and engaging residents in difficult but necessary conversations about growth. These efforts depend on the state being a consistent partner—not an unpredictable variable.
We appreciate the legislators who have stood up for northern Michigan and are working to restore these funds — notably Senators John Damoose, Ed McBroom, and Jon Bumstead. Publicly reaffirming support for these projects and urging their restoration is not about politics—it is about honoring commitments made to communities that are doing their part.
Northern Michigan is not asking for special treatment. We are asking for stability, follow-through, and respect for the collaborative process that brought these projects forward in the first place.
If Michigan is serious about addressing housing shortages, workforce challenges, and regional equity, it must recognize that pulling funding midstream undermines all three.