Addressing Michigan’s Housing Shortage: Expanding Options and Lowering Costs

April 10, 2026 | Rep. Kristian Grant


Dear Neighbor,

My top priority is housing for all. I am focused on tackling Michigan’s housing shortage and lowering the cost of the largest expense families face.

At its core, our housing crisis comes down to a simple reality: we are not building enough homes that working and middle-class families can afford. The beautiful starter homes we see in neighborhoods like Alger Heights, King Park and Garfield Park — the kinds of homes many of us grew up around — now feel out of reach for too many families.

Outdated and overly burdensome rules are making it harder, slower and more expensive to build the types of  housing our communities need. That shows up in everyday life as higher rent, higher home prices, and fewer options for families, seniors, and young workers.

That’s why I am leading the bipartisan Housing Readiness Package — a comprehensive effort to address the root of the problem by modernizing how we build housing in Michigan.

This package focuses on:

  • Expanding housing options like duplexes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
  • Reducing requirements that drive up construction costs
  • Creating clear, predictable timelines so projects don’t get stuck in limbo
  • Allowing land to be used more efficiently while still respecting community input

This is not a quick fix. It is a serious effort to fix a system that has made housing harder to build and more expensive over the last 40 years. By allowing more housing to be built, we can lower costs, support growing communities and ensure Michigan remains a place where people can put down roots.

My work on housing is about more than buildings; it’s about people. A home is where we raise our families, build stability and create opportunity. It can become a foundation for generational wealth, a safety net in difficult times and a place to return to when we need it most.

Grand Rapids was once one of the most affordable mid-sized cities in the state. But as housing costs have risen elsewhere, we’ve seen growth that has made it harder for longtime residents to stay. Growth is important, but we must make sure it works for the people who already call our communities home — and that affordability isn’t limited to just a few places in our state.

As always, my door is open.

In service,

Kristian Grant
State Representative
House District 82

Grand Rapids and Wyoming