TRAVERSE CITY — The Northwest Michigan Housing Summit is returning for its tenth year, hosted by Housing North in Traverse City.
The in-person event at the Hagerty Center in Traverse City taking place on Oct. 24-25 features community leaders, housing agencies, financiers, and other partners all focused on expanding housing options across the region.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the tenth year of the Northwest Michigan Housing Summit,” Housing North’s Executive Director Yarrow Brown said. This milestone event continues to bring together industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities in the housing sector. Our commitment to fostering collaboration and driving forward-thinking solutions remains stronger than ever as we look to shape the future of housing for our communities.”
Founded in 2018, Housing North is a nonprofit organization that works to build awareness, influence policy, and grow capacity and resources for housing solutions in Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee and Wexford counties.
“The theme for this year’s summit, ‘Innovation and Collaboration,’ underscores the need to explore cutting-edge solutions and foster partnerships that can transform the housing landscape. As we gather for this tenth housing summit, we aim to spark meaningful dialogue and inspire actionable strategies that address the evolving needs of our communities,” said Brown.
The Housing Summit will feature several updates and presentations highlighting solutions and tools for housing being used in the region, including:
- Examples of how new collaborations are supporting workforce housing and how the housing tools are being put to use in NW Michigan.
- State Agency presentations and updates on programs used to support housing in NW Michigan.
- A Community Capital Investment Panel to learn more about revolving loans to fund housing projects.
- Workshops on missing middle housing development, community land trust projects, modular housing and new technologies being used to support housing needs in NW Michigan.
Becky McCray, co-founder of SaveYour.Town and creator of the Idea Friendly Method will be the keynote speaker at the 2024 Northwest Michigan Housing Summit. Becky’s diverse background as a city administrator, nonprofit executive, cattle rancher, and former retail store owner equips her with unique insights into rural community development. Becky’s innovative and practical approach promises to inspire attendees to forge connections, implement small but impactful changes, and drive sustainable growth. The Summit will also feature a presentation from Jennifer Settle Senior Associate from Opticos Design on Missing Middle Housing. Friday will feature a second keynote, Toby Muresianu, a comedian and writer who will share his perspective on housing policy and advocacy.
In addition to a full agenda with workshops, panels, and informational sessions, the Summit also features the Summit Awards, presenting awards to the housing champions of Northwest Michigan. For the first time, this year’s summit will feature a Bus Tour to the South to visit three distinct nonprofit housing projects. Starting in Traverse City and concluding in the City of Frankfort, the tour aims to showcase a range of scales and approaches to housing projects in the region.
Brown noted the strong support from more than 26 businesses and organizations sponsoring the Housing Summit. Lake Michigan Credit Union is the Keynote Sponsor this year. Aspire North and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis are this year’s Partner Sponsors while Traverse City Tourism is the Sponsor to this year’s Housing Leadership Happy Hour which will include attendance from state legislators and regional elected officials. Gold Sponsors include Consumers Energy, IFF, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Networks Northwest and Progressive Companies.
A new partnership with the Michigan Association of Planners will allow AICP credits for some of the sessions and workshops.
More information related to sessions, news and the draft agenda for the 2024 Housing Summit will be available on Housing North’s website at this link.