This example of demand surpassing the supply of residents' aid shouldn't surprise Detroit officials.
(Photo: DepositPhotos)
They allocated $30 million for roof repair assistance to help low-income seniors and homeowners with disabilities in a Renew Detroit program of 2022 roof repairs. That share comes from more than $400 million in federal Covid recovery support the city got, the Free Press explains.
More than 4,800 Detroiters have applied for a ... program that can accommodate 1,000 homes, demonstrating the vast need for home repairs across the city.
City officials expect as many as 10,000 applications by month's end, when the application window for the roof repair program closes. ...
Home repairs were among the top issues Detroiters raised when asked how they would like their city government to spend federal dollars. Researchers and community leaders have said the breadth of repair needs in Detroit are vast and available programs are difficult to tap into or have long wait lists.
The paper quotes Heather Zygmontowicz, the mayor's chief of special housing programs:
"We know that home repair need is great in the city and I think this program is specifically structured to try and speak to that."
Reporter Nushrat Rahman also speaks with Daisy Jackson, vice president of the Field Street Block Club on the near east side. She's a fourth-generation Detroiter who has lived in her Islandview home for 50 years.
