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Ingham County opens second round of housing grants for homeless programs

Ingham County opens second round of housing grants for homeless programs

Money Moves Holt, MI local

Applications closed Oct. 15; awards are due by Dec. 15 for the 2027 grant year

October 21st, 2026: Down payment program marks first anniversary

Overview

Updated Oct 23

Applications for Ingham County's second round of housing grants closed Oct. 15, with up to $2.75 million set aside for nonprofits and government agencies that run shelters, warming centers and housing programs. The money comes from a half-mill property tax voters approved in November 2024.

Review of the competitive proposals is scheduled for late October and early November. Awards are expected by Dec. 15, and the grant year starts Jan. 1, 2027. The separate $550,000 pool for urgent needs stays open on a rolling basis, up to $100,000 a project, until it is committed.

Why it matters

Voter-approved property taxes now decide which Ingham County nonprofits get public money to run shelters and housing programs.

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Key Indicators

$2.75M
Second round funding available
Total across competitive and emergent needs tracks; competitive applications closed Oct. 15.
$2.48M
First round awarded
Sent to nine nonprofits in September 2025.
9
Nonprofits funded in first round
Included Child and Family Charities and Punks with Lunch.
$400K
Maximum per project (competitive)
Larger projects can request up to $400,000.
$1.5M
State money for homebuyer aid
Secured by state Sen. Sarah Anthony; highlighted at the fund's first-anniversary event.

Voices

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People Involved

Alan Fox
Alan Fox
Ingham County Treasurer and Housing Trust Fund chairperson
Active
 Sarah Anthony
Sarah Anthony
Michigan state senator
Active

Organizations Involved

Ingham County Housing Trust Fund
Ingham County Housing Trust Fund
County housing fund
Reviewing second-round applications; awards expected by Dec. 15, 2026

County fund that distributes voter-approved millage revenue to housing and homeless programs.
Ingham County Board of Commissioners
Ingham County Board of Commissioners
County legislative body
Established the Housing Trust Fund

Elected county body that created the Housing Trust Fund and appoints its committee.

Timeline

November 2024 October 2026

7 events Latest: October 21st, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Down payment program marks first anniversary

    Latest Event

    County Treasurer Alan Fox and state Sen. Sarah Anthony marked the Down Payment Assistance Program's first anniversary, pointing to $1.5 million in state funding. Open-market down payment money ran out Oct. 1, so aid now goes to newly built or rehabilitated homes.

  2. Competitive application deadline passes

    Deadline

    Applications for the $2.2 million competitive pool closed at 11:59 p.m. The county has scheduled review for late October and early November.

  3. Q&A session for applicants

    Event

    County holds Q&A session for applicants.

  4. Application window reported

    Announcement

    WLNS reports application window open for up to $2.75 million in grants.

  5. Second round RFP released

    Announcement

    Housing Trust Fund releases second round request for proposals.

  6. First round awards announced

    Funding

    County announces first round awards: $2.48 million to nine nonprofits.

  7. Voters approve half-mill housing millage

    Election

    Ingham County voters approve a half-mill property tax for housing and homeless services.

Scenarios

1

Second round fully subscribed by October deadline

Likely Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: County officials; the first round drew enough applicants to award $2.48 million

Nonprofits submit applications by Oct. 15, and the county awards most of the $2.75 million across competitive and emergent needs tracks. Awards are announced in early 2027, mirroring the first round's timeline.

2

Emergent needs fund drains before competitive deadline

Deadline passed (Oct 15, 2026)

Discussed by: County's rolling application process; emergent needs can be submitted before the competitive deadline

The $550,000 emergent needs fund accepts rolling applications for urgent needs like shelter repairs and warming centers. Demand could exhaust it before the Oct. 15 competitive deadline, leaving only the $2.2 million competitive pool for the main round.

3

Applications fall short, funds roll to third round

Unlikely Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Smaller grant rounds sometimes draw fewer applicants than available funds

If nonprofits don't apply or proposals don't meet criteria, some funds go unspent. The county could extend the deadline or roll unspent money into a third round in 2027.

4

Down payment aid reopens to open-market buyers in 2027

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Ingham County Down Payment Assistance Program, as reported by WKAR

Funding for homes bought on the open market ran out Oct. 1, 2026. County officials expect more program money in early 2027, which would let buyers use the $30,000 assistance on existing homes again instead of only new or rehabilitated ones.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2008

National Housing Trust Fund (2008)

Congress created the National Housing Trust Fund in 2008 to provide a dedicated stream of federal money for affordable housing. It's funded by assessments on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, not annual appropriations.

Then

The fund sat largely empty for years because the housing agencies were in conservatorship after the 2008 crisis.

Now

It now distributes hundreds of millions annually to states for housing production.

Why this matters now

Shows the trust fund model, a dedicated revenue stream for housing, working at federal scale. Ingham County uses the same mechanism locally.

1987

McKinney-Vento Act (1987)

The first major federal response to homelessness, the McKinney-Vento Act created a competitive grant process for local homeless services. It established the Continuum of Care model that still governs federal homeless funding.

Then

Directed federal money to shelters and services through local planning bodies.

Now

Set the competitive grant model for homeless funding that counties like Ingham now mirror.

Why this matters now

Ingham County's competitive grant round follows the same model: local organizations compete for public funds to run homeless services.

Sources

(6)
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WLNS 6 News Yahoo News (syndicated from WLNS) Ingham County Treasurer's Office WKAR Public Media Ingham County Ingham County Board of Commissioners