The Metro: How will Detroit’s next mayor address homelessness and housing?
Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
Affordable housing has been a major issue for many voters in Detroit.
In fact, according to recent University of Michigan surveys, housing affordability is a top priority for residents. In the majority renter city that is Detroit, 60% of those renters are cost-burdened — meaning they spend over 30% of their income on housing costs.
A lack of affordable housing is considered one of the root causes of homelessness. In 2024, a one-night count conducted by the city of Detroit and two local nonprofits showed a 16% increase in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park’s homeless population compared to the year before.
Ted Phillips, executive director for the United Community Housing Coalition, and Nushrat Rahman, economic mobility reporter for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit, joined the show to discuss the drivers of and possible solutions to this growing problem.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.Donate today »
