Mid-Michigan Now grows visibility for a local solution to housing needs

Our work to expand access to affordable housing in Midland County continues to draw attention across the region.

In a recent feature from Mid-Michigan Now, our partnership with the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio was highlighted as part of a broader look at housing needs, innovation, and collaboration in the community.

👉 Watch the full story here.

A local response to a shared challenge

Communities across Michigan and across the country are facing growing housing challenges. Rising costs, limited supply, and workforce pressures mean many individuals and families are struggling to find stable, affordable places to live.

Here in Midland, we are bringing together the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio, local schools, and other community partners to expand access to affordable homeownership in a way that is both practical and deeply rooted in place.

Design, education, and opportunity

This work is taking shape within the Humanity Street Neighborhood Development, where new homes will be built using thoughtfully adapted designs originally created by Alden B. Dow in the 1930s and 1940s.

By combining historic design, modern building standards, and practical layouts, these homes are designed to meet today’s needs while remaining affordable to build, own, and maintain.

Some of those future homes will be built by local building trades programs. Students will gain hands‑on experience working on real Habitat homes, learning valuable skills while contributing to a project that will serve families for generations. What will begin as classroom learning will become a permanent investment in the community.

More than homes

These kinds of partnerships reflect what happens when a community comes together to address housing in a way that supports families, strengthens neighborhoods, and helps ensure Midland remains a place where people can live, work, and stay.

We’re grateful to MidMichiganNOW for helping share this story, and to the many partners who continue to build alongside us.