The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has created a new task force to take a closer look at workforce housing needs around the state.

The new Food and Agriculture Housing Task Force will be led by MDARD and includes other departments and agencies that deal with economic development, housing and rural development.

The new task force comes as the state says we are seeing an increased demand for hired workers in food and agriculture communities and “housing has become a major issue.”

According to the state’s news release there’s been an increase in hired workers in agriculture nationally as well. The U.S. Department of Labor’s H2A program saw a 406% increase in applications from 2005 to 2018.

In Michigan, MDARD wants to ensure one of our state’s largest industries is appropriately poised for growth.

“The state’s $104.7 billion a year food and agriculture sector is ripe for growth. We’ve consistently heard that a lack of hired labor is a significant impediment for those businesses. This is the first step for MDARD to help address the lack of housing,” Gary McDowell, director of MDARD said. “The task force will be working to address the need for food and agriculture housing while balancing the individual needs of communities, which may have its own challenges and require a more regional solution-driven approach.”

First, the state is asking for public feedback.

You can weigh in on housing needs and this work via an online survey. MDARD says the survey will “help identify the needs of food and agriculture businesses, the potential challenges within local communities and how the MDARD can be a catalyst for identifying regional solutions.”

The department is also going on the road to seek feedback and information to help shape this work moving forward. In February and March, MDARD will be hosting regional meetings around the state to gather insights from community leaders, economic development representatives and those in the food and agriculture business.

While this work on the state level may be laser focused on agriculture workforce housing, more broadly workforce housing is an issue CMF members are working on around the state.

As CMF has reported, Frey Foundation and Rotary Charities of Traverse City are part of the Northwest Michigan Rural Housing Partnership (NMRHP) to address the workforce housing shortage in Northwest Michigan. 

The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation continues to partner with individuals and organizations to raise awareness of the shortage of workforce housing and invest in solutions.  

Pennies from Heaven Foundation has committed Program Related Investments (PRIs) to a development and grants funds to a CDFI to close gaps on local housing developments adding safe and affordable workforce housing to the community.

"What we have learned is that solving the housing crisis is complicated, and can not be down alone," Monica Schuyler, executive director, Pennies from Heaven Foundation said. "The best solutions stem from great partnerships and multiple entities working together to address the need. We, as a foundation, are committed to helping foster those partnerships."

Want more?

Connect with CMF’s Rural Philanthropy Affinity Group.

Provide input to MDARD via this online survey.

RSVP to attend one of the town halls.