June is National Homeownership Month, a time to celebrate the role homeownership plays in creating stable families, strong neighborhoods and thriving communities.
However, for many Detroit homeowners, remaining in the homes they have worked hard to purchase can come with challenges. Rising housing costs, aging homes, deferred maintenance and property tax burdens can all threaten long-term housing stability, particularly for longtime residents.
According to Andrea Benson, director of housing stability for Gilbert Family Foundation, preserving homeownership is about more than maintaining a property.
“Homeownership contributes to the stability of neighborhoods by reinforcing and preserving social structures that positively impact local businesses, schools and the sense of belonging,” Benson said. “It has always been seen as a reliable tool for wealth generation in America.”
To help address these challenges, Gilbert Family Foundation is investing in programs designed to preserve homeownership and strengthen neighborhood stability. One recent example is the Higginbotham Home Repair Program, which combines home repairs with housing support services to help residents remain safely and securely housed.
Helping homeowners stay in place
Through a $300,000 grant from Gilbert Family Foundation, the Higginbotham Home Repair Program will provide exterior home repairs for at least 45 homeowners in Detroit’s Higginbotham and 8 Mile-Wyoming neighborhoods.
The program was created to support longtime residents living near the future Higginbotham Art Residences, a project that will transform the historic William E. Higginbotham School into 100 units of affordable housing. By investing in both existing homeowners and new housing opportunities, the initiative aims to help ensure neighborhood revitalization benefits current residents as well as future ones.
Initiated by Urge Imprint and led by Live6 Alliance, the project will support repairs like roofing improvements, porch and step repairs, railings, walkways, landscaping and energy-efficiency upgrades.
While these improvements can enhance curb appeal, they also serve a more practical purpose: improving safety, reducing future repair costs and helping homeowners continue living in their homes for years to come.
For residents, neighborhood improvements can have benefits that extend beyond individual properties.
“I just want our neighborhood to be one of those neighborhoods where, when you ride down the street, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, this is a good neighborhood. This is a nice place. I wouldn’t mind living over here,’” said Teresa Moon, a resident of the Garden Homes/Pembroke neighborhood near 8 Mile and Wyoming.
Connecting residents to resources beyond home repairs
Physical repairs are only one piece of the housing stability puzzle.
As part of the Higginbotham Home Repair Program, homeowners will also be connected to additional resources through the Detroit Housing Network, including assistance with the Homeowners Property Tax Exemption (HOPE) program.
HOPE helps eligible Detroit homeowners reduce or eliminate their property tax burden, providing relief that can help families remain in their homes and avoid financial hardship. Programs like HOPE can remove financial barriers that might otherwise put housing stability at risk.
Gilbert Family Foundation has also supported efforts led by Wayne Metro to help residents complete HOPE applications, navigate appeals processes and access other housing-related resources.
The Foundation’s housing work recognizes that preserving homeownership often requires more than home repairs alone. Many homeowners also need access to tax relief programs, housing counseling and other resources that can help address financial barriers to staying in their homes.
“The Detroit Housing Network is evolving to become the ‘one-stop shop’ for Detroit homeowners to get connected to the resources necessary to gain and maintain stability of their asset today and for future generations,” Benson said.
Building a stronger housing stability network
The Higginbotham project is part of a broader strategy focused on housing stability across Detroit.
In 2021, Gilbert Family Foundation established the Detroit Tax Relief Fund (DTRF) as part of their $500M commitment to the City of Detroit. DTRF helps homeowners avoid tax foreclosure and remain stably housed by paying off the remaining back taxes for low-income homeowners. To date, the program has eliminated $52M in property tax debt.
The Foundation has also invested $3 million in Enterprise Community Partners’ Community Development Organization Fund, which supports neighborhood-based organizations serving Detroit residents. The funding helps these organizations expand programs, build capacity and strengthen their long-term sustainability.
Because these groups work directly with residents every day, they often serve as trusted connectors to resources ranging from housing repairs and tax relief to neighborhood revitalization efforts.
In addition, the Foundation invested $1.5 million over two years in Lakeshore Legal Aid and Michigan Legal Services to help families resolve heirs’ property issues through free probate legal services.
According to a 2024 Detroit Future City study, roughly 5,500 Detroit families are living in homes that have been passed down through generations without the legal transfer of ownership. These “heirs’ properties” represent an estimated $270 million in household wealth at risk and can leave families unable to access homeowners insurance, tax relief programs or home repair assistance.
Without clear ownership, some families also face the threat of tax foreclosure, putting generations of accumulated wealth at risk. Through its partnership with legal aid organizations, the Foundation is helping residents navigate the probate process, secure legal ownership of their homes and preserve those assets for future generations.
Preserving the neighborhoods Detroit families helped build
Housing stability is about more than maintaining individual properties. It is about helping families remain rooted in the neighborhoods they have helped build and sustain over generations.
Programs that provide home repairs, tax relief, legal assistance and connections to local resources can help address the challenges that threaten long-term homeownership while strengthening entire communities.
For Benson, the long-term vision is a Detroit where residents can remain in the homes and neighborhoods they have helped build.
“We are working toward a Detroit where residents can stay in their homes, build wealth through housing and pass that stability on to the next generation,” she said. “Our investments focus on strengthening the systems that support renters, homeowners and future homebuyers -- meeting people where they are and opening doors to opportunity.”