Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse Requests $200,000 to Fund Year-Round Operations for the Next Two Years; Grand Traverse County Health Department Introduces Draft Point-of-Transfer Inspection Regulations; NAR Applauds Federal Action to Address Housing Affordability and Supply Crisis
The Grand Traverse County Commission had a busy study session this past Wednesday, January 22nd, wherein Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse requested $200,000 to support the year-round operation of their emergency shelter for 2025 and 2026, which currently only operates from October 15th through April 30th. Additionally, the Grand Traverse County Commission heard a presentation on the Grand Traverse County Health Department's draft point-of-transfer septic inspection regulations. At the federal level, NAR applauded efforts to address housing affordability and the housing supply crisis.
1. Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse Presents to the Grand Traverse County Commission a Request for $200,000 for 2 years to Fund Year-round Operations
At the January 22nd Grand Traverse County Commission Study Session, Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse with support voiced by representatives of the Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness, the Grand Traverse Community Foundation, Rotary Charities, and Goodwill Northern Michigan presented a request for $200,000 in funding from Grand Traverse County for each of the next two years to support the increased cost of Safe Harbor moving to year-round operations. Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse’s presentation included an overview of their $1.1 million year-round operating budget which they have secured all but $225,000 in funding for the next two years of operation. They shared that they have over 2,000 volunteers who provide support to Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse in addition to their staff. If this funding is approved by the Grand Traverse County Commission then Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse will be applying for a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) with the City of Traverse City for year-round operation.
It was also mentioned that the Homeless collective that has been meeting since April 2024 will be transitioning into a task force to address the larger picture of ending homelessness in our region. This task force will be looking at why people enter homelessness and how they can provide more supportive housing, as opposed to the current Homeless Collective which has been focused on servicing the immediate need of housing currently homeless individuals including those living in “The Pines.” The Homeless Collective is currently determining who the core partners will be for this task force. The task force is intended to begin meetings in April. Here you can view the presentation materials presented by the Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness and you can view the Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse presentation materials here. You can view the full presentation on Traverse Area Community Media through this link (presentation from minute 3 to minute 56).
2. Grand Traverse County Health Department Introduces Draft Point-of-Transfer Septic Inspection Regulations
Also, at the January 22nd Grand Traverse County Commission Meeting the Grand Traverse County Health Department introduced a proposed Grand Traverse County Onsite Wastewater and Sewage Disposal Regulation. The Grand Traverse (GT) County Health Department expressed that this proposed regulation is limited in scope (properties within 300 feet of a body of water) to focus on high-risk areas and allow private inspections to grow since currently 75% of inspections in Grand Traverse County are done by one company. The GT County Health Department also mentioned that they limited their scope because of their interest in not becoming a large barrier in the real estate transaction process. Vice-Chair of the GT County Commission, TJ Andrews, stated that the intention is to take a step forward, this regulation can always be revisited in the future. It is important to note that Aspire North REALTORS was provided a seat at the table in the Ad Hoc Committee Meetings where this proposed Grand Traverse County Onsite Wastewater and Sewage Disposal Regulation was drafted (covered in the GAD Top 3, most recently on Dec. 9th). Members of the Ad Hoc Committee and GT County Commissioners were very receptive to Aspire North REALTORS’ feedback and incorporated our input into the proposed Grand Traverse County Onsite Wastewater and Sewage Disposal Regulation. You can view the full presentation on Traverse Area Community Media through this link (presentation from minute 56 to minute 1:16)
3. NAR Applauds Federal Action to Address Housing Affordability and Supply Crisis
Last week, the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) applauded two efforts made at the federal level to address the housing affordability and the housing supply crisis. On Tuesday, January 21st Shannon McGahn, Chief Advocacy Officer for the NAR issued a statement applauding President Trump’s signing of the executive order, Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis, “for bringing attention to the dire need to address the urgent and ongoing challenges surrounding housing affordability and supply.” Check out the full statement from NAR here. Then on Thursday, January 23rd, NAR along with numerous housing trade groups applauded the reintroduction of the Bipartisan Congressional Real Estate Caucus. In NAR’s published statement they said “lawmakers from across the political spectrum are in overwhelming agreement that this nation is facing a housing affordability crisis. Homeownership is a bipartisan issue, and we (NAR) applaud these members of Congress for forming a caucus to work across the aisle to make housing more accessible.” Click here to view the full list of housing trade groups who voiced their support for the reintroduction of the Bipartisan Congressional Real Estate Caucus and their statements of support for this caucus’ reintroduction.
