A DRIVE JACKSON VISION PLAN PROGRAM
“My name is Alexie Milukhin and I’m the Community Growth Fellow for Jackson County. As a part of a local leadership committee, we talked to over 1,300 people about what they want to see changed, what they love, and what they want the community to continue to invest in. Out of that engagement, we created a 20-year vision plan called Drive Jackson. There are 54 elements identified in the plan, and one of the most critical needs is getting more people living in Jackson.
There are a lot of pieces to that puzzle.
When we survey Gen Z, 90% of them say home ownership is part of the American Dream. Conversely, one out of every 10 in Gen Z says they’ll never be able to afford a house. Because of that gigantic mismatch between what people want and what they can afford in this market, the 100 Homes program through the City of Jackson was created. It’s a home down payment assistance program for up to $60,000*, the second most generous down payment assistance program in the nation outside of New York City.
These 100 Homes are new homes built on vacant lots in the city. It’s important that the average citizen in Jackson is able to afford one of these homeson top of up to $60,000 in down payment assistance. Right behind is one of the 100 homes being built and it’s almost completed.
Many other cities have attempted similar programs, but usually the downpayment assistance is $5,000 to $10,000. That’s significant, but the fact that the 100 Homes program offers up to $60,000 blows any of that out of the water. You don’t really know how critical a down payment is until you’re looking for a home and most people are just not sitting on that kind of cash. It’s a huge obstacle preventing people from owning a home, so this is a genuinely transformative program. I haven’t seen anything like it, and I’m excited to be a part of it. Not only is this program a way to get more people into their own homes, but it’s also a great way to put the 300 to 400 vacant lots in the city back into productive use.
For people to apply, they can go to the 100 Homes website and start their application process.
Along with housing support, as a community we need to be locking arms and finding even more ways to support our young people, and in particular, people who are just getting their start. A home is a huge part of someone’s life, but it’s not all it. Especially when it comes to young people and young professionals, they want to know about the quality of life: what is there to do? How can we meet people and socialize? How can we get involved in the community? What are the mentorship and career advancement opportunities?
They want to build the connections that build a life, and that’s where the Build In Jackson program comes in.
Build in Jackson participants go through the same 100 Homes process to receive down payment assistance for a new home. Then, through Build In Jackson, selected participants will gain access to a curated package of professional, recreation, and community experience designed to help build their lives in Jackson. Build In Jackson is a collaborative effort between the City of Jackson, the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, Accelerate Jackson County, Jackson Community Foundation, Experience Jackson and Michigan Works! Southeast. It represents the most generous homeownership-centered talent attraction program in the entire Midwest region.
It’s designed to help young professional and emerging leaders establish roots in the community while contributing to the county’s growing workforce and economic future. This could look like a recent graduate from Spring Arbor who says, ‘I really like it here, and I want to find a pathway to stay.’ It could be somebody like me; somebody who’s from Jackson, proud of Jackson, lived here through their childhood and young adult life, went away to college, and is desperately seeking a way back to being around family. It could also be somebody who really wants to come here and work, for instance, at Henry Ford Health. There are all different kinds of people wanting to build a life in Jackson and Build In Jackson is a way to support them.
Just like we want to help them build a new home, we want to help them build connections.
One of the things I read over and over in the community feedback was the idea that Jackson is large enough that you can feel anonymous if you want to, but small enough that one person can make an outsized impact.’ I have absolutely found that to be the case here. This is the kind of community where people will pay attention to you, listen to you, and recognize you. When you have good ideas, they’ll be able to elevate those and want to invest in them in a way that may not be possible in very large communities. Where you might get lost in the shuffle there, Jackson is a place where there are a lot of people here to make sure that you don’t.
It means something to feel wanted in a community, to live in a community that says to young people “we are going to support you, we’re going to help you, and connect you with things that are important to you: home ownership, community, public amenities, parks, trails… because those things matter to us.” Here in Jackson we’re not just saying that. We are doing things about it.
– Alexie Milukhin
Community Growth Fellow, Jackson County
For more information about 100 Homes, click here.
For more information about Build In Jackson, click here.
*While funds last
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