Technical Assistance Spotlight: Detroit

Two people are pictured in a meeting room wearing masks. One is sitting and writing at a table strewn with papers and pens, and the other is standing and talking. A glass door is visible behind them.

We partnered with the City of Detroit’s Housing Revitalization Department and Detroit Disability Power on a technical assistance project to support residents with disabilities and housers advocate and create more disability-forward housing. Guided by insights from local research and feedback sessions with disabled residents, caregivers, real estate developers, property managers, service providers, designers, and planners, the collaboration culminated in a set of practical tools to support the creation of more affordable and accessible homes throughout the city.

These resources address critical topics for renters with disabilities and housers, including Plain Language leasing and best practices for leasing accessible units. We also created a comprehensive report capturing community member experiences, outlining strategies to improve local accessibility, and recommending policies and programs to strengthen accessibility in both new and existing housing. 

These partnerships are essential—not only for elevating the national conversation around the need for disability-forward housing, but also for advancing tangible solutions.

Click here to access the above Detroit housing resources.

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The Kelsey provides technical assistance and project management for organizations across all stages of their disability-forward housing efforts. Whether structuring community engagement, doing site feasibility, selecting a development partner, overseeing a housing project launch, managing design partners, and beyond, we support people with a vision for inclusive housing to bring projects to life. Past clients include affordable housing developers, disability service providers, universities, housing finance organizations, and family groups. Most of our technical assistance projects are grant-funded, partnering with clients to help secure support for this work.

Click here to contact us about technical assistance partnerships.