Detroit Evening Report, July 1, 2022: Housing activists file complaint with federal and state officials
Homes across Detroit are continuing a six-year trend of significantly rising property values, with increases larger than most surrounding communities.
Welcome to the Detroit Evening Report, a daily round-up of news that city residents need to know.
Activists are calling on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to investigate housing discrimination in three majority-Black cities in Wayne County. Tonya Myers Phillips is a lawyer with the Sugar Law Center. She says homeowners in Detroit, Inkster and Highland Park continue to be over assessed and foreclosed at a far greater rate than any other Wayne County municipality. Myers Phillips says the overassessments disproportionately impact Black homeowners in these cities. She says they are also asking officials to investigate allegations from homeowners. Detroit resident Tahira Ahmad says she’s been overtaxed $15,000 dollars, not including the $500 dollar monthly payments to avoid foreclosure. Ahmad says she’s paying for the taxes on a fixed income and is unable to make home repairs due to being overtaxed. Ahmad says it’s a common situation with homeowners who are forced to walk away from their homes or live in danger.
Other headlines for July 1, 2022:
- Homeowners wait for help on flood prevention measures
- Analysis: Nearly 90 percent of Detroit evictions during pandemic came from noncompliant landlords
- Record-breaking $77 billion state budget boosts funding for schools, doesn’t include tax cuts
- Arabic language ballots are available at clerk offices in Dearborn and Hamtramck
- Holiday weekend starts off with some storms, followed by sunny skies on Saturday and Sunday
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
