Detroit Evening Report, Aug. 12, 2022: Report looks into Detroit rental properties and who owns them

Houses in Detroit's Live6 neighborhood.

Houses in Detroit's Live6 neighborhood.

Welcome to the Detroit Evening Report, a daily round-up of news that city residents need to know.

A new report takes a look at Detroit’s rental housing properties and who owns them. The nonprofit Detroit Future City says it’s a first step to better understand the city’s rental system and improve the housing quality for renters. A third of the city’s housing was built before 1940 and 85% of those homes still contain lead-based paint. Exposure to lead has been linked to health problems like brain and kidney damage and delayed growth and development in kids. In 2020, nearly 6% of Detroit children tested had an elevated blood-lead level. That’s more than twice the rate for the entire state of Michigan. Detroit Future City says a major challenge in regulating the rental housing market is the lack of data on rental housing in the city. T this report is a first step in building a foundation to create better policies.

Other headlines for Aug. 12, 2022:

  • Michigan Avenue corridor project gets $25 million funding boost
  • City donating 500 computers to families who lack access to technology and internet
  • Detroit school district’s series of Summer on the Block events aim to increase enrollment

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Author

  • Dorothy Hernandez is Digital Editor for 101.9 WDET, creating digital editorial content. Her love of radio began when she had a radio show in college when she and her roommate played '80s music in the middle of the night.