Kirsten Elliott, CEO and president of Community Housing Network (CHN), brings over two decades of experience and a deep personal commitment to affordable housing. Having experienced firsthand the transformative power of supportive housing, Elliott is dedicated to building communities where marginalized individuals can thrive.

Throughout her 24-year tenure at CHN, she has held key leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Development. She led the creation of the Housing Resource Center, spearheaded a major organizational restructuring and oversaw the development of landmark affordable housing communities like Unity Park in Pontiac and Jefferson Oaks in Oak Park. Her strategic guidance has resulted in the management of over $120 million in funding and nearly 1,000 new affordable housing units across Michigan. Recognized as a 2019 Notable Woman in Real Estate by Crain’s, Elliott is also actively involved in statewide housing initiatives and serves on the boards of the Michigan Medicaid Advisory Committee and United Way for Southeastern Michigan Community Information Exchange.

There is currently no county or state in the U.S. where a full-time minimum-wage worker can afford a modest one-bedroom apartment. They’d need to work 86 hours a week to afford such a unit.

Her strategic guidance has resulted in the management of over $120 million in funding and nearly 1,000 new affordable housing units across Michigan. Recognized as a 2019 Notable Woman in Real Estate by Crain’s, Elliott is also actively involved in statewide housing initiatives, serving on the boards of CEDAM and Alliance for Housing, as well as contributing to the Oakland County Regional Housing Partnership.

Community Housing Network has been working in homelessness prevention for almost 25 years. Can you start by sharing the mission and the role it plays in addressing housing insecurity in Michigan?

Our mission at Community Housing Network is to empower people to live in affordable homes to help build thriving communities. Next year will be our 25th anniversary, though it’s difficult to say we’re “celebrating,” because we’re in a line of work where we’d like to make ourselves obsolete. The sad fact is that market forces and public policy decisions have made the problems of homelessness and housing instability even worse over the past 25 years, whereby we now have a housing crisis, so our job is harder than ever.

What do you wish more people understood about the realities of homelessness and who is most affected today?

Ever since the Great Recession and subprime mortgage crisis in the late 2000s, we’ve not been building nearly as much housing as we used to. This has kept housing prices high, with high interest rates only making things worse. People who would have traditionally been looking to buy a home are now renting instead, which drives up rental costs.

As housing costs – and the cost of living in general – go up, more working people are struggling to live in a home of their own. But because they may not be living on the street or in a shelter, they are not “officially” considered homeless. This is where the phrase “hidden homeless” comes in.

Are there other ways that these “hidden homeless” people might differ from what we conventionally see as homelessness?

The vast majority of people experiencing homelessness are not criminals, addicts or unwilling to work – they’re facing affordability problems beyond their control. They may be couch-surfing, living in cars or motels, or fleeing domestic violence, but they’re excluded from official definitions of homelessness – even if they have children – so they do not qualify for housing services.

The 2024 “Point In Time” homeless count, which is our “official” count nationally, found more than 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January, which was an 18% increase from 2023. But this only includes people who are living on the street or in homeless shelters, not those staying with friends or relatives, or in hotels or motels.

Experts almost universally agree that the Point-In-Time Count is a serious undercount. A 2017 study by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty estimated that the actual homeless population could be anywhere from 2.5 to 10 times higher than the Point-In-Time Count total.

If we’re not adequately defining the problem of homelessness and housing instability, we can’t come close to addressing it.

Many assume that employment alone protects people from losing housing, but that isn’t the case. What does the data show about working families and their ability to afford housing?

As many as 60% of people experiencing homelessness have jobs. Wages simply haven’t kept up with housing costs. There is currently no county or state in the U.S. where a full-time minimum-wage worker can afford a modest one-bedroom apartment. They’d need to work 86 hours a week to afford such a unit, and that’s before factoring in childcare, transit, healthcare and, most importantly, food.

Housing affordability continues to be a challenge nationwide. How does this issue show up in Michigan, and what makes it particularly urgent here?

According to research done by our partners at the United Way, 42% of Michigan households struggle to meet their basic needs. This includes 14% of Michiganders who live at or below the poverty level, as well as an additional 28% of households that struggle to keep up with the increasing cost of living. United Way’s research has found that a Michigan family of four now needs $90,096 to keep a roof over their heads while still being able to meet other needs.

Federal and state funding play a critical role in programs that keep people housed. What concerns do you have about recent and proposed cuts?

When you think of government housing assistance, you think of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). And although there have been proposed cuts to HUD’s budget, the majority of cuts so far have been in staffing – there were approximately 10,000 people employed throughout the country in January and current estimates now have that number closer to 7,700. As a result, communication from HUD is not as strong and consistent as it has been previously, and the fear is we’ll be seeing slower turnaround on grant applications and funding agreements.

Heading into 2025, HUD’s budget was $72.6 billion. While this sounds like a lot of money – and it is – it is only enough to provide benefits and support to 25% of people who need housing support.

Despite this, the most recent White House budget proposed a 44% cut to affordable housing, homelessness and community development programs. It also proposes changes to rental and homeless assistance that will make it more difficult to receive assistance. Taken in conjunction with cuts to Medicaid and food (SNAP) assistance, which helps families in other ways – making it easier for them to cover their rent – these cuts will have a catastrophic impact at a time when we already have a housing crisis.

There are people who don’t think our government should be involved in housing. But what is the alternative?

What kinds of early interventions work and why don’t we see more investment in them?

The most effective homeless prevention is just that: preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place. Families who get evicted usually lose most – if not all – of their belongings in the process and are forced to start over. They face the embarrassment of living with relatives, the trauma of living in a car or on the street. They face long waits to find accommodations in homeless shelters, and equally long waits to get into affordable homes.

At the same time, people need to make responsible decisions and good choices. But when a Michigan family of four needs $90,000 a year just to get by, and the state median household income is $71,000, you can see why so many people have to dedicate more than 50% of their income just to cover the rent.

Looking ahead, what policy changes or investments would make the biggest difference in reducing homelessness in Michigan or across the country?

In terms of policy changes, zoning laws are a serious impediment to affordable housing, with the prevailing attitude being “not in my backyard.” But strong, livable communities are not possible with good local services, retail and restaurants, where the prevailing wages aren’t enough to meet the local cost of living. Making matters even more difficult here in Southeast Michigan is a lack of public or affordable transportation, which creates even more barriers to obtaining and keeping gainful employment.

In terms of investment, I’d start by saying the government should not be disinvesting in affordable housing at a time when wages are lagging behind the cost of living, especially without viable alternative investments in place. More money needs to be invested – from both the private and public sector – in order to bridge an increasing housing affordability gap that threatens to displace more families and upend more communities. Investing in affordable housing in investing in people, who will have the ability to support themselves and their families and build stronger communities.

For citybiz readers — many of whom are business and civic leaders — what is the most impactful way they can support solutions to homelessness and housing insecurity?

They can start by taking a deeper dive into the issue of homelessness and affordable housing, not taking my word for it, but learning how the underlying economics or housing is affecting our society and its future. They can volunteer with organizations like mine, or at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, where they will find that many of the people there share their values and aspirations. If they have the means, they can donate to – or invest in – organizations that are working to make housing affordable. Their investments will pay dividends for their children and grandchildren.

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