22 homes under construction, 15 already sold in Jackson’s ’100 Homes’ initiative

JACKSON, MI – Though it’s only 14 months into its three-year timeline, a housing assistance project is “going strong” toward its goal of building new homes for Jackson families, a city official said.

Jackson has approved 44 applicants to the “100 home” program to move forward as of the beginning of 2025. Of this number, 22 homes are under construction, and 15 have been completed and sold to Jackson-area families.

The program has received more than 1,200 applicants since it launched in October 2023, said City Grant Administrator Cory Mays.

Related: $25K down payment assistance available in ‘100 Homes’ development project in Jackson

“That speaks to the need for housing in Jackson,” Mays said. “You can’t tell me we don’t have a housing crisis when we’ve got 1,200 people being interested in these homes. We’ve got so many people that need housing, at all income levels.”

The initiative calls for the construction of 100 new homes on vacant city lots for low- and middle-income families. Utilizing about $2.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, the program offers prospective qualified homeowners up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance.

Applications to participate in the program are available online through the city’s website.

Applicants must be earning up to 120% of the area median income to qualify for the program. One-hundred-twenty percent of the area median income for a single-person family in Jackson is $70,800 a year as of 2024, while it’s $80,950 a year for a two-person family.

A “100 Homes” application requires the same documentation that a bank usually requires for a traditional mortgage. This is to ensure applicants already have the paperwork and know the process before signing up.

“So many of our buyers are first-time homebuyers – I think so far almost all of them are,” Mays said. “That means maybe they’ve never experienced the mortgage side of things before, or maybe they tried to apply and had a negative experience and that might be a barrier to participation. We don’t want that.”

The homes generally take six-to-eight months to build once approved, and the city is closing on about four or five new homes each month, Mays said.

The majority of the applications have not been outright denied, Mays said. Many applicants who decide to pursue housing have a place saved in the applicant queue while they seek financial assistance.

Applications are reviewed daily, and the application period is open until no more houses are available, Mays said.

“We’re taking new applications every day,” Mays said. “I can’t predict when the money is going to be gone, but with over 40% done in the first year out of three, I think we’re going to be done early.”

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