Detroit housing crisis deepens for disabled residents

Detroit needs more affordable housing — but even more dire is its lack of options for people with accessibility needs.

The big picture: Federal accessible housing rules don't go nearly far enough to help Detroiters with disabilities, per an August study by the city's housing department, along with Detroit Disability Power and national disability-forward housing nonprofit The Kelsey.

• City Council requested the study to inform potential future housing policies.

By the numbers: Around 1 in 5 Detroiters have disabilities, per 2023 census estimates cited by the study.

• People with disabilities are more in need of affordable housing. They earned a median of $23,400 in 2023 in Detroit, nearly $10,000 less than residents without disabilities.
• The most common disabilities cited in the study include mobility and cognitive.

What they're saying: More than half of residents with disabilities surveyed by study organizers said their homes didn't meet their needs.

• "Besides an inability to afford available housing, other challenges experienced by residents when looking for housing … include long waitlists, application fees they cannot afford, and property denials because their credit scores are too low," the study says.

Zoom out: Just under 5% of the nation's housing supply is accessible for those with moderate mobility difficulties and 1% is usable for those with wheelchairs, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Zoom in: These figures are not available in Detroit, per the study, though the city recently started trying to estimate. More than 93% of the city's multifamily units were built before 1990 Fair Housing Act accessibility requirements.

• Detroit estimates that out of 10,216 regulated affordable housing units built after that, there are about 700 units accessible for residents with mobility, hearing or visual disabilities.

Between the lines: Federal and local rules dictate some accessibility musts but don't cover all needs or provide useful guidance, per the study.

• The Fair Housing Act requires basic accessibility for buildings with four or more units, including entrances usable by wheelchair and bathroom walls reinforced so grab bars can be installed.
• Detroit also requires 10% of units in affordable housing developments that use federal funding to be accessible, higher than the federal requirement of 5%.

• But the city's prevalent privately owned single-family homes don't need to meet the same standards.

How it works: Inclusive design standards made by The Kelsey alongside Mikiten Architecture and the Inclusive Design Council offer a more robust view of disability-forward design than regulations do. They range from guide stripes on floors for easy navigation and zero-step entrances to sensory-friendly soft acoustics in common areas.

• But extra accessibility features cost money a developer may see as a deal-breaker for its return on investment, the survey found after speaking with developers.
• As an example, the survey cites an estimated cost of $5,000-$30,000 for ramps and entrance accessibility.

What's next: The survey cites new programs that could help, including funding more home modifications for renters and homeowners, as well as conducting research on accessible Detroit design standards and educating developers.

• Some cities offer substantial incentives for developers offering more accessibility.

Go deeper: A resident of Detroit's Coronado Apartments shares accessibility challenges with Outlier Media.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include additional creators of the inclusive design standards.