Battle Creek unites to build 1,000 homes and power economic growth

Editor’s note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave’s On the Ground Battle Creek series. All photos are courtesy.

BATTLE CREEK, MI — With a shortage of more than 3,000 units, Battle Creek is focused on creating a sustainable housing market that supports family financial security, drives economic growth, and strengthens local businesses, according to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

With $750,000 seed funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the City of Battle Creek, Battle Creek Unlimited (BCU), and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) came together to solve this challenge by creating the new Battle Creek Housing Fund. 

The official announcement of the Housing Fund was made during a gathering attended by business, community, and philanthropic leaders on Friday at WKKF headquarters in downtown Battle Creek. Prior to this event, “On the Ground Battle Creek” asked some of the Fund’s collaborators about the state of housing in Battle Creek and what their involvement would look like.

More than 30 business and community leaders attended the formal announcement of the Battle Creek Housing Fund at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on Friday.

Joe Sobieralski, President and CEO of Battle Creek Unlimited.

Q: How did this project come about, and when did BCU first begin discussions about it?

I would say that BCU has identified and been advocating for tools to bring additional

housing to the market across all income levels for 7 plus years. We, BCU, feel like additional housing is the key to accelerating Battle Creek’s recent momentum. The concept of a Housing Trust Fund came from the results of the 2025 HR & A housing study that was completed in

2024. This was a partnership of funders made up of BCU, the City of Battle Creek, and WKKF. It was really grounded in the discussion we’ve been having over the years around

housing, and then at the time, the recent announcement of Ford Blue Oval.

Q: How does the availability of affordable housing tie into economic development?

It’s very basic. Housing and housing affordability directly ties into workforce and workforce availability for local employers. An ample housing supply across all income levels provides options for people. The more options and availability you have, the easier it is to not only stay but create an environment for inward migration of population/workforce. The larger

workforce you have to draw from makes it an attractive place to do business, hence the tie to economic development.

Q: When did you first realize there was an affordable housing crisis, and what did that look like for you?

First, I believe it’s more than just an affordable housing crisis in Battle Creek; it’s an inventory crisis across all income levels, but it’s more of a crisis with regards to affordable housing, and rightfully so. I moved to this community over ten years ago. When I was looking for options on where to live, it was pretty evident that there weren’t many options. Then, as I began to dig into the work at BCU, talking to companies already here and ones that were looking at the

market, it became even more clear that housing was a huge issue for Battle Creek.

Q: What is BCU’s role in this initiative?

BCU has been at the forefront advocating for housing tools/resources for 7+ years. We will administer the market side of the fund, which is geared toward the higher AMI levels and larger multi-unit developments. We naturally are a first point of contact with many developers.

Q: In your opinion, what has created the affordable housing crisis, and why have we not seen a groundswell of support for the creation of more affordable housing?

I think there are many reasons for the situation we are in. Some of them aren’t unique to Battle Creek (interest rates, inflation, population growth, or lack thereof). But some of them are.

For instance, Battle Creek’s proximity to larger markets (we share workforce). People choose where they want to live and work, and when availability of inventory becomes scarce or the options aren’t available, you look elsewhere. When this occurs for decades, you create dynamics that are hard to overcome (I.e. we create jobs here, but we import more workers than we export). That can create lower AMIs (Average Median Income), hence making it harder for developers to develop.

Q: Will the 1,000 housing units by 2035 be concentrated in certain areas of Battle Creek and Calhoun County?

That is a citywide goal of BCU. So, there are no set boundaries or concentrations within the city.

Q: How will you be selling this initiative to potential donors?

What will drive them to invest? Help us improve housing, and it will improve your workforce situation. If we can help get a project or two over the hump and have something to point to as a win or wins, that will help. Investors need to see tangible results.

Q: What are you hearing from local business leaders about the need for affordable housing?

They see it as a problem as they are hiring their workforce. They recognize the

Problem.

Q: Where will you be looking for financial support and other types of buy-in for this initiative?

The business and philanthropic community, along with the State of Michigan and the tools that they have made available.

Jackie Koney, Executive Director, LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corp.)

Q: Can you describe what LISC’s role is in Battle Creek’s Housing Fund project?

The Battle Creek Housing Fund is a coordinated investment strategy designed to support housing across the entire spectrum — supportive, affordable, workforce, and market-rate — because Battle Creek needs all of it. It fills financing gaps, responds to real market conditions, and supports projects that might not otherwise move forward, even when the demand is clearly there. What defines this Fund is its two-part structure, working toward one shared goal. LISC manages the affordable housing component, with a focus on community-driven rehabilitation and development and supporting emerging local developers who often build smaller but deeply impactful projects, including multifamily rental housing.  

Q: Has LISC committed funding for the project? If yes, how are the funds generated for initiatives such as this one?

LISC leverages public and private investment to support housing initiatives in Battle Creek through loans, capacity-building grants, and technical assistance. Examples include HUD Section 4 capacity building grants to support the housing ecosystem. 

What do you see as the biggest challenges to 1,000 homes by 2035?

Gaps in capacity to produce a thousand units in less than 10 years may be a challenge, especially as we concurrently aim to support local developers and contractors undertaking smaller, neighborhood-based infill development projects as a means to both create more units and build the next generation of community-based development firms.

Q: When did you first realize there was an affordable housing crisis in southwest Michigan, and what did that look like for you?

LISC has long known that there was a gap in the availability of safe, affordable housing opportunities, particularly for low to moderate-income families seeking homeownership and long-term asset-building opportunities. LISC has been working in the affordable housing development space for more than 40 years, called to this work to address issues of redlining and systemic disinvestment in urban centers since the late 1970s. LISC has been working in southwest Michigan since 1988 and was brought to Kalamazoo to undertake a comprehensive housing affordability analysis, which found that there was, even then, a distinct gap in the availability of safe, affordable housing for families.  

Q: What led to this affordable housing crisis?

There are several barriers that have been impacting the affordable housing market for decades, including cost of construction, major rehabilitation, and increasing cost of land. Additionally, there is a misalignment of available aging housing stock to modern family sizes and needs, deferred maintenance costs, and generalized disinterest in the conventional market to build affordable entry-level housing. 

A significant portion of existing housing in Battle Creek (and many other urban centers) is more than 70 years old, with aging systems, unsafe paint, insulation, and electrical systems. The conventional housing development market has been largely absent in developing low-cost, entry level in-fill housing in favor of more profitable middle and luxury suburban-style subdivision housing products. 

The nonprofit sector has been largely left to navigate the affordable housing sector, with a variety of increasingly complex tools and resources to manage to support, and subsidize the gap between cost of construction and appraised value in under-resourced communities. With the dramatic rise in housing development costs over the past five years due to supply chain interruptions to building supplies, increasing labor costs, and more recent increases in tariffs, this crisis in the affordable housing space is spreading and bleeding into other parts of the housing ecosystem, with rental rates increasing at all income levels. 

At the same time, state and federal support in the form of housing subsidies like HUD Section 8 vouchers have seen dramatic cuts in support, impacting our more economically vulnerable residents.   

Q: How does a lack of affordable housing impact a community?

Housing is foundational workforce infrastructure, and housing challenges don’t sit neatly in one lane: they’re economic issues, workforce issues, quality-of-life issues, and equity issues all at once. No single organization or sector can solve this alone. When people have access to safe, attainable housing, everything else becomes more possible — employment, education, health, and long-term stability. 

Over time, the Housing Fund will help ensure that when employers grow, talent can live here. When new opportunities emerge, housing isn’t the bottleneck. As the Fund supports supportive housing, multifamily rentals, single-family homes, and small-scale local development, it will help build community wealth, stabilize neighborhoods, and strengthen our economic future. The Fund positions Battle Creek to move from reacting to the housing crisis — toward building the future we want. 

Q: Why isn’t there more of a sense of urgency about the need for affordable housing?

The sense of urgency is there, but voiced by the most economically vulnerable and least politically represented people in our communities. LISC is heavily engaged with community-level partners who hear resident stories and needs every day. And efforts to address community needs are made by these hardworking, on-the-ground, community partners every day. And yet, homelessness is on the rise, and the residents of historically underrepresented communities continue to be stressed and stretched thin, living in often precarious housing situations. 

I would argue that economically fragile people (low income, elderly, disabled, and otherwise disenfranchised) hold little sway with the people with the most dominant voices and financial resources. I do not believe that people do not care, but housing instability and the need for greater affordable housing opportunities is an abstract concept for those that are not faced with housing insecurity due to high rental costs, high home maintenance costs, and lack of opportunities for improved housing opportunities that meet the needs of 21st Century families. 

Additionally, the sheer cost of this issue, if we were to try to “build our way out,” seems insurmountable and unattainable to most people, and thus, the issue pushes out to be solved later, by somebody else. There is no easy or instant fix to this issue, as it did not happen overnight and will not be solved by one initiative or investment. It will take everyone working together (government, philanthropy, nonprofits, business, and residents themselves), acting with urgency, vision, and creativity, to make progress toward solving this pressing issue in our region.  

Q: In addition to building these homes, will there be educational opportunities made available to those moving into these future housing units?

Although not supported through the Housing Fund, some local organizations are providing financial literacy and first-time home-buying education, including NIBC and Habitat for Humanity. LISC is supporting both of these organizations to provide these opportunities.

Q: What will be the mix of new builds versus rehabbing existing structures? 

This Fund will tackle the entire housing market, not just one slice. We intend to support supportive housing, multifamily rentals, single-family homes, rehabilitation of existing units, and small-scale developments led by local builders. Together, these reflect the balanced, community-wide impact we aim to achieve. We don’t yet know the mix of rehab to new build — it will depend on many factors, including demand, owner/developer readiness, and available funds.

Q: How did LISC come to be involved in this project?

LISC is one of the country’s largest community development nonprofits, helping forge vibrant, resilient communities across America. We have more than 45 years of experience leveraging public and private funding to invest in housing, economic development, and neighborhood revitalization. We deliver grants, loans, equity, and capacity-building support for under-resourced communities and have experience launching housing funds in other communities.

Here in Battle Creek, we partnered with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the City of Battle Creek, and Battle Creek Unlimited to design and launch the Battle Creek Housing Fund — a coordinated, long-term strategy to address the full range of housing needs in this city.

Jamie Schriner, Program Officer, WKKF

Q: How did the Housing Fund come to be?

When we learned about the Blue Oval Plant coming to Marshall, we recognized both the opportunity and the challenge of welcoming new residents to Calhoun County. Battle Creek has had a shortage of attainable housing for years, as outlined first in a study commissioned by the City in 2019. We knew new residents would be great for our community, but also exacerbate the housing challenge. We partnered in 2023 with the City of Battle Creek and Battle Creek Unlimited to commission an updated housing study with HR & A, which was completed in 2024. That study recommended a number of things, including a housing fund. We recognized the importance of acting together as a community and got to work.

Q: Why did WKKF decide to become involved?

WKKF is all about supporting children and families. We recognized that if we want children to thrive, they need to have access to a great education, which is funded largely by people living in the community. We know that their parents need access to good jobs. Having housing near your job is important for working families — it makes commuting less of a barrier to employment for families. It means they can spend less time commuting and more time with their families and in their community. It lowers their transportation expenses. It helps support small businesses in Battle Creek, because families generally shop near where they live. We also know that homeownership is the best way for families to create generational wealth. All of these things are incredibly important to our families and children, which is why we decided to get involved.

Q: How does the availability of affordable housing impact/benefit a community?

Affordable housing means that a family isn’t spending more than 30% of their income on their housing (including rent/mortgage, taxes, utilities, etc.) When a community has adequate, affordable housing, it means that families don’t carry the burden of wondering how they will pay their bills. They know that they have a safe place to sleep at night, so they are able to focus on their education, their business, and their community. They also spend their time in the community as opposed to commuting. All of these factors help to create a strong community as opposed to a community where people simply drive in every morning and leave every night.

Q: Who will this Housing Plan most benefit?

Ultimately, we hope the entire community will benefit from the housing plan. It will benefit our local employers by having an expanded pool of employees living nearby, reducing their talent attraction and retention costs. Our local workforce will have a new employment option with low transportation expenses near their children’s school and care. Having safe and affordable housing for our local families means they can ensure they have adequate resources for food, clothing, healthcare, and other basic needs. It means children will grow up in Battle Creek knowing their hometown offers lots of opportunity to them — it’s a place where, after they grow up, they can stay and thrive. The school system and city will benefit from the additional taxes paid by new residents. Locally owned businesses will benefit from their neighbors being additional customers.

Neighborhoods will benefit by having added investment and more committed and long-term residents. Overall, our entire community benefits from this.

Q: Who will you be looking to secure additional funding, and how will you make the case for this investment?

In order for the Battle Creek Housing Fund to be successful, we need the entire community to contribute. We are looking for both state and federal funding in addition to local funding. With our partners at LISC, we’ve secured up to $1 million from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSDHA) in local employer match funding. We need our fellow community members and employers to step up and invest what they can to contribute the matching dollars necessary to receive that full $1 million from the state. This will ensure that their workforce has a safe and affordable place to live right here in Battle Creek.

Q: When did WKKF realize that there is an affordable housing crisis?

We have been hearing from community members and community-based partners that Battle Creek does not have enough attainable housing for years. This was highlighted in a concrete way in both 2019 and 2024, when two reports reiterated what partners had been telling us. We’ve been working to support partners across our community to help address this issue for years.

Q: In your opinion, what led to and is exacerbating this crisis?

There have been a number of issues that have led to this crisis, many of which were out of our control. From a state and federal perspective, we simply have not invested enough in housing. The COVID pandemic caused prices to rise, which made it even more difficult to build or rehab housing. Many planned projects had to be canceled or scaled back due to the doubling or even tripling in actual expenses. Our local housing infrastructure is aging, with the majority of homes in Battle Creek built before the 1980s. These homes require significant investment to bring up to today’s standards. And our local housing ecosystem simply wasn’t robust enough to keep up with the needs. This is a challenge across the country — not just in Battle Creek.

Q: How will this initiative ensure 1,000 housing units by 2035?

Our goal is to help spur the creation or rehabilitation of 1,000 units by 2035. This work can only be achieved by working on all aspects of the housing plan. Strengthening our partners, leveraging investment at the local, state, and federal levels, addressing zoning, and empowering our neighbors to become developers are vital to help us meet this goal. No one entity can do this alone; it will take the entire community working together.

Q: What will be the challenges to making sure that goal is met?

Resources will be an issue – both human and financial. To address this, our community is tackling the issue in a variety of ways. We’re working to strengthen our local partners. WKKF is convening active housing partners monthly to see how we can better utilize each other’s skills and collaborate to make the best use of resources. We’re also convening anyone interested in housing on a quarterly basis to provide both education and connections. We are being creative with financial resources, working to find nontraditional partners and leverage state and local resources. The opportunity with MSHDA for local employers to have their investment matched one-to-one for up to $1 million is a prime example.

Q: Is WKKF involved in similar initiatives in the United States and throughout the world?

While WKKF works to create better outcomes for children and families in all of our named places across the country and internationally, we always work to support unique solutions developed by local communities for the challenges they face. Battle Creek is our hometown community, and we are making investments in housing in Battle Creek that are unique to Battle Creek and informed by our community-based partners.

Q: Will these new and rehabbed housing units be concentrated in certain areas of Battle Creek and Calhoun? If yes, where might these areas be?

The work that WKKF is supporting is specific to Battle Creek. We rely on our local partners to help us ensure investment is going to the most appropriate places. We currently have significant investments in both downtown Battle Creek and the nearby Washington Heights neighborhood, but are excited to see the efforts grow across the entire city.

Q: What types of supports will be available to future occupants of these units to make sure they can remain in these homes?

Our local partners like Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek, the City of Battle Creek, Washington Heights United Methodist Church, the Calhoun County Land Bank, and others all have programs to help with home repair, rental assistance, housing counseling, and more to ensure that people are able to stay in their homes.

Q: Why is WKKF taking a lead role in affordable housing?

WKKF is listening to our community-based partners, and we’re following their lead to ensure our work is reflective of the community’s priorities. Our priorities continue to center support for children and families. In Battle Creek, supporting the need for more housing is simply one way to ensure that local children and families are able to thrive.