August 25th, 2025
By: WoodTV
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Mel Trotter Ministries project leaders and community partners Monday to plant flowers near the first completed tiny homes in Hope Village.
“Having a place of your own is the centerpiece for the American dream and unfortunately that dream is out of reach for too many families in our country and certainly too many families in Michigan,” Whitmer said.
The homes are two of 16 planned standalone housing units being built on 1.65 acres of land near Mel Trotter Ministries’ Next Step facility on Garden Street SE near Jefferson Avenue in Grand Rapids. The homes will range from 400 to 530 square feet and include private bathrooms, in-unit washers and dryers as well as access to nearby job opportunities.
“I’m excited to return to this project to celebrate the big win for Michigan achieving our goal of 75,000 housing units,” Whitmer said, noting that the goal was reached quicker than expected — over a year before the Sept. 2026 deadline.
“The work is not finished,” said Mel Trotter CEO Chris Palusky. “This is one of the ways to help people to get homes…this is a drop in the bucket.”
Funding for the $2.8 million project largely comes from Mel Trotter’s capital campaign as well as a $944,000 grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.
“These things don’t happen in the current marketplace,” Whitmer said. “That’s why we have to make it a priority to meet the needs of Michiganders. And that’s why I’m proud that we were able to get this done and I’m grateful for my partners in the legislature for making it a priority in last year’s budget and hopefully we can continue this work.”
During a wall-raising ceremony in April, Whitmer visited the development and said residents will pay no more than 30% of their income for rent and the units will be available to those making less than 65% of the area median income.
Ten of the 16 units are expected to be completed by the end of the year, according to Mel Trotter leaders.
