MUSKEGON, Mich. — The City of Muskegon is partnering with an online platform, City Wise Software, to increase visibility for affordable rental housing in the area.
Muskegon Director of Development Services, Jake Eckholm, says this new partnership is an opportunity to continue the city's growth.
WATCH: Muskegon launches online platform partnership to increase affordable housing access
The site is now live, and according to Eckholm, it's designed to make it easier for residents, especially middle and low-income renters, to find available housing in Muskegon.
“What we want to do is provide people more easy access to finding housing in the community,” Eckholm said.
The platform highlights listings from local landlords throughout the city that may not advertise on national websites.
“When someone Googles apartments in Muskegon, it comes up a lot higher in the search results because they're affiliated with our IP through this service agreement,” Eckholm explained.
Muskegon is the first city in the state to partner with City Wise Software.
“We’re in on the ground floor on this free service for citizens and new residents,” Eckholm said.
Eckholm emphasizes their goal to get all available rental housing in the city displayed on the website so searchers can distinguish between affordable developments and market rate developments.
“It’s really important for us to make sure we're giving opportunities to people that are already here in the community, but also potential new residents that they can find all options of housing in all areas of the city,” Eckholm said.
Eckholm adds there’s no cost to the city. They generate user fees by landlords, meaning the larger the number of units, the larger the fee.
“What was really attractive to us was the idea that folks that have a lower number of units under their management can advertise on here for free,” Eckholm said.
Free advertisement, according to Eckholm, applies for under 20 units.
Eckholm says Muskegon’s mantra is housing at every price point, in every area. So he explains part of that means making sure said housing is accessible.
“We have a long-standing housing stock that exists in our neighborhoods and downtown, and so this really puts everybody on an even playing field," Eckholm said. “It also provides residents the opportunity to search not only all the new stuff coming in, but all the existing housing stock that's already here in one location.”
Landlords interested in listing their available apartments are encouraged to check out the online sign-up process for early access to tenant placement services.
