Who needs housing

The 2021 Ottawa County Housing Needs Assessment identifies a need for 15,731 additional housing units by the end of 2025 if the County is to find some market-based equilibrium to reduce the rate of home price appreciation and rent growth in the County.

The 2021 Ottawa County Housing Needs Assessment identifies a need for 15,731 additional housing units by the end of 2025 if the County is to find some market-based equilibrium to reduce the rate of home price appreciation and rent growth in the County. Reaching this goal will require communities across the County to add a collective average of 3,000 new homes per year to the existing housing stock. This is only slightly more housing per capita than was added during the period between 1989 and 2005.

Over the last 10 years, Ottawa County has added tens of thousands of jobs in manufacturing, engineering, health care, and education. These are the marks of a thriving economy and a very healthy business climate. However, with each of those new jobs often comes a new family in need of a home.