Our First Responders Are There For Us. We Need to Be There For Them.

Teachers, firefighters, healthcare workers, law enforcement, and other essential professionals are the backbone of any thriving community, yet many face the challenges of finding housing near where they serve—such as Benzie and Leelanau Counties.

The Sleeping Bear Gateway Council is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. All of us are volunteers and residents of these counties. Our attainable housing initiative is designed to address this shortage by providing affordable housing opportunities for those who make our communities stronger.

By supporting attainable housing for people and families who are educating our children, protecting our neighborhoods, and providing critical services, we’re ensuring they can live where they work—helping to create a more connected and stronger community for everyone.

We are working to make this happen!

We have worked with the Harvard Graduate School of Design to develop a replicable model of attainable homes via a sustainable site development model suited to rural areas in our counties.

We continue to investigate the suitability of opportunities that may become available for workforce housing development in our service area.

In Leelanau County, Annual Median Income (AMI) is $71,232. At this level of income, there are currently limited opportunities for homeownership. As a community, we must work toward a solution to improving housing opportunities, particularly for those persons supporting the services we need and expect.

How Can You Help?

There are several things you can do now to help SBGC in our efforts to mitigate the crisis in workforce housing in our gateway communities:

1. Please subscribe to our e-newsletter. This sign-up link can be found at the bottom of our homepage.
2. Follow us on social media. We are actively posting updates on Facebook and Instagram.
3. Please support us with a donation or volunteer with us.