Housing Summit Convenes Detroit Leaders to Advance Economic Mobility Through Affordable Housing Solutions

The Housing Summit announced its inaugural Detroit Economic Mobility Breakfast has reached capacity, with a waitlist now available for civic leaders, investors, and practitioners seeking to engage with the growing housing network. The 25-person working session, scheduled for November 18, 2025 at the Shinola Hotel's San Morello Private Room, will convene senior leaders from policy, community development, philanthropy, finance, and technology sectors to position housing as a primary driver of economic opportunity in Detroit.

This Detroit edition builds upon earlier Housing Summit gatherings in Hong Kong and New York City, continuing the international dialogue on housing affordability and innovation. The May 2025 Hong Kong launch, hosted by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Asia Ltd., addressed affordability, innovation, design, artificial intelligence in housing, and modular construction. The September 2025 New York City gathering brought together developers, policy leaders, housing advocates, family offices, and investors to explore affordable housing as both meaningful impact and exceptional investment opportunity.

Amy Hovey, CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, emphasized the summit's collaborative nature, stating it brings together state and local partners to align tools, capital, and community leadership for advancing equitable housing opportunities across Detroit. The event aims to move participants from ideas to implementable strategies within a single high-impact morning, focusing on Detroit-ready capital stacks, deployable policy tools, and public-private-philanthropic partnerships that deliver measurable outcomes for residents.

The moderated roundtable will concentrate on practical solutions across three core themes: economic mobility through housing strategies that improve income stability and build credit; community-led delivery through community land trusts and adaptive reuse models that preserve affordability; and partnerships involving capital, Community Development Financial Institutions, and technology. The technology discussion will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping homeownership access and housing finance while addressing potential bias concerns in historically excluded communities.

Karen L. Gamba, founder of The Housing Summit, emphasized the event's practical orientation, noting that every participant should leave with at least one actionable solution and follow-up conversation already in motion. The summit represents more than an event but rather a growing community committed to turning insight into implementation. The curated session draws policy and civic leaders, developers, impact investors, community land trust practitioners, philanthropic partners, data experts, and cross-industry executives focused on equitable economic mobility.

Andrea Benson, Senior Program Manager at the Gilbert Family Foundation, highlighted how stable, affordable housing empowers Detroit families to face uncertainty with confidence and how long-term homeownership tools can build a stronger, more resilient city. Rooted in Detroit's innovation with adaptive reuse and community ownership models, the summit focuses on practical implementation approaches that can be replicated in other urban centers.

Following the Detroit gathering, The Housing Summit plans to expand into additional cities, with Los Angeles identified as the next location. Interested stakeholders can learn more about the initiative by visiting https://www.thehousingsummit.com or subscribe for updates through https://thehousingsummit.substack.com. The summit series represents a global movement convening cross-sector leaders to position housing as foundational economic infrastructure, designing small, intentional gatherings where participants share data, align incentives, and develop concrete next steps that accelerate implementation timelines.