The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) has announced that it has approved and awarded a $500,000 Employer-Assisted Housing Fund (EAH) matching grant to Munson Healthcare.

The EAH Fund is backed by $10 million in state funding and offers direct support to employers that contribute matching funds through cash investments, land donation, a below-market interest loan, or a combination to help develop new housing options.

Munson will receive a $500,000 matching grant to create a housing stipend for those who commit to a 24-month employment contract within the healthcare system. Munson estimates they will be able to hire between 40-60 additional employees using the stipend program. For this program, Munson is focused on attracting employees to the area into hard-to-fill roles like nursing and other clinical roles.

The Employer-Assisted Housing Fund (EAH) is a state-funded pilot initiative designed to help employers invest in housing solutions for income-eligible households. These new housing grants can be particularly helpful for rural healthcare organizations like Munson where housing can be a major barrier to attracting workers. 

According to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, there are 23,000 job openings in healthcare across the state of Michigan right now.