I will never forget my first home. It was a modest bungalow on a friendly block of Channing Street in Ferndale. I felt the pride and accomplishment that homeownership brings.

I want everyone who wants to stay in or move to Oakland County to feel that same sense of security and community.

Since 2023, our Neighborhood and Housing Development team has been working with community partners to address housing insecurity. Over the past several years, we have committed $45 million to expand housing options for residents in communities including Royal Oak, Southfield, Ferndale and Pontiac, and earlier this month, I announced that we are allocating $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County to administer our Senior Home Improvement Program.

Having a safe, affordable place to call home is so important to building a secure future, but we know that all too many of our residents have to deal with another significant source of financial stress — medical debt.

Through our partnership with the national nonprofit organization Undue Medical Debt, qualifying medical debt is purchased from healthcare providers and debt holders for pennies on the dollar, then eliminated for residents experiencing financial hardship. 

So far, the partnership has eliminated more than $28 million in medical debt for more than 31,000 Oakland County residents. A Pontiac resident named Helen received a letter informing her that some of her medical debt had been eliminated.

Helen had struggled with medical debt for years. After her husband died, she was left managing debt associated with his medical care in addition to medical expenses related to her hereditary blood condition. Having a $1,500 medical bill from 2022 wiped clean did not solve every financial challenge, but it gave her enough breathing room to replace her stove.

“I feel very blessed that this happened to me,” she told us. “I know there are a lot of people who have medical debt that prevents them from getting credit, securing a loan or accessing credit when an emergency arises.”

We also recognize that a person’s health is impacted by much more than what happens in a doctor’s office. Housing, food, transportation, mental healthcare and community support all affect a person’s well-being.

This is why we created Oakland Connects, a free service available to anyone who lives or works in the county. Since October 2024, we have supported more than 10,000 residents through a wide range of programs and services.

One of those residents was a local mother who had just been approved for an apartment. With help from a community health worker and our community partners, she obtained furniture, clothing, shoes, hygiene products, books and toys for her family. The assistance helped turn her new apartment into a home.

These efforts address different needs, but they share the same purpose. We are supporting the whole person and helping residents build healthier, more stable lives. This is the kind of community impact that makes me proud of the work we are doing together.