Detroit Housing Summit Economic Mobility Breakfast Reaches Capacity as Leaders Focus on Actionable Housing Solutions

The Housing Summit announced that its inaugural Detroit Economic Mobility Breakfast, titled "Housing First, Futures Next: The Road to Economic Mobility," has reached full capacity for its November 18, 2025 event at the Shinola Hotel's San Morello Private Room. The 25-person working breakfast will convene senior leaders from policy, community development, philanthropy, finance, and technology sectors to center housing as a primary driver of economic opportunity in Detroit. Participants will focus on moving from ideas to implementable strategies, including Detroit-ready capital stacks, deployable policy tools, and public-private-philanthropic partnerships that deliver measurable outcomes for residents.

This Detroit edition builds on earlier Housing Summit gatherings in Hong Kong and New York City, continuing the organization's mission to create intentional spaces where cross-sector leaders can align incentives and develop concrete next steps. Amy Hovey, CEO and Executive Director of Michigan State Housing Development Authority, emphasized that "this housing summit is a catalyst for collaboration that brings together state and local partners, aligning tools, capital, and community leadership to advance equitable housing opportunities across Detroit." The event's moderated roundtable will focus on three core themes essential to Detroit's housing landscape.

The first theme addresses economic mobility through targeted housing strategies that can improve income stability, build credit, and increase neighborhood spending, supported by clear near-term metrics and post-event follow-through. The second theme explores community-led delivery through community land trusts and adaptive reuse models that preserve affordability, activate key corridors, and create durable wealth pathways with lasting governance structures. The third theme examines partnerships, capital, CDFIs, and technology, including how public-private-philanthropic partnerships can align land, policy tools, subsidies, and flexible capital to move promising projects from pipeline to reality.

Participants will also address recent uncertainty around the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and its effects on capital flows to mission lenders, while identifying local, state, philanthropic, and private responses to maintain strong community finance pipelines. The discussion will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping homeownership access, housing finance, and policymaking, with careful attention to guarding against bias and ensuring fairness in historically excluded communities. Karen L. Gamba, Founder of The Housing Summit, stated that "our aim is that every participant leaves the breakfast with at least one actionable solution and one follow-up conversation already in motion. The Housing Summit is more than an event; it's a growing community committed to turning insight into implementation."

The curated session draws a cross-section of policy and civic leaders, developers and impact investors, community land trust and nonprofit practitioners, philanthropic and financial partners including CDFIs, data and AI experts, and cross-industry executives committed to equitable economic mobility. Rooted in Detroit's innovation with adaptive reuse, community ownership, and targeted investment, the summit focuses on practical implementation methods that can be replicated in other cities. Andrea Benson, Senior Program Manager at Gilbert Family Foundation, shared that "we're excited to discuss how stable, affordable housing empowers Detroit families to face uncertainty with confidence, and how providing the tools for long-term homeownership can build a stronger, more resilient Detroit."

Although the Detroit breakfast is currently at capacity, interested stakeholders can join the waitlist or learn more about future events through The Housing Summit website and their Substack publication. Following events in Hong Kong, New York, and now Detroit, The Housing Summit will continue expanding into additional cities, with Los Angeles planned as the next location for these curated working sessions that transform relationships into tangible housing and economic outcomes.