Develop Detroit (DDI) is a non-profit real estate development company playing a major role in the stabilization and equitable redevelopment of neighborhoods and communities weakened by decades-long economic decline in Detroit, Michigan. Our mission is to use the power of real estate to strengthen neighborhoods and to overcome housing inequity. We are organized and capitalized as an independent non-profit – a deliberate structure that builds on the experience and performance of the most accomplished affordable housing developers in the nation.

While there are many positive indicators as Detroit recovers from its decades-long loss of population, Detroit remains a “Tale of Two Cities” with wealth and investment concentrated primarily in the downtown core and nearby neighborhoods. Longtime residents are increasingly concerned with the lopsidedness of Detroit’s evolving economy.

DDI’s strategy focuses on advancing and balancing existing citywide development efforts underway. To this end, DDI has concentrated efforts in select neighborhoods and in alignment with other key development partners. This strategy leverages collective resources and supports the growth of stable, economically diverse communities. DDI has focused its investments on preserving existing affordable housing in areas that are experiencing rapid rent escalation and on creating new inclusionary developments that help address persistent racial and economic inequities in Detroit.

DDI actively seeks partnerships with other non-profit and for-profit developers, while having the capacity to undertake ventures solo. We focus on providing affordable and mixed-income housing, as well as strategic commercial development that helps stabilize disinvested neighborhoods. In order to fulfill its mission, DDI works on a range of real estate project types and can undertake multiple projects simultaneously. Targeted project types include single-family rehabilitation and infill, multi-family preservation and new construction, mixed-use development, community facilities, and stand-alone commercial development at scale appropriate to the location. 

Detroit is recovering from the city’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 2013, the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history. In 2014, the Housing Partnership Network (HPN), a national network of high capacity nonprofit housing developers, began having conversations with public and private stakeholders about creating a new Detroit-based social enterprise to address affordable housing needs as Detroit neighborhoods were being redeveloped.

Develop Detroit is modeled on the Gulf Coast Housing Partnership, which was established in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As Detroit progressed through its municipal bankruptcy, it became clear that the city could benefit from the creation of a similar organization that was customized to Detroit’s unique community needs, assets and resources.

Develop Detroit was launched by HPN in 2015. In June 2022, Develop Detroit separated from HPN to become a fully independent organization.