As a housing shortage hampers Northern Michigan school districts’ ability to recruit and retain educators, a new group has emerged to tackle the issue head-on.

Grand Traverse Housing for Educators, a newly formed consortium that includes Northwest Educator Services, Traverse City Area Public Schools, Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools and Interlochen Center for the Arts, aims to provide affordable housing options for preK-12 educators and support staff across a five-county region in northwest Michigan.

The housing initiative’s first phase will provide 90 affordable units next to Blair Elementary School in Blair Township, about 10 miles south of Traverse City. The consortium hopes to have shovels in the ground within the next year and a half.

“We need to make sure our dedicated public servants, who make so many sacrifices on all our behalf, can have access to a good quality of life in the places in which they work,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was in Traverse City this week to express support for the innovative project.

The state of Michigan’s Office of Rural Prosperity has provided funding for a portion of the initiative.

Chandra Fles, an elementary school teacher and president of the Traverse City Education Association, said she understands the housing challenges facing educators. Many quality educators want to “start and continue their careers in education but face the difficulties in obtaining and keeping affordable housing,” she said.

Ultimately, this negatively impacts students, schools and the community by depriving them of trained, qualified educators, Fles said.

“Housing is a real crisis in our area,” said MEA member Genevieve Minor, a teacher-librarian at Traverse City West Senior High School. “It is difficult to find housing, especially affordable housing. Being able to offer educators affordable housing gives the assistance they need to move to the area and work in our schools.”

John VanWagoner, superintendent of Traverse City Area Public Schools, said TCAPS has “had teachers apply and get hired, then call us back three weeks later and say they can’t afford to live in the area.” VanWagoner called the consortium’s efforts a crucial piece of the puzzle to address ongoing educator shortages and expressed hope that similar initiatives would be replicated across the state.

“This is a major issue for our area,” said state Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City. “It is important for educators and staff to be able to move here, and it’s important to invest in affordable housing in this region.”