Struggling with Rent Payments? These Community Resources Can Help.

Download this listing of community organizations that can offer assistance with rent and housing expenses. Available in English and Spanish, see links to the right. 

A Practical Guide for Tenants & Landlords

This guide (PDF), also available in Spanish, was prepared by the Michigan State University College of Law Housing Clinic and has everything you need to know about being a good tenant or a landlord. Printed copies are available at City Hall in the Human Relations or Community Neighborhood Services offices at:
207 S River Avenue
Holland, MI 49423

Home Repair Resources & Assistance

For qualifying homeowners needing housing repairs, this list includes state, city, and local funding sources and local organizations that can help get the job done. 

Housing Assistance

United Way of Ottawa County has assembled a list of all the organizations in Ottawa County that support the community’s housing needs. This link will take you to a list of agencies, including contact information, that may be able to help with a specific housing need, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent housing, and homelessness prevention. 

Fair Housing & Criminal Background Checks

Unfair criminal background screening can be housing discrimination. Screening based on criminal records should only consider convictions that indicate real and current risk to people or property. Screening criteria should be applied equally. People have the right to explain circumstances of their conviction and what they’ve done since. Learn more with this fact sheet prepared by the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan.

Fair Housing for Persons with Disabilities

Fair housing laws not only prohibit housing discrimination based on disability, but also afford people with disabilities the right to seek reasonable accommodations and modifications to make their housing and communities easier to use and access. Further, fair housing laws require specific accessibility features in all newly constructed multi-family housing to ensure equal housing opportunity for persons with disabilities. The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan has a variety of resources in English and Spanish on this topic, including Assistance Animals in Housing.

• Housing for Individuals with Disabilities is a resource list of housing options in Holland and the surrounding communities.

Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home

Renters: Federal law requires that before signing a lease for housing built before 1978, renters must receive the following from your landlord:

• An EPA-approved information pamphlet on identifying and controlling lead-based paint hazards: Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home.  Also available in Spanish.
• Any known information concerning the presence of lead-based paint hazards in the home or building.
  • For multi-unit buildings, this requirement includes records and reports concerning common areas and other unit when such information was obtained as a result of a building-wide evaluation.
• An attachment to the contract, or language inserted in the contract, that includes a "Lead Warning Statement" and confirms that the landlord has complied with all notification requirements.

If you have concerns, ask your landlord to get a Lead Hazard Inspection from a certified inspector before signing your lease. 

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

This program from the MDHHS has information and resources to prevent childhood lead poisoning across the state through surveillance, outreach, and health services. Visit their website to learn more. 

Local Housing Resources

Senior Housing Resources