KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. — Kalamazoo County has made the first step to solve a burgeoning housing shortage that's plaguing their city and dribbling into surrounding towns. And it's a big one.
Leaders approved a $5.2 million project to convert a Holiday Inn Express & Suites into a more than 60-unit homeless shelter at a Tuesday commissioners meeting.
The county will take ownership of the hotel, located at 3630 East Cork Street along I-94, by the end of the year and begin extensive renovations. They hope to have it open by mid-2025.
The county says nearly 1,300 school-age children are experiencing homelessness. Out of families in local homeless shelters, 68% have at least one child under 18 years old, according to a survey done by the Continuum of Care.
That's the highest these numbers have peaked in five years. And it's where Kevin Catlin, Administrator and Controller of Kalamazoo County, has set his sights.
“We saw a growing problem in our community, with families on waitlists and nowhere to turn, we knew we had to act quickly,” said Catlin. “While the shelter won’t open right away, this is a vital first step toward addressing homelessness and supporting those most in need.”
Kalamazoo County currently has homeless shelters. But the largest problem they're facing is a lack of space, especially for families—which make up a large percentage of their unhoused population.
"At our current homeless shelters, we struggle to house families and keep them together as a familial unit," said Catlin. "That's what really inspired it... we know keeping families together makes that familial unit stronger."
The county's ultimate goal is to have 7,500 affordable housing units available by 2030. This project will certainly help.
"The downtown shelters are really busting at the seams, and they don't have the capacity to house these families and keep them together as a unit. So, that's what this project will do."
What makes the project so unique—their funding.
Kalamazoo is one of the only counties in the state that have a housing millage.
Voters historically approved the "Homes for All" millage in 2020, which allocates millions for housing projects like this one. It's in place until 2028.
This means, Catlin confirms, no new taxpayer money will be used on the project. The county brings $3.5 million from that millage to the table, while the city offers $1.2 million from COVID-19 relief funding.
But that's not all. Smaller cities in the county are stepping up to see change happen.
Enter Portage.
"The fact that there are many unhoused people in our communities is something that's going to take everybody being on board," said Pat McGinnis, City Manager.
The county requested Portage's help, to which they agreed, offering $500,000 if construction can begin in 2024.
While smaller than the City of Kalamazoo, homelessness is a problem that plagues its southern neighbor, too. With a population under 50,000, Portage had 132 children in their school system who qualified as homeless in 2023.
"Having 132 kids that have nowhere to live results in many other problems and outcomes that are bad for all of us," said McGinnis.
His city saw a similar peak in homelessness as the county this year. According to the Continuum of Care, there was a 13% increase in of Portage families without a stable place to live in 2024.
McGinnis thinks this can be attributed to a shortage of federal assistance, or from the closure of a voucher program by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority due to lack of funding.
The shuttering of that program alone, the county says, left 450 individuals and families waiting for help.
"We all have a right to have a safe place to live, to go home to, and that we should all be working together to make sure that availability is there for everybody," McGinnis said.
When the idea for the project was first floated in September, responses varied at local meetings.
"Not a lot of folks know enough details about the project," said Catlin. "Many residents and local organizations support the project because they recognize the urgent need for comprehensive housing solutions to homelessness. However, there are some concerns out there from some community members about the location and potential impacts on neighborhoods."
As for the hotel space that will be disappearing in the City of Kalamazoo, have no fear. A new Holiday Inn will be built right behind its current site at 3700 East Cork Street.
If you'd like to make your voice heard on this issue, Catlin invites you to speak during the public comment portion of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners meetings every first and third Tuesday of the month. Portage meetings are held twice a month on Tuesdays.
"Everybody needs to pay attention and somehow find a way to correct this problem," said McGinnis. "We don't think it's a permanent condition. We think it's something that eventually will be something we can solve together."