KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. — Kalamazoo County leaders have their work cut out for them. They hope to squash the burgeoning housing shortage with a new plan.
A survey done by the Continuum of Care shows 664 total people were considered homeless in Kalamazoo County this year. Out of that amount, nearly one-fifth are completely unsheltered.
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.
The county plans to use a multi-million dollar budget to purchase a property to address a shortage and get residents off the streets.
Kalamazoo County does have homeless shelters available currently. But the largest problems they're facing are 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."
While Catlin couldn't confirm a specific property they have in mind, he says the ones they're looking at currently have about 60 units each.
The county's ultimate goal is to have 7,500 affordable housing units available by 2030. This project will 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 is 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 that no new taxpayer money will be used on the project.
But it takes more than just a millage to see these massive projects through. Along with philanthropic partners, 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.
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.
"They've either split the kids up, they're living in different households. They're farming children out to other family members or friends to find shelter for them. But it's a very unstable and unfortunate and untenable situation," said McGinnis.
That's why, when approached by county leaders about the project, Portage offered $500,000 for the proposed shelter if plans are set within the budget year.
"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.
While the county works to solidify plans for the project, they're hearing feedback from residents.
"I would say [the reactions are] probably mixed at this point. 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."
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.
They hope the project is complete by the end of 2025.
"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."
