The leaders of a Kalamazoo County program to fight homelessness say they’re on track to house 100 families this year. That means they would reach a goal set last November when voters approved a millage to fight homelessness for families with children.
Michelle Davis is with Housing Resources Incorporated, a nonprofit working with the county. She says in just a couple of weeks since the housing program launched, four families have moved into homes, with dozens more waiting for consideration. Davis says she doubts the county will struggle to house 100 families this year.
“We get about 10,000 contacts a year for housing. It’s not very difficult to get from four to one hundred,” she says.
Public Housing Commission Chair David Anderson also says he fully expects 100 families to be housed by the end of December. Asked how much of a dent that makes in local homelessness, Anderson said,
“A smaller dent than we would like. If you remember the numbers, there were 1,286 children who were identified as being homeless in nine school districts in Kalamazoo County last year.”
The millage to house homeless families runs for six years, with a goal of housing 600 families by the end of 2020.
