Julie J. Riddle

“If you've got a roof over your head and a kitchen to cook in, be thankful,” says Sturgis resident Tabitha Knight, recently housed at the Maple Towers Apartments after years of trying to secure stable housing.

'Everybody needs help sometime': Rural eviction drives cycles of housing instability

Julie J. Riddle

About 450 St. Joseph County households are behind on their rent, averaging about $800 in rent debt per household. Many of them are one emergency away from becoming one of the 40,000 Michigan households removed from their home by eviction each year.

Kalamazoo resident Kimberly Whittaker poses outside the home she moved into in July. The home was one of 48 built via the city’s collaboration with Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services, the Home Builders Association of Western Michigan, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

Kalamazoo embraces preapproved plans, zoning reform to turn vacant lots into homes

Julie J. Riddle

The city began overhauling its zoning and code, consulting with neighborhoods along the way. After more than five years of work, the city has adjusted its zoning requirements to open most city residential lots to new home construction.

Morgan Smith, who was a high school freshman when the pandemic started in 2020, says the isolation of the lockdowns had a damaging effect on her social skills.

The 'Covid Cohort'

Julie J. Riddle

This story is part of the Youth Mental Health Reporting Project of the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative. SWMJC is a group of 12 regional organizations dedicated to strengthening local journalism.