The Kalamazoo City Commission’s Monday meeting brought concerns from the public about what the city is doing to shelter unhoused people during the winter months.
Activist Shona Espinoza told the commission she’s seen children younger than three on the streets.
“Where are we with making sure that nobody dies on the street this year? There’s children out there. There’s little ones out there," Espinoza said.
Later in the meeting, Vice Mayor Drew Duncan said the city often hears similar questions. He took a moment to respond to Espinoza and other activists who advocate for unhoused community members, and asked them to look into the city’s winter sheltering options before addressing the commission.
“If you are an activist here and you want to work with the commission to make sure that no one freezes outside — the best thing that we can do is urge people to go into the shelters that we have provided and that this commission has bravely passed a budget for," Duncan said.
This year, the city is operating an expanded winter shelter program that offers up to 210 beds — with day and nighttime availability — and 25 additional beds that become available during severe weather.
The initiative costs nearly $1 million and is funded by the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, Kalamazoo County, the Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care, and United Way of South Central Michigan. The city of Kalamazoo put up $450,000 in funding.
The newly-implemented program utilizes beds at Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries and Ministry with Community, and is coordinated through a 24/7 hotline run by Housing Resources, Inc.
Under the model, anyone can call the HRI hotline to speak with an intake specialist. The specialists are able to see bed availability across both shelters, as well as other partner organizations like The Landing Place. Specialists can then connect community members with beds same-day — including families with children and juveniles.
Duncan says some exemptions are also being offered for people who may not have been eligible for winter shelter beds in the past. This year, accommodations are available for people who need a place to shelter with a pet, and exemptions are being offered for people who may not meet certain requirements imposed by some shelters.
The expanded winter shelter program began on November 2 of this year and runs through March 31, 2027. Duncan pointed to the fact that this year, winter shelter beds were made available nearly a full month before shelters opened in previous years.
“If you’re going to come to the podium, please educate yourself and read the packets as to what we have done. We have expanded our beds to 210. That is before a flake of snow fell this year. We are ahead of the game," Duncan said.
More information about the city of Kalamazoo's winter shelter program can be found on the city of Kalamazoo website. Winter shelter intake specialists can be reached at 269-382-0287 (extension 1).
