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Kayla Hinton

DETROIT - Unfortunately, with big cities comes big issues. A large one the city of Detroit, Michigan faces is homelessness. According to Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND) in the year 2015, 16,040 people were counted homeless in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck.

Organizations across Detroit are looking for ways like aspiration blinds to bring these numbers down, increase awareness, and identify solutions.

Associate Professor Angie Kennedy for the School of Social Work at Michigan State University breaks down the term homeless and the causes: "People who are homeless are a heterogeneous group that includes adolescents, families, and single adults; the causes of homelessness are diverse as well.

"For example, what causes homelessness among adolescents is different than what causes homelessness among adults who are veterans. Among adolescents and young adults, key causes include victimization at home and a critical lack of resources including financial, material, social support."

There are many different reasons as to why someone is homeless and it is very diverse Kennedy says. Although a complex problem there are many things that can be done to improve on this issue.

"Reducing poverty, improving access to employment, providing supports for people struggling with homelessness," are just a few out of the many Kennedy states.

Detroit is a large target for homelessness and these reasons may vary but for the most part Kennedy says it's because of, "high rates of poverty, low access of employment opportunities, and lack of resources to provide supports to people struggling with homelessness."

Latasha Little is experienced when it comes to shelters and living on the streets. Little talks about what life is like when you're homeless in Detroit. She says both of her parents are deceased along with her grandparents, leaving no family support for Little and her two children. Little says she wants to see a change in Detroit on the issue with homelessness.

Little took an available spot with her 19-year old daughter at Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS). This shelter in Detroit provides families a room, food, and career counseling. A day in her life she says is, "I wake up at 6 am eat breakfast and I'm out the door by 8. If I don't have an appointment scheduled I'm filling out job applications, I also link up with my recovery specialist and career specialist."

Little says this shelter is different from other ones she has been to. "Tons of resources, get services you need, hygiene products and your own personal space." Other shelters in her opinion need health inspectors, equal treatment, and more use of adequate space.

Little's advice to other homeless people is finding that support system you need whether it's from family, friends or a great shelter. "I never gave up, that's all I can say," Little adds.

Kathy Thompson who is lead cook at COTS does not look at the homeless like another statistic or a nuisance but like her family. "Being a worker here gives me a sense of taking care of my family, a mother image," Thompson says.

COTS currently have around 138 residents. Thompson says, "you do your job they'll get you into a place," when speaking about why these lucky 138 have this shelter to turn to. COTS who is the same shelter that helped Latasha Little have also been helping the city since 1982, providing shelter, opportunities and programs to the most vulnerable members of Detroit.

Thompson says, "people from the city need to understand you and I are just one paycheck away from being homeless, so have compassion for these people."

An organization and a city that clearly means the world to Thompson she wants others to understand that these people are human too and they need your help. "I treat these people like my family, if they have questions or need a hug I do it," Thompson says when talking about how easy it is to let your guard down in this line of work.

COTS and other shelters are very dependent on volunteers and donations. Thompson says businesses like Quicken Loans and Whole Foods Markets are always donating and making a difference in the Detroit Community. People from churches, students for community service, and just people who want to help are what drive this city forward and are the reason Detroit is one step closer to resolving homelessness, says Thompson.

Alexandra Szakaly volunteers regularly through COTS and other Detroit shelters. She works for Quicken Loans a large company in Detroit who encourage their workers to volunteer to make a better Detroit.

"I love it, I feel like I'm actually giving back and can see it rather than other places where you are behind the scenes." Szakaly says when talking about volunteering.

Szakaly would also like to see some changes made in Detroit over this issue. She says accessibility and visibility would be a great addition to the city in helping homeless. She feels many people don't know how to donate or get involved and providing more information on that would be very helpful.

Anyone can be a volunteer and make a difference within the community. With over 43 shelters in the city of Detroit alone, a difference can be made. Organizations like HAND, Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH), Project Homeless Connect (PHC) and many, many more are the future to this cause.

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Homelessness in Detroit: a big issue for a big city

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Kayla Hinton DETROIT - Unfortunately, with big cities comes big issues. A large one the city of Detroit, Michigan faces is homelessness. According to Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND) in the year 2015, 16,040 people were counted homeless in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck.

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Detroit’s homeless population is trending downward for the third year in a row.
Detroit leaders are crediting the "Housing First" strategy for reducing homelessness in Detroit and this is exactly what they should be doing. Housing is one of the main things that homeless people need, along with clothing, a job,and food. Housing is great start to this. If we can give every homeless person in Detroit a place to call home, then that is just one step closer to vanquishing what is a major downfall to our society.

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Detroit's homeless population is trending downward for the third year in a row-in part, officials say, because of an emphasis on finding people homes.

Detroit's annual "point in time count" of people living on the street or in shelters tallied up 1,769 people when it was conducted on January 31st of this year. That's a 15% drop from 2017.

Tasha Gray, Executive Director of the Detroit Homeless Action Network, says that's the lowest count they've seen "in a number of years."

"We're excited to see the trends going down," Gray said. "Veterans homelessness, chronic homelessness, even adults and families...people who are experiencing homelessness, all of the numbers are going down."

Some homeless advocates and city officials credit a strategic change for much of that decline. Homeless service providers have adopted a "housing first" approach, with an emphasis on placements in permanent supportive housing.

"These are folks who are very vulnerable, but we're seeing that if we place them in housing, we give them the support that they need, they're actually remaining in housing," Gray said.

"With permanent supportive housing, they actually have somewhere where they can stabilize. It's the hardest thing to do when folks are living on the streets or somewhere in a temporary place, to try and address some of their other barriers."

Detroit's actual homeless population is much larger than the point in time survey suggests. Gray pegs it somewhere around 14,000 people. And that doesn't include most people experiencing periods of homelessness due to evictions or other forms of housing instability.

Even so, the need far exceeds the number of designated supportive housing units available, but city officials say more are in the works. Detroit housing director Arthur Jemison says a city plan calls for 300 more permanent supportive units over the next five years.

"We think we can bring these numbers even further down," Jemison said.

One project already in the pipeline is a renovation of the abandoned St. Rita apartment complex along Detroit's central Woodward Avenue corridor. Contractors are in the midst of restoring the historic 1910 building into 26 one-bedroom units.

Curtis Smith of Detroit's Central City Integrated Housing says rents will be income-based, and will have an in-house staff person to "provide services to the individuals that live here." It's scheduled to open in the fall.

The "housing first" strategy has not been without controversy in Detroit.

A recent city review, led by Jemison, found no merit to accusations that Detroit Continuum of Care and other providers were misappropriating money for homeless services. However, Jemison recommended changing the funding process to avoid possible conflicts of interest, and better coordination among various agencies.

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Detroit leaders credit "housing first" strategy with reducing homelessness

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Detroit's homeless population is trending downward for the third year in a row-in part, officials say, because of an emphasis on finding people homes. Detroit's annual "point in time count" of people living on the street or in shelters tallied up 1,769 people when it was conducted on January 31st of this year.

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Individuals with an established support network and steady income can be forced into homelessness if a major health issue or family emergency arises.
Not only is this very unsettling in general, but people are losing their jobs due to medical emergencies which are things that people can't control. People are also being forced into homelessness due to divorce or other family issues. People shouldn't be losing housing because their family couldn't get along.

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There are many different reasons an individual or family falls into homelessness. While it's usually a combination of things, like losing a job or falling behind on rent, sometimes the cause of homelessness is one tragic incident like losing a partner that changes someone's living circumstance. So why do people become homeless? Learn a little more about the most common reasons, and meet a few neighbors who you may not even realize are experiencing homelessness.

Unemployment

Whether from losing a job, or not being able to find a job in the first place, unemployment is one of the major causes of homeless. No income, no way to keep up with living expenses. While the number of unemployed people fell to 7.4% the past few years, the number of people living in poverty has not declined. At 46.7 million living under the poverty line ($20,000 year for a family of three), that's 15.8% of the United States.

"A few months ago I was forced to be homeless after I lost my job and became delinquent on my payments. I am post graduate of San Francisco State University and recently graduated May 2014 with my B.A. in Broadcast Electronic Communication Arts with minor in World Music and Dance."

Personal or family crisis

Individuals with an established support network and steady income can be forced into homelessness if a major health issue or family emergency arises. For people already living below the poverty line, managing everyday incidents such as having a car towed can push someone into homelessness even faster. One major health issue can derail an individual's life including a family member's poor health or a death in the family. Even divorce can quickly spin into homelessness as it can be expensive and impact income significantly. Often these homeless experiences are short-term and transitional, especially for families.

"After a divorce, I moved to Alameda County for employment and a fresh start. Unfortunately I found, then lost, my job due to increasingly severe health issues (I'm a melanoma cancer survivor) and became homeless as a result of no income. At the same time my children's mother was struggling herself and I became the sole guardian of my three young children."

Affordable housing

In cities like San Francisco and New York, affordable and available housing is in short supply. But even outside these urban areas people are feeling crunched by the rising cost of living. Since 2007, the number of poor households increased by 27% - 11.25 million families are paying 50% or more of their income toward housing. According to The Department of Housing and Urban Development, families with only one full-time worker making minimum wage couldn't afford rent for a two-bedroom market-priced apartment anywhere in the country.

"15 years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer and am still undergoing treatment. During this time I became homeless because my landlord evicted me so they could find a tenant to pay higher rent. Since then I have a had difficulty getting housed again because of the limited amount of affordable housing available in San Francisco."

Demographics: Youth and LGBTQ

Young people are often considered the "invisible homeless" - and there are fewer statistics for this group as they don't normally engage with services. For them, homelessness may begin as couchsurfing or crashing with friends, which is less drastic than sleeping outdoors. What we do know is that youth - including children and unaccompanied youth -  make up almost 8% of the homeless population - during a year around 550,000 youth and young adults up to age 24 experience homelessness, with 380,000 being under the age of 18.

Similarly, the LGBTQ community faces a unique set of challenges and are often more at risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation compared with their heterosexual peers. According to the Williams Institute, the most common factor to LGBTQ homelessness is from family rejection based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Youth are often met with harassment and discrimination when they try to seek out alternative housing, which contributes to their disproportionately growing rates of homelessness.

"I was born in Jordan... I lived in Amman till I was 15 years old. My family figured that sending me to live in America was the best way to get me away from them and away from the country that could have killed me for being a transgender...I am basically disowned. So my life has been quite a struggle."

Meet Giselle After paying my rent, phone bill, and electricity, I have very little money left for food at the end of the month... handup.org

No support network

It's easy to take your support network for granted, when you have one. But those who don't are sharply aware of the absence. Support networks can come in many forms: a family member, friend, co-worker, or even the greater community as we see on HandUp. Knowing that someone believes in you can make all the difference.

One thing to note is that even with state-funded programs to provide a safety net, these are often not enough to avoid homelessness. Currently, the median Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefit for a family of three is approximately one-third of the poverty level.

"I was born in Iran and I speak two languages, Turkish and Persian. I had a hard time in Turkey for being a homosexual refugee. The U.S. Embassy helped me get a Green Card. Two years ago I came to Los Angeles. It was challenging because English was my third language. It was hard to adjust to a new culture, new community, and new language. I had a really hard time with these big changes."

Mental health or substance abuse

According to the overall U.S. 2014 Point-In-Time Count, on any given night, nearly 20% of the homeless population had a serious mental illness. A subset of this group are homeless veterans, struggling with PTS and mental suffering. Those living with mental illness have challenges with everyday aspects of live like self care and often remain homeless for longer periods of time. There are major barriers to employment and consistent management of available services.

In 2012, one in five people in the U.S. who experienced homeless also struggled with chronic substance use problems  - 131,000 people altogether. For chronically homeless individuals who also suffer addiction, permanent supportive housing is key because it combines stable housing with intensive support and services. This means access to stigma-free, meaningful services along with housing.

"I am battling homelessness and poverty unable to maintain employment due disorders caused by my Honorable Military Service. I served Honorably Discharged. Now I need to ask for support to rebuild my life. My life weekly is consumed with almost daily doctor appointments. I was living in a fog for many years unaware that what I experienced in uniform made me ill. Been sober and not drunk in 3 years, after I finally started talking about what happened in service."

Everyone has a story and as a community we can make a difference first by understanding why homelessness happens. Then we can take action in our own neighborhood, whether that's stopping to say hello to a homeless neighbor, volunteering, or giving directly to someone in need on HandUp.

More Reading

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6 Reasons Why People Become Homeless - HandUp - Medium

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There are many different reasons an individual or family falls into homelessness. While it's usually a combination of things, like losing a job or falling behind on rent, sometimes the cause of homelessness is one tragic incident like losing a partner that changes someone's living circumstance. So why do people become homeless?

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How do some people have greater of being homeless than others?

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Count found 1,769 people experiencing homelessness
First off, Detroit is a wonderful place. Or at least, it could be with the help of everybody. Crain's Detroit Business took a count and found 1,769 homeless people in March of 2018. If we all step up, we can help make Detroit one of the best cities to live in in the United States.

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The number of homeless people in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck has dropped for a third straight year with a continued emphasis on a permanent supportive housing model to help the homeless.

The model moves people into permanent living conditions and then helps them deal with issues like addiction vs. offering them transitional housing to get them clean/ready for permanent housing first.

It's a driver in the city of Detroit's plan to develop 300 units of supportive housing within five years as part of a $250 million affordable housing strategy unveiled in March.

The 2018 "point-in-time" count done on a single day in January by volunteers from local homeless services agencies and the city, led by the nonprofit Homeless Action Network of Detroit, turned up 1,769 people experiencing homelessness in the three cities covered by the Detroit Continuum of Care, down 15 percent from last year.

The shift follows an 11 percent decrease last year.

The count is one measure the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development uses in allocating federal dollars to provide services for those who are homeless.

Over the past year, the number of people deemed "chronically homeless" - defined as having experienced homelessness for more than a year, for four or more times over a three-year period - dropped 11 percent, the Homeless Action Network and city of Detroit said in a jointly issued news release. That included the number of people sheltered and unsheltered who were considered homeless.

Among other things, the 2018 point-in-time count also showed a:

28 percent decrease in the total unsheltered population

36 percent drop over the past year in the number of chronically, unsheltered individuals

4 percent decrease in the number of homeless veterans

"Many of Detroit's homeless service providers and outreach teams have embraced the new emphasis on housing first and permanent housing as a way to end homelessness. The 2018 PIT count is reflective of their hard work," Tasha Gray, executive director of the Detroit Continuum of Care's lead agency for homeless services, HAND, said in a release.

The Detroit CoC, an independent nonprofit charged with spearheading the city's bid to end homelessness, and HAND have shifted over the past few years from funding transitional housing to permanent supportive housing that gets people into housing first and then addresses addictions, mental health and other issues that led them to become homeless. It's a point that's caused tension, as some local homeless service providers believe transitional housing is needed to get people ready for permanent housing.

But the CoC's prioritization of Housing First programs aligns with the priorities of HUD and the city of Detroit, improving the Detroit CoC's ability to compete for the $25 million it gets annually from HUD for homeless programs.

For its part, the city of Detroit added 143 permanent supportive housing units last year and expects to add another 300 over the next five years. It credits that move with helping to reduce the number of chronically homeless people in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.

News of the recent drop in the number of homeless in the three cities comes following a city of Detroit review of the Detroit Continuum of Care process for allocating about $25 million in annual federal dollars to address homelessness in the three cities and the role of its lead agency, HAND, among other things, following allegations of self-interest and lack of a strategic plan for ending homelessness.

While the city's review of the funding process did not turn up any ethical issues, Arthur Jemison, director of housing and revitalization for the city of Detroit, in late April recommended that homeless service providers no longer vote on or score projects for funding to avoid the appearance of a conflict.

He also called for an evaluation of the role HAND is playing to determine if it should continue in that capacity and for the development of a strategic plan to bring the three cities to "functional zero" homelessness, where the inflow of people into the system is less than the number exiting.

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Homeless count in Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck drops for third year

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The number of homeless people in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck has dropped for a third straight year with a continued emphasis on a permanent supportive housing model to help the homeless. The model moves people into permanent living conditions and then helps them deal with issues like addiction vs.

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How does the government get enough resources and money to help pay for all of these homes?

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Why are there so many homeless people in Detroit and not as many in other parts of Michigan?

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A young boy gives a homeless man a present for christmas

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A homeless man sits on a street corner asking for help because he is starving

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They are a no profit organization who help with building homes for Low-Income Detroit Residents

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HOME - United Community Housing Coalition (UCHC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which provides comprehensive housing assistance to Detroit's low-income residents.

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Tiny Homes Detroit are being built by both professional tradespeople (under the supervision of a general contractor) and volunteer teams who will manage the finishing jobs – tiling, drywalling, painting, gardening, building decks and erecting fences.
This proves that people are trying to step-up and help our neighbors. This shows that the homeless people in Detroit are getting notonly houses, but houses that are nice to live in. This is a major upgrade from underneath vidocks and abandoned buildings to nice homes with drywall, nice lawns, and fences.

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Cass Community Social Services is in the process of building 25 different Tiny Homes (250-400sf) in Detroit, MI.

Each home will be on its own lot (roughly 30 x 100 feet) and everyone will be on a foundation. Most will have a front porch or rear deck to increase the living space.

The residents will have a combination of experiences (formerly homeless people, senior citizens, college students and a few Cass staff members) but all will qualify as low-income.

At first, the residents will rent the homes. Anyone who remains for seven years will be given the opportunity to own the home and property.

Interested in purchasing furnishings for one of the 6 new Tiny Homes? Click on a link below.

Click Here to order Rev. Fowler's new book Tiny Homes in a Big City.

Tiny Homes Detroit Featured on NowThis!

NowThis News, one of Facebook's most popular News/Media fan pages recently featured Tiny Homes Detroit in one of their original videos. The video received over 5 MILLION views in its first 24 hours!

First Tiny Home Opens Up

The first Cass Community Tiny Home was open for members of the press and a large number of friends and funders on September 8, 2016. Three to five people at a time walked through the 300 sq. ft. house on Elmhurst.

The next six Tiny Homes are underway. This batch will be on Monterey Street between the Lodge Service Drive and Woodrow Wilson. We anticipate that the houses will be complete by the end of October.

To have Rev. Fowler come speak to a group about the project, please e-mail her at ffowler@casscommunity.org or call 313.883-2277, ext. 201. To arrange for a tour of the Tiny House e-mail ccumcac@aol.com.

Tiny Homes Detroit are being built by both professional tradespeople (under the supervision of a general contractor) and volunteer teams who will manage the finishing jobs - tiling, drywalling, painting, gardening, building decks and erecting fences.

If you are interested in hearing more about the project or making a financial contribution, contact:

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Cass Community Social Services is in the process of building 25 different Tiny Homes (250-400sf) in Detroit, MI.Each home will be on its own lot (roughly 30 x 100 feet) and everyone will be on a foundation. Most will have a front porch or rear deck to increase the living space.The residents will have a...

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Who is Doing Something About This Catastrophe?

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Who is Doing Something About This Catastrophe?

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In order for Homelessness in Detroit to be eliminated, we need to build more homes in Detroit. (This will provide jobs for people so that they can start making money and get up off the streets and into a new apartment or house).

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Homeless People's stories matter because they know what it is like to not have a place to go home to after work (If they even have a job). They don't have a nice car or homemade meals every night for dinner like you and I. It is a shame how it is only a 40 minute drive to Detroit, it is practically in our backyard, and some people barely even know what is happening there. These stories matter because it represents everything wrong with our world. Our country. Our Home.