GR leaders launching new campaign to end homelessness

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — City, community and nonprofit leaders are hoping a new campaign will put an end to homelessness in Grand Rapids and Kent County.

The new plan is the result of a partnership between the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness, city, community and nonprofit leaders. The new initiative is called the 100 in 100 campaign. The goal is to house 100 people in 100 days. According to a count done in Grand Rapids in February, there are 1,139 people experiencing homelessness in the city. That count is a slight decrease overall compared to 2023.

Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss and community and nonprofit leaders will be meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Ryerson Auditorium inside of the Grand Rapids Public Library to discuss the new campaign. They plan to focus on the “what, why and how” of the plan.

Courtney Myers-Keaton, the director of the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness, will be at the meeting. She said the campaign will help get people experiencing chronic homelessness off the streets and allow resources to be open for those who need them short term.

“Ideally what we are going to see fewer people needing to access shelters, particularly long term, because we know that that has been a concern in our community, that people are staying shelters longer than what they need to and then it will free up the shelter resources to those who really need to use them on only a short-term temporary basis,” Myers-Keaton said.

Thelma Ensink, the executive director of Dégagé Ministries, will also be in attendance. She said the campaign is a collaborative effort between the city, community and nonprofits. She added that everyone is struggling with housing, but this campaign, will help find a permanent housing solution for the unhoused individuals that are most vulnerable in Kent County.

“We know it’s becoming more difficult to afford housing, we know that that income gap to rental or even home ownership is growing, so that makes it really difficult. So just the available units are difficult for everyone to find housing, especially for our most vulnerable, especially for those experiencing poverty. So that’s going to be our greatest challenge,” Ensink said.

This is not the first time the city of Grand Rapids has tried to combat homelessness. In August, the city passed new rules proposed by business leaders to address issues connected to the city’s homeless community.

One of the ordinances makes it a misdemeanor to harass someone while they are in the middle of a transaction like getting money from an ATM or at an outdoor dining area. The other limits how much personal property can be left in public places.

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