Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and other city officials outlined a seven-point plan to address gaps in the city's homelessness response. 

On Feb. 11, Duggan tasked Deputy Mayor Melia Howard and Housing & Revitalization Department Director Julie Schneider with reviewing the city's response to homelessness after two young children died from apparent hypothermia while living in a van in a Hollywood Casino parking garage on Feb. 10. 

Darnell Currie Jr., 9, and A'Millah Currie, 2, were among five children and two adults in a van that was no longer producing heat as temperatures dropped well below freezing. 

Duggan said the family contacted the city's homeless response team on Nov. 25, 2024, needing a place to stay; however, there was no resolution. The mayor said the family also reached out last summer and the year prior, but were unaware that an immediate shelter housing plan was in place by Dec. 16, 2024. 

Howard and Schneider's report analyzed why the family was unaware of the immediate shelter system and how the city's system failed to reach out to them when they were living in a van. 

"This cannot happen ever again," Duggan said. "There is no point in having an immediate shelter system if the people who most need it don't know about it." 

Duggan was joined Thursday by Howard, Schneider and Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison. 

As part of its response, the city is expanding its hotline for 24-hour emergency assistance, doubling its drop-in bed count from 110 to 220 within 90 days and expanding its night outreach teams by adding a second team. 

Detroit police precincts will continue to be used as safe havens. Duggan said that in the last two weeks, 25 people have gone to precincts seeking assistance and been taken to shelters. In addition, DPD's unsheltered team will pay special attention to finding families living in vehicles. The mayor says that officials have learned over the last two weeks that other families are living in vehicles. 

The city is also expanding its communication to include gas stations and bus stops, and when an emergency call is made, even if it is placed by someone who is housed with a minor child, there will be an in-person visit from an outreach worker. 

"The loss of the Currie children is something, as we have stated, can never happen again and should not have happened," Howard said. "When a family reaches out for help and they're in the midst of a crisis, it is our job, our duty to provide them with those services they need. In this particular moment, when this tragedy happened, of course the family was not reached back out to, and that is something that we are changing."

"It is not enough to have services if those most in need don't know they exist. We must implement these seven steps to make sure every Detroiter in need of emergency shelter knows there is a place for them and that they can access it," added Schneider.

On Wednesday, the city and the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries provided the mother of the children, Tateona Williams, with a home for free for one year. Williams had been living in a shelter for the past few weeks.  

A funeral was held for Darnell and A'millah last week. Bettison said Thursday that a cause of death has not been determined and that an investigation remains open. 

Anyone needing shelter and housing assistance can contact the Detroit Housing Resource Helpline at 866-313-2520 or visit any Detroit police precinct.