Washtenaw County bolsters winter shelter budget amid growing need, fewer beds
Funding to help people experiencing homelessness stay warm in the winter got a huge boost in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
County commissioners unanimously voted to more than double the budget for winter shelter services.
As the number of people experiencing homelessness goes up in Washtenaw County, the number of available shelter beds is going down. County leaders believe an extra $1.5 million can help reverse both those trends.
"This year on the last night of winter, we had more people than ever before," said Nicole Adelman, the executive director of the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County.
As the need for shelter grows, The Delonis Center in Ann Arbor will have fewer beds this coming winter.
"We found ourselves for the first time ever at a point where we were going to have to start turning people away," Adelman said.
That was before the Washtenaw County Commission raised winter sheltering funding from roughly $1 million to more than $2.5 million.
"We're estimating about 100 people and ten families who come to us, and we can at least say now we have a place for those 100 people and ten families to go," Adelman said.
Whether that's at expanded shelter services or emergency hotels, these dollars make it possible.
"What I don't want to see is a mom and her 2-3 children on the street at one, two in the morning with nowhere to go because all the shelters are full. So, this money that the board of commissioners has granted, it's going to save lives," said IHA Alpha House Network executive director Shonagh Taruza.
Money will also go toward eviction prevention and shelter diversion programs to reduce the strain on winter shelters.
"What we need is sheltering in the short term, combined with a rebuild of what the feds have cut, in terms of permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, and those foundational services to get out unhoused individuals headed toward success in their lives," said Washtenaw County Commissioner Andy LaBarre.
Adelman says she's hoping to see a new shelter open on the east side of the county within the next year or so in response to the decreasing number of beds.
