Michigan Radio's Kyle Norris has been been spending a lot of time in Detroit lately to report on stories of people doing things to help the homeless in the city.
And this week Michigan Radio will be airing the first of her three part series on the homeless on Stateside.
Norris reported on a mobile medical clinic that works with the homeless, how a woman gives homeless shelters makeovers, and how homeless gay youth create their own families.
Norris talked about her experience reporting on these stories on Seeking Change. She says her stories are about people doing little things to make a difference for the homeless in Detroit.
Homeless Awareness Week in Michigan is November 10-18. The idea is to highlight the causes of homelessness and the issues that homeless people face. There are events planned in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Port Huron, and other towns.
In Livingston County a group of people will live in their cars for 24 hours and eat only what they can buy with about $5 in food stamps, in order to raise awareness.
The Yard is a new center for homeless and runaway youth based in Wyandotte. It provides tutoring, food, computers, a washer and dryer, and a place for young people to hangout.
Jane Scarlett is the director of homeless programs at Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency. She’s says school districts call the agency on a daily basis looking for organizations that can help homeless kids in their area. But Scarlett says it’s tough to know exactly how many homeless kids are out there.
Alfred Bommer is a U.S. Army Veteran. He wrote a letter to "Political Officials and Concerned Parties" stating "the words homeless and veterans should never be used in the same sentence."
Credit Mercedes Mejia /Michigan Radio
Credit Mercedes Mejia /Michigan Radio
Credit Mercedes Mejia /Michigan Radio
Supporters of the camp were urging folks to call Governor Snyder and other elected officials to stop the eviction.
Credit Mercedes Mejia /Michigan Radio
Credit Mercedes Mejia /Michigan Radio
Michigan Department of Transportation plans to build an eight-foot fence around the property.
About 70 homeless people stayed at the tent city known as Camp Take Notice. But they were told to pack up and move out.
“You know, right now, this whole situation is very surreal. It feels like we are just going through the motions...I’m really going to miss it, you know, I’m just gonna miss the people," said Mary Contrucci.
Scott Ellinger and his girlfriend lived at the camp for a few months. He said, "It was a tight-knit community here, we were like family. Everybody looked out for each other."
"We really haven’t had any major problems out here. Except for a few minor incidences. We had one fire, which was accidental," said Ellinger.
It’s accidents like the fire that broke out a few months ago that state officials want to avoid. Sally Harrison is director of Rental Assistance and Homeless Solutions for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.
John Wagner (left) is a volunteer and supporter of Camp Take Notice. Alonzo Young is a camper. He's been attending classes at Washtenaw Community College.
State officials are preparing to cordon off a stretch of highway median near Ann Arbor to keep the homeless out.
As AnnArbor.com's Ryan Stanton reports, the site is home to Camp Take Notice, a homeless community encampment that is scheduled to be shut down tomorrow. To make sure it remains unoccupied, the Michigan Department of Transportation, which owns the land, is erecting an 8-foot fence around the 9-acre site.
MDOT and the state housing authority, Stanton says, are working to provide camp residents with rent assistance and, in some cases, help moving into subsidized housing, but authorities have made it clear that residing at the campsite is no longer an option.
From AnnArbor.com:
"We've been hearing from the community and from Camp Take Notice that the homeless have been using this area for a long time as a makeshift home," [an MDOT regional manager, Mark] Sweeney said, adding there have been complaints from nearby residents that the homeless have left the area a mess.
"We really wanted to resolve the issue once and for all," he said. "So after the camp is closed, we'll be closing off the area."
Sweeney added, "It's not against Camp Take Notice specifically, but more to prevent a homeless encampment of any kind in this location."
Graduation parties are in full-swing right now. If you had stumbled upon one recent graduation party in Howell, you would have found picnic food, party games, and a live DJ. But there was something unique about this celebration.
The seven students here celebrating their high school diplomas are also homeless. (An additional student earned a GED.)
New posters in downtown Ann Arbor businesses will ask visitors to stop giving money to panhandlers. The effort by the mayor's office and businesses asks people to give money to local resources for the homeless instead.
The posters say panhandlers often use the money to buy drugs and alcohol. This concerns some local homeless residents. They say this isn't always the case.
Even though summer has just begun, I recently visited three women who were sewing coats in a big, old industrial building in Detroit. Their goal is to make 800 coats for the homeless this year.
This isn’t just any winter coat. While it looks like a super warm jacket with an oversized hood, there’s a little flap at the bottom for your feet. This coat can double as a sleeping bag. And when it’s hot, it can be folded up into an over the shoulder satchel.
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