ANN ARBOR – Around 195 families in Washtenaw County are currently experiencing homelessness or are facing immediate eviction, and 83 families are living in hotels, says a newly approved proposal by the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.
To combat the current housing crisis, the Board approved allocating $3 million between 2023 and 2024 to county organizations serving community members facing eviction and homelessness.
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“I hope that it’s seen that this a Board that takes this issue extremely seriously. We know that this is not going to solve the problem,” said District 5 Commissioner chair of the board Justin Hodge in a release.
“We alone are not going to fix this for our community. It’s going to take partnership between local government, county government and state government to truly solve it. But we are always committed to doing what we need to do to support our residents, and in addition to meeting immediate needs, we’re really interested in changing systems so that we can change lives.”
The approved proposal gives the Washtenaw County Administrator the ability to help the county set up two-year contracts with selected human service organizations.
Nearly $750,000 will be divided amongst the organizations in both 2023 and 2024. Among those selected include Aid in Milan, Growing Hope, Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels, Mentor2Youth, Peace Neighborhood Center, Housing Access for Washtenaw County, Washtenaw Literacy and Safehouse.
“I am committed to centering our neighbors directly impacted by housing insecurity as county government continues to work closely on this issue,” said District 6 Commissioner Annie Somerville in a release. “Housing is a human right.”
An additional $300,000 will go towards rental assistance, move-in assistance and extended emergency sheltering in the county. This includes the county’s seasonal Emergency Family Hoteling program which offers shelter to families experiencing homelessness. The Board of Commissioners had previously decided to extend the program past its anticipated April 1 end date to continue supporting those impacted by the housing crisis.
“Given the emergent nature of the sheltering situation in our County, we felt it appropriate to make the recommendation now,” said County Administrator Gregory Dill in a release. “We know that this is not the long-term strategy, but this provides some time and flexibility for us, and our agency partners, to respond in the most expedient way.”
The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners will create a framework on how the funding will be used and share updates at their May 4 meeting.
Read the approved proposal here.