Current Projects

Joining together as advocates for holistic, strategic, and well-informed solutions to tackling one of our community's greatest needs: homelessness.

Community Cares Coalition

Collaborating with stakeholders to develop a new location and funding for a cooperative year-round emergency shelter

Principles:

Everyone experiencing unsheltered homelessness is vulnerable and deserves dignified and respectful treatment of their rights.
Every effort must be made to connect people to housing, shelter and services.
Encampments are a serious public health and safety risk, especially for those staying in the encampment, and are not a dignified form of shelter.

Health and Safety Concerns for Our Community

Living conditions that do not meet safe housing standards.
Open drug use.
Used needles left on the street and sidewalks and playgrounds.
Defecation and urination in public spaces.
Threats and disruptive behavior.
Risks to the the safety, health and well-being of unhoused individuals, residents and ALL persons working in or visiting the city of Traverse City.

"The solution to homelessness is simple – housing.

People experiencing a housing crisis or fleeing an unsafe situation need to find a place to stay, quickly. Emergency shelter and interim housing can fill this role in a community’s homeless response system. These interventions should be low-barrier and align their goals and program activities with the larger system’s goals."

-National Alliance to End Homelessness