TRAVERSE CITY — Neighbors and others looking for solutions to homelessness in the Traverse City area are proposing a new shelter that would be open all year and all day.
Community Cares Coalition wants to create what the organization called a cooperative emergency shelter, according to its website. The shelter would bring several service providers together in one place in a public-private partnership, and help its clients in a way that acknowledges their trauma and its impacts.
Megan Wick, speaking on the coalition’s behalf, said the idea aims to meet a need for up to 190 shelter beds during summer months, citing a statistic from Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness.
“This is a community issue, and I think the community needs to come together,” she said. “This is more of a regional support system in five counties, and so we’re trying to bring a broader group of stakeholders together to address it,” she said.
By bringing different service providers together in one place, people wouldn’t have to move from one provider to another, Wick said. That’s hard for people with mobility issues, and in a climate where summers can be just as harsh as winters. A more comprehensive setup would be more compassionate for the clients, and it addresses the concerns of businesses and residents adjacent to Safe Harbor and an informal camp known as The Pines.
Cooperative emergency shelters have succeeded in other places, and Community Cares Coalition volunteer Jessica Hamilton said the group consulted the leadership of such a shelter in California’s Napa County, among other experts on the subject.
“You could replace Napa County with Grand Traverse County and it would be the same,” she said. “The parallels are just so glaringly similar.”
One potential partner in Traverse City is Jubilee House, a day shelter on Washington Street for people without homes. The Rev. Jim Perra is the rector for Grace Episcopal Church, which runs Jubilee House, and said he’s “super excited” about the push for a new shelter.
The cooperative model’s central aim is to consolidate services that are currently fragmented, Perra said. As is, guests at the seasonal emergency shelter Safe Harbor leave every day, and many walk to Central United Methodist Church for breakfast (some service providers are there as well). Then, many file to Jubilee House until Safe Harbor reopens in the evening.
“The reality is, we still don’t have a place where you can base your efforts to not become homeless from,” he said.
What’s more, Jubilee House is having to adapt as its numbers swelled from 30-40 people staying per day in past years, to more than 100, Perra said. And as homes become more expensive, it becomes easier for people to become homeless.
As the numbers increase, and the acuity of peoples’ cases intensifies, Jubilee House had to shift from providing a warm, homelike environment to simply keeping people safe, Perra said. The current setting, a 101-year-old house, is not sustainable in the long run for the current need.
Perra said his complaints about this led to questions about finding a better approach through a site that combines shelter with services. That’s how Community Cares Coalition got him on board.
Wick said she and Perra met with a Safe Harbor board member to talk about the organization that runs a seasonal shelter on Wellington Street becoming involved.
Safe Harbor spokesperson Josh Brandt said he wasn’t aware of the meeting, but the nonprofit is willing to listen.
“We’re always willing to have conversations and participate in conversations relative to ideas that will improve the well-being of the houseless community in Traverse City,” he said.
One possible location is a building on a private drive off Cass Road between South Airport and Hartman roads in Garfield Township, according to the coalition’s website.
Real estate listings show it’s off the market, and Wick confirmed the coalition has the building under contract. She said it’s an ideal location, given its capacity and 10-acre parcel.
“It gives people space to work through crises without being on top of residents and businesses,” she said.
Plus, the building is 10 minutes by bus from Munson Medical Center and other services, Wick said. Securing that transportation is part of the proposal, and for people with mobility issues, a bus ride would beat walking on icy sidewalks or snowy roads, she said.
Perra acknowledged the idea still has a long way to go, saying “we’re on step three of a million” if it’s going to happen. He expects to meet with potential partners soon, with more information to follow.
Hamilton, who said the coalition still is in its formational stage, said its main aim is to bring every voice to bear on solving a problem that’s not unique to Traverse City. She has tremendous respect for the services nonprofits have provided, but thinks the problem has grown beyond what the current ecosystem can handle.
“We don’t want to just point out the problem, we want to help bring forth a solution that factors in all members of the community,” she said.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to add comments from Safe Harbor spokesperson Josh Brandt, and to clarify what Megan Wick said about reaching out to Safe Harbor. It has also been updated to correct a reporter’s error giving the wrong last name for Jessica Hamilton. Aug. 1, 2024