GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The affordable housing issue in Grand Rapids is worse than some realized.
That proved true when the depletion of state emergency overflow housing funds in October displaced dozens of Grand Rapids families, many with young children.
The families were being temporarily housed in motels with support from the state Emergency Shelter Program, as the family shelters were full.
At about $75 per night, the $65,000 from the state for the 2019 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, dwindled away in about two weeks, leaving roughly 60 families without housing.
A task force comprised of several organizations launched to locate housing immediately and work on a long-term plan to address the larger issue: an increasing number of homeless families due to unavailability of affordable housing.
For several years, the community has had a bigger need for housing and shelter than was available, according to Cheryl Schuch, executive director of Family Promise of Grand Rapids, a nonprofit leading the emergency effort. At any given time, she said there are well over 100 families on a waitlist.
“We kind of hit a tipping point this fall,” Schuch said because the need was so high.
This story originally appeared in the Grand Rapids Business Journal. To read the full story, click here or pick up a copy at newsstands around the city.
