JANUARY 9, 2026 LIVING ARCHIVE GROUNDCOVER NEWS 15 Winter tragedies could be avoided with a warming center for homeless ORIAN ZAKAI Guest contributor Winter is here. Deadly low temperatures will torture hundreds of Washtenaw County inhabitants who will not be able to find shelter. The Delonis Center has diminished the capacity of its [overnight, emergency] warming spaces this year, from 75 to 25. Even with additional 75 spaces at the Delonis residential program and the 25 spaces at the rotating church shelter, this is not enough. We know for a fact that dozens of people were sleeping outside, under bridges, on sidewalks, on the footsteps of churches, gas stations and so on, in previous winters. The recent foreclosures, layoffs and pension cuts mean that more people are looking for shelter rather than fewer. In addition, Ann Arbor has been lacking a daytime warming center for awhile now, and thus, numerous people must wander around town during the cold days in search of warmth at the public library, university buildings, local businesses and the like. “This winter’s record low temperatures will not only be unbearable and cruel to some, but will also be very painful and even fatal to others. In a civil society like our own, most of us would agree that it would be equally as cold and just as cruel if we chose to ignore the dilemma some of our citizens face this Christmas and New Year holiday season,” stated David Coleman, one of the founding members of the “Imagine Warming Centers” group, in the last city council meeting. Imagine Warming Centers, a task force consisting of students and community members, envisions a 24-hour warming center democratically run by homed and homeless volunteers. This would be a place of community building, where homeless and homed individuals combine their skills, explore their creativity, support and empower each other. Over 25 volunteers are committed to work at the warming center this winter, and more and more people are constantly asking to get involved. The biggest concern right now is locating a site that could be ready and available to the public as soon as possible. The group has been looking at PUBLIC HEALTH from page 10 disparities and other behaviors revealed in health risk factor surveys. Both the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Report and the M-Live.com publication of 2023 noted the following: • Washtenaw is consistently ranked high for positive health factors and outcomes and it is among the top ten Michigan counties. • Washtenaw County “had the lowest COVID-19 death rate in Michigan, attributed to strong health efforts. Life expectancy is also above the state average, according to one report.” • For areas needing improvement, the report noted, “Despite overall health rankings, the County has health disparities, such as significantly higher low-birth-weight rates for Black babies compared to white babies. It also has a lower ranking in social determinants of health. Some reports show a higher rate of depression among the Medicare population compared to state and national averages.” • When it comes to influencing factors, “the County’s strong rankings are often linked to factors like access to education, living wage jobs, access to health care, as well as challenges like food insecurity and pollution.” Conclusion Since 1995, the Healthy People Initiatives have contributed significantly to the health policy debate and conversation in America. Many county health departments benefited from the debates and initiatives, and Washtenaw County is a good example of self-assessment in response to the initiatives. The residents of Washtenaw have benefited from the focus on health, as have many counties across the nation. Although the Nixon administration started a serious policy discussion about universal health care in the 1970s, the Clinton Administration of the 1990s magnified the intensity of that health policy debate at the national, state and local levels. What were the main issues of the health policy debate? They were rising costs and lack of healthcare coverage. These are still the policy and political issues of the generation. Deceased Michigan Congressional Representative John Dingell led the Michigan congressional delegation on all the healthcare debates including questions of reform. His wife, Congressional Representative Debbie Dingell, has continued the fight to lower the costs of healthcare for Washtenaw County and Michigan families (as well as families across the nation). A regional structure now exists for more partnerships and more cooperation on health matters, transportation connectivity, affordable housing and income/employment opportunities, led by an organization called SEMCOG (Southeast Michigan Council of Governments). It is hereby proposed that the positive regional partnership between WCHD and Livingston County Health Department explore the feasibility of more regional partnerships with other counties such as Wayne, Macomb and Oakland. Identifying factors associated with the concept of social determinants of health could be a beneficial outcome of collaboration. vacant commercial spaces and buildings due for demolition, and has asked for the city’s support in locating a space that could be leased or donated to the warming center. “We approached a few property owners and they have not been cooperative with us,” said activist Alexandra Hoffman in her address to the City Council. “The winter is here, the volunteers are waiting, and we need a space! My friend mentioned 415 Washington Street; there is also the Georgetown Mall and the former Borders. These spaces can be used while the redevelopment projects are being pursued. We could use these spaces right now,” Hoffman added. So far, however, the City of Ann Arbor has been slow in offering assistance or even advice. The group has also sought professional help from the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, but the position of WHA is that resources should be invested in establishing affordable housing rather than a temporary shelter. Members of the Imagine Warming Centers group agree that housing is the ultimate goal, but contend that the current need for a public warm space should still be met in the short term. “While we certainly intend to work toward the building of affordable housing in Ann Arbor,” said one member of the group, “we also need to let people in out of the cold right now, so that we do not look back in anger and sorrow come April and know that we could have prevented people’s deaths, and didn’t.” Originally published in the January 2012 edition of Groundcover News.
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