JUNE 27, 2025 FAMILY SHELTER LINDSAY CALKA There are more than 100 parents and children on Washtenaw County's family shelter waiting list. On top of that, eight to ten families in Washtenaw lose housing each week. At the June 18 Continuum of Care meeting Shonaugh Taruza, executive director of Interfaith Hospitality Network at Alpha House, presented data and reflections from the 2024-2025 winter family sheltering programs. Surprisingly, she had an optimistic look to the upcoming season. This is because a new family shelter will be open on the east side of Washtenaw County by November of this year. The new shelter will be located on Trinity Health Ann Arbor’s main campus (located in Ypsilanti). The partially vacant building, which previously operated as a nursing home, will be converted into temporary housing for families. It offers 30 individual living units, each equipped with a private bathroom, which can accommodate up to four beds per unit. Groundcover News has been covering the need for more family shelter since the Staples Family Center closed in 2021. At that time, Interfaith Hospitality Network at Alpha House’s Jackson Road location only had capacity for six families. Other families, if able to access shelter, were being supported in hotel rooms funded by private dollars. In 2022 the Office of Community and Economic Development took on the family hotel program as a temporary band-aid to the homeless family crisis. This past winter IHN at Alpha House responded to the growing local need by increasing capacity to 14 rooms at their Jackson Road site and renovating their basement for overflow. The basement was utilized for an overnight weather amnesty program from November to April. At its peak this past winter, in addition to the 14 rooms occupied by families of varying size, 55 people were sheltering at Alpha House. Still, just like for single adults, different types of shelter spaces are necessary — there is no one-size-fits-all approach. “Family shelter” serves pregnant mothers, single parents or coupled parents with young children, multiple children, teenage children or children with disabilities. Last winter everybody had to be under one roof. Lessons from Taruza’s presentation to the COC clearly stated the need for more space. Alpha House at Trinity Health will primarily be for older and larger families, while the Jackson Road location will be prioritized for young and smaller families. To strengthen the services at the Jackson Road location, Alpha House has applied for a state earmark grant supported by Senator Jeff Irwin and Commissioner Annie Somerville. Taruza elaborated, "If we get it, it will enable us to provide more support to young parents (18-24 years old) helping them with postpartum support, life skills training, mentoring, job and interview training. Since January 1, 2023, IHN Alpha House has supported 18 young parents or pregnant young adults through our program. Unfortunately, this tends to be primarily young, Black girls who have histories of abuse and trauma, and now find themselves having to raise a baby with very little, if any, support or guidance. Young parents need developmentally appropriate supports to succeed, resources that are not typically included in traditional shelter programs. By investing in these young families now, we hope we can create better outcomes for two generations — helping parents build stable futures while ensuring their children get a healthy, supported start in life." The hospital will retain ownership of the building and land, while leasing the space for just $1 annually to Alpha House. The project was launched with a $1 million Legislative Enhancement Alpha House - Jackson Road. GROUNDCOVER NEWS Family shelter is coming to the east side of the county 7 Grant from the State of Michigan’s FY25 budget secured by Senator Jeff Irwin. Improvements to the building are estimated to be $2 million for upgrades to the plumbing and electrical systems, in addition to required roof, HVAC and elevator work. Taruza estimated IHN will need to hire at least ten additional staff members. Trinity Health Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County are currently working with Alpha House and other community partners to secure these additional funds needed to support the facility upgrades and ongoing operations. A Trinity Health press release stated that philanthropic support from community members is also welcome (Trinity Health Southeast Michigan see FAMILY page 8 SUPPORT CALL FOR and understanding 24/7 mental health and substance use support 734-544-3050 LEARN MORE about programs funded by the community mental health and public safety preservation millage. PEER SUPPORT: Artie Tomlin, Valerie Bass, and Marti Schneider
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