**## Temporary Hotel Accommodations Bridge Gap for Kalamazoo Families

**KALAMAZOO, MI — Families currently living in emergency shelters will be moved to hotel rooms for weeks before they can transition to a new government-funded homeless shelter that has been delayed from its original timeline.

The Landing Place, a new shelter specifically designed for homeless families with children, is now scheduled for an April 30 ribbon cutting, according to Kalamazoo County Public Information Officer Taylor Koopman. The facility will open approximately one week later, officials said.

The county-led project was previously expected to open around April 1, but the latest estimate places the opening in early May. The shelter will contain up to 80 units for families experiencing homelessness.

**## Emergency Winter Shelter Program Ends March 31

Local governments funded emergency winter shelters at multiple locations throughout Kalamazoo County this year, serving 610 people from December to late February, according to the Continuum of Care.

The facility is one of a few places that offered overnight emergency shelter during the cold season. The program officially ends on March 31.

Gwendolyn Hooker, whose nonprofit HOPE Thru Navigation was tapped through the local effort to provide emergency winter shelter for families inside houses in the Edison neighborhood, said the organization is now focused on supporting people through the transition and coordinating next steps.

For those who have support and a plan, the teams will reinforce those connections. For those who do not, the teams will help them identify their options, Continuum of Care Director Patrese Griffin wrote in a March 25 letter sent to local partners.

Housing Resources Inc. will coordinate with HOPE Thru Navigation to place families in hotels and continue providing housing navigation services until they can transition to the Landing Place.

Commission Questions Where People Will Go After March 31

At the March 17 Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Tami Rey asked about where the people will go after the emergency shelter program ends.

I'd like to hear those numbers and those updates, Rey said during the meeting.

Multi-pronged approach

Kalamazoo County, the city of Kalamazoo and the Continuum of Care contributed a total of $700,000 for the winter emergency shelter effort.

Ministry With Community, Dignity In Motion and HOPE Thru Navigation provided beds. Housing Resources Inc. coordinated shelter demand, availability and placement, arranging 3,673 overnight beds through the three providers during that period.

Officials did not say how long each person stayed or how many families will need temporary hotel accommodation.

Need for Sustainable Housing Solutions

Despite the efforts, many people were unable to access the winter shelter system, Griffin wrote in the letter to local partners.

During a 2025 point-in-time count, 791 people were identified as homeless in Kalamazoo County, the largest number since 2011.

People in the shelter system continue to face barriers to securing permanent housing, Griffin wrote.

We've learned that collaboration can score some immediate wins, Griffin wrote in the letter. Now, as a community, we must look at where we can grow support, services and partnerships to make those wins sustainable.

Hooker agrees it was good to shelter people during the cold season. She also wants to see more done to fix the housing situation and help people get out of homelessness.

The better solution is to stop using a Band Aid for a bullet hole and actually build housing that's going to accommodate the infrastructure that we need for unhoused people, Hooker said.

Hooker has built a development of tiny homes in Kalamazoo. A new development including two more tiny homes is in the planning stages now.

The county previously said the Landing Place would open in 2025, and the estimated date was later pushed back to April 1.

How Families Can Access Housing Resources

Families experiencing homelessness can contact Housing Resources Inc. at 269-382-0287 to explore available housing resources.

Outreach teams planned to meet with shelter guests at Ministry With Community to ensure they know the project ends March 31.

Shelter Providers During Emergency Winter Program

The three organizations that provided emergency winter shelter beds were:

  • Ministry With Community
  • Dignity In Motion
  • HOPE Thru Navigation

Housing Resources Inc. connected 86 households to other housing support services during the emergency winter shelter period.

The facility will open about a week after the April 30 ribbon cutting, Koopman said. Officials are working to ensure a smooth transition for families who will be displaced from the emergency shelters when the program ends on March 31.