$8 Million Shelter Transforms Former Hotel Into Michigan's Largest Family Homeless Center

*PORTAGE, Mich.* — A former Country Inn & Suites hotel has been converted into The Landing Place, a 77-room transitional family shelter that will serve as one of the largest of its kind in Michigan.

The facility sits on Kilgore Service Road in Portage and was acquired by Kalamazoo County for about $5.6 million. Approximately $2.5 million was spent on renovations to create the shelter.

We want them to go into housing, we don't want to keep kicking the can down the road and just keep them moving from place to place, said Cheryl Shook, CEO of Family Promise. This should be the stop that is the turning point for them.

The shelter will be operated by Family Promise of Southwest Michigan, a branch of the national nonprofit that runs nearly 200 family shelters across the United States. The organization will provide day-to-day operations with a 22-member staff.

Ten staff members will be support staff who help families with daily needs including meals, laundry, and cleaning. Six staff members will be case workers who assign each family a dedicated worker to help them overcome barriers to permanent housing.

Each family will be assigned a case worker. So we'll have about 18 families per case worker. Case workers will work on helping them eliminate whatever barriers they have to receiving permanent and stable housing. It may be some financial counseling, or job coaching, or educational barriers, whatever it takes to get them to that next step, said Andrea Tramel, executive director of Family Promise of Southwest Michigan.

The shelter opened on Monday, May 4. An opening date has not been set for families to move in, but Family Promise is currently accepting donations for the playroom.

Funding Comes From County, City, And Foundations

The project was made possible through an $8 million investment from multiple sources:

  • Kalamazoo County Government
  • The City of Kalamazoo
  • Kalamazoo Community Foundation
  • Irving S. Gilmore Foundation
  • Ronda E Stryker and William D Johnson

We are seeing growing pressures on working families and community members, said Kalamazoo County Commissioner Jen Strebs. This ongoing misnomer that the unhoused are not working people is just not the case.

Strebs said affordable housing, low wages, and skyrocketing childcare costs have strained families across the region. She noted that her 7-year-old daughter recently asked her why some families live on the street and panhandle for money.

Now that is what we have done, Strebs said. And I'm so excited for the kids that will come through here and to know they won't have to hope to have a place to sleep that is safe for them.

200 Families Waiting On Entry List

According to Cheryl Shook, CEO of Family Promise, there are already 200 families on a coordinated entry list waiting to access the shelter. Data from 2025 shows that out of 709 unhoused people living in shelters in Kalamazoo County, 254 were families with children.

The shelter will accommodate multi-generational households and each family will have its own private room equipped with a mini fridge, microwave, and air purifier. Four rooms are Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

We want them to go into housing, we don't want to keep kicking the can down the road and just keep them moving from place to place, Shook said. This should be the stop that is the turning point for them.

Wraparound Support Services

Families will receive comprehensive support services including:

  • Financial coaching
  • Employment resources and job training
  • Housing planning assistance
  • Child care support
  • School bus connections to keep children in their home districts

Milestone Senior Services, a Kalamazoo-based organization, will provide daily meals including breakfast, dinner, and snacks. The facility also includes designated play spaces for children and an outdoor playground.

The shelter will have staff present around the clock along with cameras for security.

First Year Operating Costs Expected At $3.6 Million

Officials estimate the first year of operations will cost $3.6 million. Intakes will be need-based through a coordinated entry process handled by Housing Resources Incorporated.

No limit has been set on how long a family can stay at the shelter.

Everything that we can do to address homelessness in the community, in particular, whenever we can, said Tramel. They are jealous of us because they hear Kalamazoo is so collaborative and so willing to be community-minded and serve its most vulnerable population. And we do that.

Family Promise of Southwest Michigan began operations on January 5 of this year. Andrea Tramel, the executive director, noted that she is a 1982 graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School and described the project as her heart's delight.

We had incredible conversations with Kalamazoo County, and we understand the need. And we understand the number of families who are experiencing homelessness right now, Shook said when asked what attracted Family Promise to Kalamazoo.

Sources: WWMT, Southwest Michigan Second Wave