Host: Jimmy Johnson of MAC
Guests: Nick Cook and Sarah Rennie of Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness
Topic: A special episode of MAC's Podcast 83 this week looks at a growing crisis in all corners of our state: homelessness.
"Since 2020, home prices, or rental prices, in Michigan have gone up over 25 percent since the pandemic," said Nick Cook of the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH), "and this is leading to this exacerbated situation of homelessness. We're starting to see more families, more seniors losing their housing access."
"The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness is a statewide nonprofit that provides supports to homeless service providers, counties, communities, anyone interested in addressing and preventing homelessness," explained Sarah Rennie, Cook's colleague. "We look at this as an affordable housing, and economic development, issue, and so we represent hundreds of folks across the state who have joined together to say hey, this is an issue for our communities."
Homeless counts reached record levels in 2024, reports the National Alliance to End Homelessness in a report, adding, "More people experiencing homelessness in rural and suburban areas are unsheltered, in part due to federal cuts to rural housing programs and barriers to rural development. Still, most people experiencing homelessness live in urban areas in a handful of states due to the larger populations in these areas."
Cook and Rennie explained that county leaders and others wishing to connect constituents to resources should engage with two resources:
The local Housing Assistance Resource Advocacy (HARA)
Continuum of Care (COC)
"There is a structure in the state that there will be a housing assistance resource advocacy, specific nonprofit that's designated to sort of be the hub to take in folks who have needs, and then refer them to the correct, place," Rennie said. "So, you should find out who your HARA is, because they'll be able to sort of direct folks exactly where they need to go.
"Together with the HARA is also part of a larger network called your Continuum of Care, and all those folks meet to see how they can best use resources and serve folks, and they meet weekly. ... I would really recommend for the listeners here that you sit down with your local COC chair."
"If you could talk to any county commissioner right now about the work that you guys are doing that maybe they don't fully realize, what would you tell them?" asked the episode's host, Jimmy Johnson of MAC.
"What I would like folks to know is there's this weird stereotype that these are sort of dangerous people that are gonna get you in the streets ... These are our neighbors, these are families, these are people who have served our country. And they are all one paycheck away from needing these support services, because this is an affordable housing issue. ... We have more than 298,000 units missing of affordable housing ... So, I would want folks to know that (the coalition) is here to support you; that criminalization doesn't work; but that we can make a difference together."
See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606
Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org
