Homelessness Initiatives
Contact
City Manager's Office
Phone
(231) 922-4440
Caring for the Unhoused
In response to the urgent need to address homelessness within the community, the City of Traverse City is embarking on a series of initiatives aimed at addressing this complex issue. Recognizing the diverse challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness, the city is committed to implementing comprehensive strategies that encompass both short-term interventions and long-term solutions. Through collaboration with community organizations, local businesses, and government agencies, Traverse City seeks to create a more inclusive and supportive environment where all residents have access to safe and stable housing. By prioritizing compassion, innovation, and partnership, the city aims to make meaningful progress in reducing homelessness and enhancing the well-being of its residents.
Short-Term Goals
Working with area partners address public health and safety in the Pines.
- Received funding of $50,000 to provide public health services (restrooms, sinks, and solar powered charging stations on benches)
- Tree trimming
- Installation of security cameras near dumpster
- Waste receptacles - Dumpster on location and additional waste receptacles in the NOBO commercial district
Mid-Term Goals
Allocated fund in the FY ‘24-’25 budget for staffing and programs
- Additional Community Police Officer - Providing the opportunity to have one officer in the Pines/Central Neighborhood and one in NOBO District/Boardman Neighborhood
- Law Embedded Police Social Worker to join the Quick Response Team, providing wrap around services
- Additional Police Socials Worker
- Community Court - In partnership with the District Court, discussions are underway, on a specialized court program designed to address the legal issues of individuals experiencing homelessness in a supportive and rehabilitative environment
Long-Term Goals
- Supported funding gap to house 17 chronically homeless individuals by August 2024, and 10 more by January 2025 at East Bay Flats (approved May 2024)
- Support more Permanent Supportive Housing
- Continue to support PILOTs that include Permanent Supportive Housing
- Work with community partners and communicate progress
- Support Permanent Supportive Housing opportunities
- Decreasing Unsheltered Homelessness
Creation of an Embedded Police Social Worker
The Quick Response Team (QRT) has emerged as a vital component of the Traverse City Police Department's community policing strategy. Launched in late 2022 with substantial support, including a $150,000 grant from the Michigan State Police's Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) and $60,000 from Rotary Charities, the QRT introduced a pioneering role for a law-embedded community social worker, known as the Police Social Worker (PSW) Coordinator.
A second Police Social Worker postion was approved in the FY '24-'25 budget. The new officer will enable expanded community policing in the NOBO District and Boardman Neighborhood, allowing an existing officer to focus on the Pines and Central Neighborhood. The additional Police Social Worker will join the Quick Response Team, which collaborates with 50 community partners to assist individuals facing crises, which can include homelessness, with wrap around services such as, substance use, and mental health, including overdose response. These efforts are part of a broader coordinated Homeless Response System aimed at ensuring homelessness becomes rare, brief and one-time in our community. The homeless response system works to streamline access to the supports and services needed to end someone’s experience of homelessness as quickly as possible. We encourage community cooperation to support our neighbors experiencing homelessness.
The PSW Coordinator collaborates with the crisis intervention team on overdose prevention programs and establishes connections with vulnerable people in the community. Since its inception, the QRT has fostered extensive collaboration with the community's human service providers. Setting itself apart from other programs that primarily focus on overdose response, the QRT goes the extra mile by engaging with individuals most susceptible to crises related to substance use, mental health, and homelessness
Exploring Year-Round Emergency Shelter through and MOU
In 2023, the City of Traverse City initiated collaborative efforts with local partners to address the crisis unfolding at the Pines, an area within Traverse City with a homeless encampment. Recognizing the pressing need for sustained attention and cooperation, the City worked closely with various stakeholders to brainstorm solutions.
The discussions primarily centered on finding a secure, clean, and compassionate temporary shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness, ensuring the safety and well-being of both residents and responders. This short-term measure aimed to buy time for devising a comprehensive long-term strategy.
By September 2023, the City took proactive steps by enlisting the support of the Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness to tackle both immediate and enduring housing challenges for the unhoused population. Collaborating with Grand Traverse County and the Coalition, the City explored various options, including purchasing land, repurposing campgrounds, and repurposing existing structures.
Ultimately, it became evident that expanding Safe Harbor's operations year-round offered the most efficient and cost-effective solution to address the crisis at the Pines, and the City approached Safe Harbor to further explore the feasibility. Recognizing the need for formalized agreements, particularly with new leadership in place at the City, transparency was prioritized by establishing a Memorandum of Understanding with its partners in January 2024, and soliciting community feedback.
Safe Harbor, which currently operates as a seasonal winter shelter under a Special Land Use Permit issued by the City in 2014, would require substantial planning and resources to transition into a year-round facility. Considerations such as facility upgrades, operational logistics, funding strategies, public safety protocols, community involvement, and permit approvals are integral to the process.
After thorough assessments and extensive community input, it was determined that transitioning Safe Harbor into a year-round shelter wasn't feasible for 2024. Funding for infrastructure and operations are required, in addition to the development of a comprehensive safety plan. However, the City remains committed to ongoing collaboration with its partners to explore future possibilities. Meanwhile, immediate preparations will need to be underway to address the situation at the Pines in the upcoming summer of 2024.
February 12, 2024 Presentation
Supporting Permanent Supportive Housing
In May 2024, the City Commission greenlit a recommendation from City Administration for $360,000 to bridge a crucial gap, fast-tracking housing for 17 chronically homeless individuals by August 2024, and another 10 by January 2025. The permanent supportive housing will be located at Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan's East Bay Flats, which was acquired in November 2023.
Recognizing the complexity of homelessness, the City is working alongside partners to implement comprehensive short and long-term strategies and is committed to paving a way forward in caring for our vulnerable populations.
Permanent supportive housing provides long term housing for individuals experiencing homelessness and provides wrap-around support services to help them stay in their homes.
Learn more about PILOT and PSH programs