As reported in the Grand Rapids/Kent Couty Vision to End Homelessness (2006; www.grahcoc.org), about 700-800 persons stay in shelters or transitional housingprograms on any given night in Grand Rapids. More than 2,000 persons living in Grand Rapids were homeless between the months of January through June 2006, even though one fifth of those were employed. This does not include hundreds of adults and children who are doubled up in apartments and ar nearly homeless.
Studies indicate that three primary reasons for homelessness are lack of affordable housing, lack of adequate income and lack of adequate support systems. Studies also show that one of the best responses to homelessness is a Housing First model that shifts the focus from short-term shelter stays to providing immediate and affordable housing.
As a Mars Hill community, we have made it our goal to help provide relief for pressing local issues, and we're calling this goal [x]. Currently, we're focusing on the problem of homelessness among kids in Grand Rapids. We believe that every kid in West Michigan should have food and shelter, but the lack of affordable housing units puts parents and their kids at risk for homelessness.