A Tale of Two (Homeless vs. Not) Cities

For about a month, Bronson Park, the main downtown park in my city was the site of a homeless camp that turned into a demonstration.

One hundred folks who were homeless found themselves calling Bronson Park home - complete with tents and coolers.

The Park is directly across the street from City Hall. Where it stood as a daily reminder of the thorny problem of affordable housing.

For the most part, the city kept a hands-off attitude. But as late summer turned into early autumn, the weather necessitated an official response. On August 31st, a representative group of protesters met with city officials and came up with a simple agreement.

The group would move from Bronson Park in exchange for space (concrete, for the most part) in front of an abandoned fire station a few blocks away.

Another part of the agreement was that the city would work with the homeless group to find alternative housing.

But there was a breakdown in communication between the city and the homeless folks. And the city manager said that the city wasn't in a position to offer social services, absolving itself of the issue.

From that point on, the issue of responsibility became a political hot potato which was passed between the city and county government. Each stating they didn't have the resources to provide transitional or permanent housing for those camping out.

So, the city gave the homeless folks a deadline - move out by September 18, or face eviction. That evening came and went, but no action was taken. Instead, the city chose to evict early the next morning - around 7 a.m. - arresting about a dozen people including Shannon Sykes Nehring, the only city commissioner who took a public stand in favor of the protestors, to the point of camping out with them. All of the personal items that the protestors couldn't carry out of the park with them were cleared out by city staff who scooped them up with tractors, then tossed them into dumpsters.

Meanwhile, $259,000 in grants meant to help low-income households in Kalamazoo County went unspent last year. Because the funds were not spent by the end of the fiscal year (September 30) the money went back to the state. And the city decided to disband the local Community Action Board (CAB) which was responsible for allocating these funds, handing back control of the CAB to the state.

Here's what I find interesting about this story:

City removing protestors' belongings 

When it came down to it, both the city and county governments absolved themselves from any responsibility for helping the homeless families and individuals camped in Bronson Park.

But it turns out, that at the same time the protestors were camped in the Park, a significant amount of grant funds went unspent. Probably enough to give each camper $2,500.

My city mirrors many across the US in its lack of affordable housing. (This was one of the main reasons why many campers in Bronson Park came back to it after temporarily living on concrete in front of an abandoned fire station.)

According to RentCafe, the average monthly rent, overall in Kalamazoo, is $890 ($696 for a one-bedroom, $844 for a two-bedroom, $1,083 for three-bedroom.)

According to Zillow, the median value of a home in Kalamazoo County that's on the market is $156,300.

[Here's the story of one family living one step away from being homeless - a single mom with two children all of whom have been diagnosed with severe mental disabilities. This piece, written by Malachi Barrett, with the Kalamazoo Gazette, noted that there are 125 uninhabitable homes in Kalamazoo.]

During the homeless protest in Bronson Park, a friend of mine noted on his facebook feed that the problem seemed to be "a lack of imagination and love."

Earlier this summer WMUK, the local PBS radio station, ran a segment on their WestSouthwest program that spotlighted Jeremy Cole, who rescues dilapidated homes in Kalamazoo. During the interview, Cole's enthusiasm for renovating distressed houses was readily apparent.

Maybe the county could have a talk with Cole? People like him have the imagination to look at the 125 marginal houses in Kalamazoo not at eyesores that are currently off the tax rolls, but potential homes that could be used to help homeless folks.  Under the management of non-profits these restored homes would become a source of property taxes for the city.

A final word: Although I'm grateful for the media coverage that the local newspaper gave to this story, it was simply inadequate. Part of the inadequacy was reflected in the lack of opinion pieces - the local newspaper is no longer locally owned and does not publish city-focused editorials.

Having such a voice of advocacy would have gone a long way in keeping city and county government officials' feet to the fire.

Photo Credits: Top michiganradio.org; middle 4Search, bottom wwmt.com