Copyright M Live Michigan
KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI — Government officials are considering spending $15,000 on a unique solution for homeless individuals who have nowhere to store their belongings. People can be seen dragging luggage and other items on sidewalks and streets in Kalamazoo. Some spend their nights at the Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries, a facility that doesn’t allow those in the emergency shelter to stay during the day. At the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners meeting on Nov. 5, Board Chair Jen Strebs brought up an idea to use $15,000 in ARPA stimulus funds to secure locked storage bins to be placed outside at Ministry with Community, a daytime shelter north of downtown. Strebs said the issue was discussed during meetings with the Continuum of Care and other community partners. “We were talking about the stigmatization of people who are unhoused in the community and tensions that exist with the business community,” Strebs said. Often, all the items they’re forced to carry cause the tension, she said. They risk having their items stolen or lost. ‘I’m cold’ Unhoused individuals have shared similar concerns with MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette about how carrying all their items is a hardship. Angelique Motton, 38, was bundled up on the sidewalk near North Burdick Street and Eleanor Street Tuesday as temperatures were just above freezing. She was headed back to find her tent nearby a drop-in day shelter north of downtown. She wasn’t sure where her tent was located Tuesday, she said, but she planned to ask the man she’s been staying with. She carries blankets and coats in a bag on her walked with wheels. She’s worried about the cold, she said, but a tent helps — as long as there’s another person’s body heat. She’s not sure where she’ll sleep Tuesday night, but hopes it will be in the tent somewhere. She’s not sure if the man she was staying with last night will be staying with her tonight, Motten said. “It’s all good though, just give me my tent,” Motton said. “I’m cold.” People living outside are often asked to move by property owners or the city. It requires them to pack up everything they own and move it to a new spot. That’s why unhoused people often return to the county’s ID program again and again to replace a lost ID, Strebs said. While it’s not the solution, the lockers are a “quickly deployable” option, Strebs said. RELATED: Families share tough realities of living in Kalamazoo without a home Commissioner Monteze Morales said she would support the idea. Morales is the Director of Student Well-Being & Thriving at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and said this issue affects students. “I have a high population of unhoused students trying to attain a degree and have no place to keep their papers,” she said. “I just want to make sure they have a safe place to put their things. “There are people out there trying to do better,” she said. Commissioner Tami Rey asked about the size of the lockers, and if they could fit a tent, for example. Administrator/Controller Kevin Catlin estimated the board could buy about 50 of the lockers for $15,000. Strebs said they would be “Herby Curby” style bins, secured and lockable with a key. They did not provide specifics on the size of the bins. “Herby Curby” is the name used for wheeled receptacles often used for trash or recycling pickup. Strebs said she doesn’t think 50 is enough, but the county can quickly deploy the money to fund that amount. Commissioners did not take action Wednesday, but asked that the issue’s brought back to the board in the future. “Unhoused people are everywhere in Kalamazoo County,” Strebs said. There is a concentration in the city, but it’s an issue affecting other parts of the county, too."
