Finding solutions for Kalamazoo homeless include overcoming prior trauma, criminal backgrounds
Updated 9:41 AM;
Today 7:30 AM
David Nuyen, 60, a resident poses for a portrait at the LodgeHouse in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Monday, May 3, 2021. Nuyen has obtained a housing voucher and plans to move into his new place in the coming weeks. Formerly home to the Knights Inn, the LodgeHouse has been part of Kalamazoo s Hotel Intervention Project and served as temporary housing for some of the city s un-housed population in recent months. The former hotel is set to undergo renovations and will become an affordable housing project. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com
Deadlines loom for homeless living in Kalamazoo hotels while long-term fixes explored
Updated May 13, 2021;
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KALAMAZOO, MI Over the past four months, one former motel and one hotel, about 15 minutes apart, have become temporary homes for more than 200 individuals facing homelessness in Kalamazoo.
More than a short-term stopgap, both properties the former Knights Inn motel at 1211 S. Westnedge Ave. and an undisclosed hotel on the western side of the county have been buzzing with service providers working within strict time constraints to connect as many residents as possible to more permanent housing solutions.
“We just sort of stay humble and keep pushing through,” said Kristina Rodriguez, a mother of four who has been staying in the hotel with her children and fiancé. “It’s definitely been a learning experience.”