People experience homelessness for many reasons. The issue is complicated, the solutions more so. But one thing is clear: It takes a community-wide effort to solve the challenge.

“There’s no single solution,” said Sara Jacobs, Director of the Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care. “It’s incredibly complex. That’s why it takes all of us working together to tackle it.”

United Way BCKR leads the collective power of the Continuum of Care, a group of partners looking at all the possibilities for addressing homelessness in Kalamazoo County. In Calhoun County, where a strong collaborative network is also in place, United Way works alongside partners like Community Action BC, Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek, Legal Services of South Central Michigan, and Haven of Rest Ministries to address immediate shelter needs, eviction diversion and long-term stable housing.

When United Way took on the CoC in mid-2020, it proved to be a perfect fit with the organization’s mission and skills. Jacobs said United Way’s ability to convene the right partners around critical issues amplifies the CoC’s effectiveness. Perhaps nowhere has that been more evident than the work with homeless encampments—places where people who experience homelessness are camping outdoors.

“Encampments aren’t a new thing,” Jacobs explained. “They’ve been happening for many years, though they vary in size, location and visibility. What drew attention to them recently is the coronavirus pandemic.”

In Kalamazoo, several large encampments sprung up as shelters cut capacity due to the virus. CoC partners continued to work on near- and long-term needs, including providing day shelters, offering trash pickup and ground cover materials, setting up a temporary warming shelter when temperatures fell, and offering ongoing casework to address individual needs. Another big win involved repurposing and renovating a local motel to serve as an overnight shelter.

“We have different groups meeting daily—shelter providers, health care providers, partners providing affordable housing and rental assistance, and many others,” said Jacobs. “We’re looking for solutions across the full spectrum of housing needs, with the goal of getting every person access to safe, affordable housing.”

Given the complexity, can homelessness ever be solved?

“Yes, I believe we can. But we need to reframe the issue and look at it as a community,” replied Jacobs. “It’s not any one entity’s problem. It’s everyone’s job collectively. If someone has an idea, don’t go it alone. Bring in partners to cover all the issues.

“In the end, collaboration is how we’ll address homelessness.”

Download the 2020 CoC Annual Report

What can you do? Be part of the collective work to help those experiencing homelessness. Partner with one of the organizations working with the Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care or those addressing housing needs in Battle Creek. Consider making a financial gift to crisis housing supports through United Way.