Many organizations across the community work to provide resources for the unhoused, especially as winter approaches. Grassroots organizers, nonprofits, and city and county officials all have roles in the effort.
Efforts to find a place for those without housing have taken a step forward in Kalamazoo as 60 subsidized, efficiency-style apartments officially opened Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, The months-long conversion of the former Knights Inn Motel at 1211 S. Westnedge Ave. has been completed and the LodgeHouse is available for occupancy.
The $5 million freestanding Behavioral Health Urgent Care and Access Center is expected to have nine treatment rooms, waiting rooms, a lobby, a reception area, a conference room, and a security office. It will also have a police/ambulance entrance.
Although good statistics on how many unhoused people struggle with addiction are difficult to find, estimates are that a high percentage of Kalamazoo’s homeless population use alcohol and drugs.
A transitional home geared for 18- to 24-year-old LGBTQ+ young adults who have been displaced from their homes, often by parents who do not accept their sexual orientation, has now been opened by OutFront Kalamazoo.
As the Kalamazoo Public Library hits 150 yeart is its taking the time to celebrate with activities, programs, and opportunities to reflect on the library’s history and to also shine a light on the current ways the library provides meaning for so many today through its collections, services, and engagement.
In 1884, the Kalamazoo Public Library was one of the first libraries in the nation to have a room designated for children. The library is still dedicated to providing early childhood literacy opportunities as part of its larger mission today -- which is to lead a stronger community through literacy, learning, and innovation. It’s all part of the history to be celebrated as Kalamazoo Public Library commemorates its 150th anniversary with a series of events.
Opportunities for minorities to work for themselves, own their own companies, and build wealth — those are the goals of a pilot program called Core 60 that teaches “core” business competencies with one-on-one counseling and group sessions as participants prepare for a 60-hour building license.
The third round of grants to help small businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 shutdown – announced on Aug. 18, 2022 -- will help 60 local enterprises clear hurdles like those, and many others. Each business is set to receive a $5,000 share of some $300,000 allocated in the Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grant program.
Moving from Can-Do Kitchen to Can-Do Kalamazoo is more than a name change. The nonprofit organization that started 14 years ago as an incubator for food-based businesses is now focused on growing and scaling businesses of all kinds. And it is set to expand into a new location in 2023.
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