A Way Home: Housing Solutions

Housing in the time of DOGE: Where do we go from here?

There are complicated politics and attitudes aimed at efforts to provide affordable housing. In a recent public discussion, Kalamazoo County Housing Director Mary Balkema detailed the projects underway and outlined the barriers to getting housing up as fast as some community members would like, including the current climate of uncertainty regarding funding.

Among those turning the first shovels of dirt at Mt. Zion Baptist Church's Legacy Senior Living project  are Rev. Christopher Moore, First Lady Gwendolyn Moore, Pastor Addis Moore and Edison Community Partners Senior Development Jason Muniz.
Persistence and prayer make senior housing a reality in Kalamazoo’s Northside Neighborhood

Legacy Senior Living, a 70-unit affordable apartment complex for people age 55 or older is expected to be completed in the next 17 to 18 months. More than 200 people attended Mt. Zion Baptist Church's groundbreaking for the of two, three-story buildings.

Counting the unhoused in Kalamazoo County to learn more about local needs

On a bitterly cold night in January, volunteers spread out across Kalamazoo County to see how many unhoused people they could find. It's part of what the federal government calls the Point in Time count, and it gives communities information as they prepare services and policies to serve this population. 

Kalamazoo’s homeless face cold waves — natural and political

As the unhoused struggle to get out of the cold they  also facethe harsh possibility of a loss of services from local and state organizations as the new Trump administration looks to freeze federal grants and loans. The status of the funding freeze is fast-moving and may have changed by the time you read this story. 

New income-based senior apartments take on tenants at 530 Rose in downtown Kalamazoo

The new 64-unit senior housing development, 530 Rose Place, is a five-story structure that includes off-street parking on the ground level and lounges on each of its living floors. It will feature a central courtyard that will have greenspace and a fountain.  

Groundbreaking expected in Portage this spring for 45 single-family workforce homes

Houses for teachers, health care workers, assembly line workers, public safety officers — workforce residents — are going up in Portage this spring. Here's the plan for Stanwood Crossings. 

For Christmas, this Kalamazoo group is booking hotel rooms for the unhoused

A local advocacy group is working to provide a safe and warm Christmas setting for up to 100 unhoused people in the greater Kalamazoo area. Find out how Kalamazoo Together for the Unhoused is working to raise money, collect contributions, and schedule volunteer efforts for its third annual Heads in Beds for Christmas.

‘Tiny’ house project sends a hard-to-place population to the front of the line

Tiny houses, a project that has been years in the making, has celebrated its grand opening in Kalamazoo. Each of the one-story houses – which have about 410 square feet of living space – was built to provide housing for individuals who are trying to improve their lives after being incarcerated or after recovering from substance abuse disorders 

Finding answers means discussion with those who are unsheltered, shelter representatives suggest

It's getting harder to operate a shelter for the unhoused as their numbers increase. Representatives of two of Kalamazoo's most recognizable shelters tell Housing Matters what might work to bring those numbers down. 

It’s first-come first-served for four new houses in Kalamazoo’s Northside neighborhood

Prospective homeowners must be first-time home-buyers, pre-approved by a mortgage lender, represented by a Realtor, and have participated in at least one of three home-buying workshops conducted at NACD. Beyond that the process to obtain one of the four homes is first-come first-served.

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