Ypsilanti City Council passed two resolutions on Tuesday, Jan 7 urging Washtenaw County to support the city in establishing a permanent homeless shelter and an unarmed crisis response team.
Both resolutions, written by council members Amber Fellows and Desiraé Simmons, were presented and passed unanimously on Jan. 7.
The first resolution, 2025-007, cited homelessness as an urgent issue in Washtenaw County. According to the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, 617 people were experiencing homelessness at the end of June 2024.
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While there is no permanent shelter currently available in Ypsilanti, there are temporary options for individuals to find meals and hygiene needs.
The resolution was approved in its seven parts: funding from the county; collaboration from the county and partners; resident input and community engagement; shelter development and timeline; oversight and management; monitoring and reporting; and long-term homelessness strategy.
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Each outlines the steps the council approved for the prospective implementation of the permanent shelter. Once Washtenaw County responds, the city of Ypsilanti would need to approve a budget expenditure.
The second resolution, 2025-008, was also written by Fellows and Simmons. It requests the Washtenaw County government create an unarmed response dispatch in order to reduce harm while promoting public safety. The Washtenaw County Public Health and Mental Health Preservation Millage, which was renewed in Nov. 2024, could be a potential funding path for this initiative.
The resolution has five components: request for funding; development for a request for proposal; coordination and triage; collaboration and implementation; and monitoring and reporting.
“I’m feeling so excited for the community,” Simmons said. “I think that there is a lot of hopefulness.”
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