PETOSKEY — The Petoskey City Council hosted a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9 to hear from local organizations that work with the homeless population in Northern Michigan.
Council heard from representatives from The Nehemiah Project, Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency, the Salvation Army and North Country Community Mental Health.
The council’s discussion came after they recently passed an ordinance prohibiting camping on city property after residents voiced concerns about public safety, sanitation and trash in public parks, like at the bayfront and in the Bear River Valley Recreation Area. The council approved the ordinance in May. Councilmembers Tina DeMoore, Joe Nachtrab and Mayor John Murphy voted in support of the ordinance, while councilmember Derek Shiels voted against it. Councilmember Lindsey Walker was absent for the vote.
Murphy said the Sept. 9 meeting was meant to be an information gathering session, with plans for the city to host a work session to discuss different options and ways the city can help address homelessness.
“We’re not going to solve homelessness here tonight,” Murphy said. “We are probably not going to explore other options about how to address homeless tonight, but what we’re looking at is awareness and having you present so we can … work to identify what are solutions and some approaches to prepare and to take care of housing, homeless in Petoskey.”
More: Petoskey council approves camping ordinance, discusses homeless support
Petoskey City Hall is located at 101 E. Lake St.
The Nehemiah Project
Brian Peters, executive director for the Nehemiah Project, talked about the various options the program offers, including multiple shelters.
He said the project is a faith-based interdenominational ministry, working within the community since 1988. While the project is faith-based, people are not required to partake in Bible study, Peters noted.
The Nehemiah Project offers temporary emergency shelter for men, women, children and families, as well as meals, a place to shower, the daily necessities of life, life skills classes and spiritual mentorship.
Peters said the project used to limit a person’s stay to 90 days, but they have changed that process. They found that getting stable housing set up and ready for someone can take longer than 90 days, especially given the regional housing crisis.
The Nehemiah Project has four buildings, including:
The Nehemiah House, a men’s shelter that houses up to 12 individuals
The Mary Margaret House, a women’s and children’s shelter that can house up to nine women
The Grace House, which is transitional housing for up to four people
Hope Hall, a day room for people in the program with resources and offices available
According to their 2024 statistics, 19% of Nehemiah Project guests find permanent housing, 32% move to temporary housing, 13% move to institutions like jail or rehab, 17% are unknown and 19% remained homeless.
Peters said the people in the program have to remain clean and sober. They must also keep up with any required programming like attending skills classes and following through on the steps and goals in their action plans.
Because of limited space, Peters said, the project has had to turn away 130 people so far this year. The Nehemiah Project is the only full-time homeless shelter north of Traverse City and south of Marquette, meaning some homeless people from outside of Emmet County arrive to the shelter for help getting back on their feet. However, people are not coming from beyond Northern Michigan, Peters said.
The Nehemiah Project is currently working to build a larger shelter to address the rising need. They have acquired a 7-acre property to hopefully build a new facility in the next few years. Peters confirmed to the News-Review that while the development is still in the planning phase, the current plan is to have a facility that could support around 60 people.
More: 3 major housing projects in Petoskey expected to be ready for residents this fall
Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency
Homeless Programs Supervisor Kamryn Hendricks and Director of Homeless and Housing Stability Sarah Hughes represented the Northwest Community Action Agency during Tuesday’s meeting.
They spoke about the agency’s housing stability department, which offers coordinated entry and intake programs, homeless prevention programs, down payment assistance and more.
Hendricks said the goal of the program is to focus on housing first, since having a safe place to rest at the end of the day is the most important thing. That means the program seeks to provide stable and affordable housing without any preconditions like sobriety or stable employment.
“The data supports that this is the best model to utilize to enrich a community and improve the strength overall,” Hendricks said.
People facing homelessness can call 1-844-900-0500, where they will be asked to leave a voicemail so the intake specialist can call back with different options suited for that person, whether they need emergency shelter, advice for eviction threats or for general questions.
The group offers diversion techniques to prevent people from becoming homeless, whether it be getting people placed with family and friends or helping people in need of extra support to get placed into a housing situation they can afford. Additionally, they help with client mediation and have discussions with landlords to try to keep rents affordable for clients.
The Northwest Community Action Agency offers a rapid rehousing program, which helps transition clients to housing choice vouchers. This helps sustain their rent and makes sure they’re supported during a vulnerable time.
In Emmet and Charlevoix counties, Hendricks said, 55 households are in need of housing and support programs.
Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage
More: Facing homelessness or outages? Salvation Army of Petoskey offers free showers
The Salvation Army
Roman Hank, envoy for the Salvation Army of Petoskey, spoke about the various programs the Salvation Army is able to offer those struggling with housing.
The Salvation Army provides food pantry assistance, with two hot meals a week and lunches on Wednesdays and Fridays. They also offer transportation to the lunches, with pickups outside of the Nehemiah Project and the Bridge Church. They hope to add a pickup location outside of the D&W Market as well.
The Salvation Army recently began a shower ministry program, providing showers from 10 a.m.-noon as well as clothing vouchers for those in need.
Hank said the Salvation Army is able to help those facing insurmountable housing costs by offering assistance with the first month’s rent or providing vouchers to thrift stores so people can furnish a new home. They also offer bus tickets within state lines so people can reunite with their families and find a safe place to stay.
Hank added that the Salvation Army’s offerings have changed a lot over the years. They used to be able to offer hotel vouchers for people in emergency situations, but they have been unable to find partners willing to support that program.
Since moving to its new Community Center, located at 2350 Mitchell Park Drive, the Salvation Army of Petoskey’s goal has been to provide more emergency supports not only for people experiencing homelessness, but even for people who are struggling with issues like broken water heaters or extended power outages.
North Country Community Mental Health
Brian Babbitt, Chief Executive Officer for North Country Community Mental Health, spoke about how the group operates. For example, Babbitt said the group is 92% Medicaid-funded, and served nearly 4,000 people in the 2024 fiscal year.
Babbitt said they wouldn’t typically be involved in anyone’s housing situation if they are not under their mental health services. A majority of the people they work with are on supplemental Social Security income, which would land under $1,000 per month, so the housing they need has to be income-based.
Occasionally, they will help pay room and board for someone, though that income has to come from donations. Medicaid funds cannot be used, Babbitt said.
Babbitt also noted there are studies that find people with mental illness are more likely to be a victim of a crime than to be a perpetrator of one, and he wants to make sure people are not stigmatizing those with a mental illness.
He also added that they work closely with the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office to help divert people from the criminal justice system and provide them with other safe and more appropriate supports when needed.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @KarlyGrahamJrn.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey City Council holds work session with community partners on homelessness