“A place for persons experiencing street homelessness to store materials of value.”
Grand Rapids director of community services Connie Bohatch says since the Personal Belongings Storage Program began in 2021 thousands of street homeless people have secured personal property in their bins.
“We have served just over 28 hundred unique individuals since the beginning of the program.”
Bohatch says the storage program helps street homeless people comply with the city ordinance limiting possessions permitted on sidewalks, and while securing valuables at the Mel Trotter facility on Williams Street they learn about other services.
“It has been a very valuable tool for individuals to get assistance with employment and even with housing resources.”
Until now Grand Rapids has paid the 200 thousand annual operating cost with federal Covid Rescue Plan money. Now that it’s gone the city is paying 100 thousand and the Downtown Development Authority 50 thousand. Bohatch says they are asking other donors to make up the difference and looking for a long-term solution.
“I have recently put in a very large request for a 4-year federal grant that we have included this in we are hoping that that would come through for resources.”
