LANSING — The city has agreed to place 50 or more people who are homeless and have been living in a camp in the woods on the city’s north side into a southside hotel.
Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina made the announcement on Dec. 17, as some of the camp residents sat in her courtroom, a few upset or bowing their heads because of tears.
“I hope you all have a very merry Christmas in your new homes, although they will be temporary,” Aquilina said at the conclusion of the latest in a series of weekly hearings since the city sued two property owners in May to try to disperse the camp. “You’ll be warm with a shower. You can have a good meal. Maybe next year gets better with housing and all your needs met.
“If not, I remain here. Counsel remains here. And we are in this together for stability and safety for all.”
Some of the people who have been living near Dietrich Park and their advocates thanked the judge for green lighting the solution that was part of an agreement between the city of Lansing and JAJ Property LLC, a West Bloomfield Township company that owns some of the land where the camp is.
Others remained upset that they would have to leave their camp to stay at the Causeway Bay Lansing Hotel & Convention Center, 6820 S. Cedar, just south of Interstate 96 and north of Delhi Township.
No one answered the phone at the hotel on Dec. 17.
Amy Blanchard, who’s lived in the camp for six to eight months, shed tears during and after the hearing.
She’s relieved since she’s grown tired of frostbite that struck with winter.
However, “for this to even happen, it really sucks,” she said. “We’ve all got a lot of stuff. Are we supposed to take all that in a room?”
The camp has existed for at least three years, and, in the month she’s been there, possessions have only accumulated.
Assistant city attorney Matt Staples said during Wednesday’s hearing the city is willing to help find and coordinate storage for the residents’ clothing and personal effects but “larger things …. that’s going to be tougher to figure out.”
He said camp residents could stay at the hotel immediately but the city hopes to have buses visit the camp Monday and Tuesday to pick up residents and take them to the hotel.
City staffers estimate there are 40 to 50 people who could move from the camp to the hotel, said Scott Bean, a city spokesman.
“However, we do not know exactly how many will accept the offer to stay in a hotel or just leave the property to find their own housing,” Bean said. “We do not have an exact date and time yet for transportation, but everyone will be out of this encampment by early to mid-next week.”
He said estimates on the final costs for the city range between $25,000 and $40,000, with the city expecting that two to four people will occupy each hotel room, “depending on their circumstances.”
“Over the course of the next several weeks, we expect more shelter space to come online that will be available for these residents to move into more long-term after this temporary hotel program funding expires,” he said.
In the meantime, people who have been living at the camp will continue to work with local agencies to get them into more permanent housing.
Their stay at the hotel could last longer than six weeks depending on whether people share rooms and room availability, Staples said.
Anyone remaining at the camp after Dec. 23, will be considered a trespasser and can be arrested, Staples said.
The camp will be then swept of any remaining inhabitants and the property will be cleaned up, Staples said, although he did not provide specific dates for those activities.
Aquilina has been holding hearings for months in an effort to reach a compromise between city officials, local housing advocates and nonprofits and property owners to disperse the camp that has been occupied for an estimated three years.
Edwar Zeineh, the attorney representing JAJ Property, offered “significant accolades” to Aquilina because of her handling of the case and refusal to forget what he called “the law of humanity.”
“I will always prioritize humans and humanity and morality over black letter law,” Aquilina responded. “You may not all agree with it but I went way over what I should have or what most judges would do and was willing to accept the consequences. Graciously, the attorneys here also wanted the best for all of you.”
The city originally sued 113 W. Michigan LLC of Jackson and JAJ Property LLC to break up the camp and have their wooded properties cleared of debris and people.
Aquilina ordered portable toilets for the camp and earlier this year dismissed 113 W. Michigan LLC from the suit, saying the company was working with the city and there’s “very, very little of their property that’s involved.”
The city has been trying to find solutions for its homeless residents.
Lansing in August bought 50 ModPods – small shed-like structures – on auction from a Kalamazoo nonprofit for about $645,500 to address the homelessness crisis. Two advisory boards were expected to vote on Thursday, Dec. 18 on where the pods would be placed in the city, although officials have said they likely won’t be operational until at least September of 2026.
The meeting was canceled due to a lack of a quorum, Mayor Andy Schor announced on Facebook.
In the same Dec. 17 post, the mayor said Ingham County has agreed to partner with the city and allow the consideration of a parking lot at the county human services building near Jolly Road and South Cedar Street.
“This site is not in a neighborhood or park, has lower costs (no land purchase), and is close to critical services (County Health Department, immunizations, mental health, veterans, senior services),” he said. “It is on a bus line and near job resources (Capital Area Michigan Works!) and health centers, improving access for users.”
Advisory boards will vote on a location in the new year, and that recommendation will then go to the mayor and council, Schor said.
Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@lsj.com or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing reaches deal in court to empty northside homeless camp
Reporting by Susan Vela, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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