HILLSDALE — Hillsdale has formally condemned the temporary structure currently housing Camp Hope at Hillsdale Community Thrift. The organization’s executive director — Melissa Desjardin — has resigned.
Officials scheduled demolition of the structure for Oct. 16-17. The move comes several days after Hillsdale City Council voted 5-3 to enforce numerous requests for Camp Hope to cease operations, which violate decades-old ordinances.
Desjardin launched Camp Hope behind Hillsdale Community Thrift at 390 W. Carleton Road in 2023 after officials banned camping on public lands, where encampments for individuals affected by homelessness led to complaints from residents.
Other members of the board at Hillsdale Community Thrift were unavailable for comment Oct. 9.
In earlier interviews, Desjardin said Camp Hope was only meant to bridge a gap for the homeless until Share the Warmth inside Sozo Church established a year-round shelter — but that never happened.
Share the Warmth is scheduled to open for the season Nov. 1, nearly two weeks after the scheduled demolition of Camp Hope, which is essentially a large tent. Hillsdale Community Thrift could voluntarily strike the tent before then.
Councilmember Rob Socha said a “handshake agreement” made shortly after Camp Hope was established in 2023 called for removing the tent by April 2024.
“The camp never received a use and occupancy permit because the city (won’t) permit temporary shelters as permanent dwellings, and they’re not a registered campground,” Socha said. “The city was more than patient in extending time.”
Socha said, when concerns were raised in December 2024, councilmembers made another “handshake agreement” because winter was settling in. The new understanding was that the tent would be removed by May 2025.
The deadline came and went, and Hillsdale issued a civil infraction for ordinance violations. Desjardin returned to councilmembers May 5 with hefty plans to transition Hillsdale Community Thrift into a permanent shelter within four months. The concept encouraged officials to ease up on enforcement, but the development never moved forward.
Eventually, a consent agreement between Desjardin and Hillsdale called for the tent to be dismantled by mid-September. Still, the tent remains.
In early October, Desjardin announced plans to convert a storage building behind Hillsdale Community Thrift into Hope Harbor, a transitional shelter for up to 16 people. Hillsdale hadn’t received a permit application as of Oct. 9.
On Oct. 6, councilmembers were presented with several options on how to proceed, including doing nothing, issuing a daily fine, or ordering the tent be removed — and, if not, torn down by city staffers and Desjardin billed for services rendered.
“I think it’s past time to enforce our laws,” Socha said.
— Contact reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @cmurrayhdn.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Desjardin resigns as Camp Hope is formally condemned and demolition scheduled
Reporting by Corey J. Murray, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
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