Coalition to End Homelessness urges Traverse City to back permanent supportive housing; Jubilee House warns of staff loss without immediate funds

The Coalition to End Homelessness presented data to the Traverse City Commission on Monday showing that, in the past two years, the local homeless response system has seen more people enter homelessness than exit each month and that targeted investments in permanent supportive housing produce measurable exits from chronic homelessness.

“Ending chronic homelessness is within our reach, but only if we scale up what is proven to work, which is housing with supports,” Coalition director Ashley Halliday Schman told commissioners. The presentation highlighted inflow/outflow measures, a local shortage of deeply affordable units and a coalition request for sustainable funding to accelerate permanent supportive housing and related services.

Key data and findings presented by the Coalition included: - Average monthly inflow vs. outflow: staff showed roughly 35 people entering homelessness and about 31 leaving per month over a two‑year average; the chronic subset also showed more entering than leaving in 2024 (eight entering vs. seven leaving, on average). - Housed counts: coalition partners have housed more than 100 chronically homeless people over two years and the system housed 218 people in 2024 alone. - System spending and capacity: the coalition reported roughly $6.5…