Samaritas urges more funding and capacity for Wayne County Family Center; commissioners discuss options

Representatives from Samaritas briefed the Wayne County Commission Health & Human Services Committee on Jan. 7 about services, capacity and unmet demand at the Samaritas Family Center in Westland, which provides emergency shelter and supportive services to families experiencing housing crises.

Kelly Dobner, with Samaritas, introduced the organization and its focus areas; Tamika Andrews, director of the Family Center, described the center’s operations, programming and client stories. Andrews said the Family Center operates a 24‑room, 85‑bed facility that serves families of varying sizes and noted that the center also houses a temporary emergency food assistance (TEFAP) program, an on‑site childcare center, commercial kitchen and other supportive services.

Andrews recounted client stories and said the center’s current length of stay averages about 132 days, a figure she tied to constrained housing availability and the county’s broader housing crisis. She said Samaritas is achieving positive housing outcomes—she told committee members the program’s positive housing destination rate is “through the roof” and that recidivism back to the street is low—but that demand outstrips capacity: she reported a waiting list of 915 families with children seeking help as of Jan. 1, 2025. She also identified staffing and wage pressures since the COVID‑19 pandemic and said the organization’s current Wayne County contract value has not materially increased in recent years.

Commissioners discussed options. Commissioner Anderson and others asked about possible new facilities, repurposing closed school buildings, targeting state funding and engaging county lobbyists. Samaritas representatives said a proposed replacement building had not secured full funding and that a new single facility at the same capacity would not meet area need; they suggested a campus model or additional locations would be required to serve significantly more families. Participants noted that county lobbyists and philanthropic campaigns could be avenues for further funding.

Commissioner McCormick asked about county support; transcript participants said Wayne County currently contributes approximately $468,000 under the existing contract (the precise figure was given in committee remarks and identified as the current contractual amount). Andrews and Dobner asked for further conversations on operational funding and invited commissioners to tour the facility.

Ending: The committee did not vote on funding at the meeting. Samaritas representatives urged further engagement with county leadership, legislative partners and philanthropic supporters to expand capacity and sustain operations amid high local need.