Muskegon ISD asks county to help create local housing and services for homeless youth

Muskegon ISD leaders told the Muskegon County Human Services committee they are seeing a growing number of students experiencing homelessness and asked the county to help stand up local programming for youth.

"We have about a thousand students, over a thousand students that were considered homeless or face homelessness in some fashion," Randy Lindquist told commissioners, describing a trend the ISD says is rising and likely underreported. Lindquist and Rachel Zaragoza, the ISD's McKinney-Vento regional coordinator, urged county support to identify facilities, partners and funding to serve youth 18 and under.

Zaragoza said school liaisons identify students under the federal McKinney-Vento law and try to reduce barriers to attendance by arranging transportation and supplying immediate needs. "Sixty percent of chronically absent kids across the county are identified as homeless," she said, underscoring a strong correlation between housing instability and school attendance. She added schools identified 75 unaccompanied youth this year — students without a guardian who may be living in cars, doubled up with other families, or staying out of county to find shelter.

Presenters described a model used by Arbor Circle in Kent County, known as The Bridge, that provides nighttime residency for youth ages roughly 12–18 in 21‑day increments with the goal of family reunification. Zaragoza said The Bridge accepts about seven to 10 Muskegon youth per year and that many Muskegon youth must travel out of county to access age-appropriate shelter.

The ISD asked the county to consider three near-term supports: help identify or donate a county-owned site that could be repurposed for an initial small program (presenters suggested starting with about five beds), work with the ISD to recruit Arbor Circle or another nonprofit partner to run the program, and help secure or designate funding to launch and sustain services. Lindquist told commissioners, "We want help in maybe identifying a facility or a space somewhere in the county that might be suitable for starting with 5 beds."

Commissioners broadly expressed support and suggested convening a work session or reviving a housing consortium to coordinate agencies and funders. Several commissioners and staff noted the county already works with many departments — public health, courts and others — that touch at-risk youth and could help convene partners.

The presenters and commissioners emphasized operational hurdles: many school McKinney‑Vento liaisons are part‑time duties added to other jobs, local shelters are typically for adults or located out of county, and replicating The Bridge will require licensing, staffing and start-up funds. Zaragoza said she has written a grant and is working with Arbor Circle on a feasibility study to understand model costs and operations.

The committee did not take formal action on a specific county funding request during the meeting; presenters said they would follow up with county staff to set a work session and to provide more detailed cost estimates and feasibility findings.