Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mayor’s office outlines homelessness work: ARPA shelter funding, street-team plans and outreach
Summary
Kelly Smith, chief administrator in the mayor’s office, reviewed the city’s homelessness response: ARPA-funded emergency shelter support, outreach and a proposed street team, partnership-building with colleges and community agencies, and point-in-time count data showing a modest local increase in people experiencing homelessness.
Kelly Smith, chief administrator in the mayor’s office, presented a year-in-review of Michigan City efforts to address homelessness and housing instability on Dec. 2.
Smith recounted outreach to an individual who used City Hall as a warming center, the city’s use of ARPA funds to support Salvation Army overnight shelter operations during severe weather and to assist residents displaced when motels were closed for code violations, and coordination with social workers and local shelters. She described pursuit of a street-team model — pairing social workers, peer recovery coaches and mental-health navigators — and ongoing efforts to pursue grant funding after an initial state-health department application was not funded in the current round.
Smith said the city joined a consortium of mayors to study promising approaches and emphasized reconnecting unhoused residents with family when appropriate. She also reported Region 1 point-in-time-count results: the region counted 279 people in 2025 (up 41.6% from 197 in 2024); La Porte County rose from 118 to 137 in the same period. Smith said the mayor created an opioid task force this year and that the city administered a restoring-communities grant process that drew about 20 applications totaling more than $400,000; the city has roughly $167,000 available for awards.
Smith said some responses will rely on partnerships rather than city capital spending (for example, partnering with Keys to Hope, local colleges for workforce supports, and local social‑services providers). She said the administration will host a community meal after the new year to gather feedback from service organizations and people with lived experience.
The presentation prompted council appreciation and questions about coordination with police and other departments; Smith said the mayor and staff are pursuing grants and will provide details to the council. No formal action was required of the body at the Dec. 2 meeting.
