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Residents and advocates tell commissioners homelessness and rising rents must be top priorities
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the July 21 Kalamazoo City Commission meeting urged stronger action on homelessness, affordable housing and immigrant protections; speakers criticized perceived prioritization of beautification projects and called for sanctuary commitments and more emergency shelter.
Several residents and community organizers used the July 21 public-comment period to press the City Commission for more urgent action on homelessness, housing affordability and immigrant protections.
Speaker Shauna Espinosa said the city’s choices appear to prioritize “what rich white people want,” criticized construction of expensive projects and asked how city decisions serve unhoused people, veterans, seniors and families. “We have a housing crisis that is ... so bad,” she said in public comment, adding that rising rents and high…
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