Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge support for warming shelters and statewide water-affordability action
Summary
A shelter manager updated the commission on 24/7 warming-shelter availability for extreme cold and low-barrier access; an advocate urged the commission to support statewide water-affordability legislation and consider a local resolution.
During general public comment on Jan. 20, two speakers asked the commission to support immediate and systemic responses to resident needs.
Todd Artistis, who identified himself as the men’s shelter manager at the Haven, said the Haven’s warming shelter is open 24/7 during the cold snap and emphasized its low-barrier approach: "we do not require ID, intake, paperwork, or formal check-in processes," he said, and urged residents to direct unsheltered people to the Haven for safety during extreme cold.
Sylvia Orduno, a Detroit resident working on water-affordability issues, asked Battle Creek commissioners to consider passing a local resolution backing statewide water-affordability legislation. Orduno said bipartisan momentum has emerged in other Michigan communities and described eligibility thresholds advocates discuss (for example, a family of four earning up to $82,000 and a single person up to $39,900). She also asked commissioners to examine local shutoff practices and utility debt burdens affecting residents.
Commissioners thanked both speakers and noted upcoming outreach about shelter availability and winter preparedness. No formal action on a water-affordability resolution was taken at the meeting; Orduno’s comments were a request for consideration and local advocacy.
