(Photo courtesy of HOMES Coalition)
Kalamazoo County Commissioners have voted not to put a millage proposal before voters that would have paid for programs to address homelessness. The 0.1 mill ballot proposal was rejected on a party line vote Tuesday night, with Republicans opposing the measure and Democrats supporting it. (Kalamazoo Gazette Mlive covereage here)
Kalamazoo County Poverty Reduction Initiative Executive Director Jeff Brown says the millage would have paid for programs to help people stay in their homes and for what he calls “rapid re-housing” programs along with permanent housing. Brown who is also a member of the HOMES Coalition (Housing Opportunity Makes Economic Sense) says those programs have been shown to be effective in reducing homelessness.
Brown says the HOMES coalition will decide if they want to come back in the future and ask the County Board to reconsider. He says that could happen after the next election. Brown says County Commissioners were not being asked to endorse the proposal, only to let the voters decide.
