How can Lansing address soaring homelessness?
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — On Thursday, 6 News told you about an underground homeless camp near a state building in downtown Lansing, But to one outreach group, this is just another example of how bad the homelessness situation is getting.
The group’s name is “Punks with Lunch,” and since 2023 they have had an outreach team that walks around Lansing, looking to help the homeless. But it’s been no easy task–and the nonprofit group says things are only getting worse.
“In the past three years, the number of unhoused people has gone up 400 percent,” said Renee Faith of Punks with Lunch.
Faith has been working in outreach groups for most of her adult life. She said this rise in homelessness is the reason we are seeing homeless camps like this one popping up around Lansing.
However, the proximity of many of these camps to the Grand River makes for a safety threat to the people there.
“We have had people roll down the riverbank and wind up drowning; we have had people get hypothermia; we’ve had people injured in falls on the river bank,” Faith said.
A homeless encampment under a state office building’s patio in Lansing. (WLNS) A homeless encampment under a state office building’s patio in Lansing. (WLNS)
Once Punks with Lunch finds these homeless camps, it assists with connecting the people with resources, supplies and hopefully housing. According to Punks with Lunch, the issue is that there isn’t much affordable housing in the area–and to make matters worse, it’s even harder for people with disabilities.
“A lot of places that are affordable are not accessible,” said Faith. “And then a lot of people that do have a disability, have a fixed income at $941 a month, which–the median, average rent in Lansing, the last I checked, was close to $1,300 a month.”
Faith said she believes the answer to the affordable housing shortage is to convert abandoned buildings into apartments, and for more landlords to accept Section 8 housing vouchers–“such as MSHDA, BECKA and the Lansing Housing Commission, so that there is a bigger pool to clear this waitlist and get more people on the waitlist with housing vouchers.”
Moving forward, Punks with Lunch will be working with the Lansing Police, as well as Parks and Rec, to help service those they find in camps. However, the group needs help and is asking for donations and volunteers.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
