Latest news with #CoordinatedAssessmentModel
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Detroit Family Gifted A Home After 2 Children Die While Sleeping In Van
A Detroit family was gifted a new home after two of their children died from the cold when the van they were living in ran out of gas. 'It took my two kids to die for y'all to help me,' Tateona Williams, the mother of the kids, told WXYZ a few weeks ago. 'It just don't work like that. It hurt losing two kids in one night. I don't wish this on nobody, and if you can get help, please go get help because I don't want nobody else to go through what I'm feeling.' Williams received the home Wednesday from the City of Detroit and Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, an organization that provides food, shelter and services to homeless people. The organization will regularly check in to help Williams 'create a long-term housing plan,' the organization told NBC News. In three months, Williams has to transfer the home's utilities in her name. 'DRMM will step in to help if she struggles, but we expect responsibility and accountability to build toward her independence,' the organization said, according to NBC News. On Feb. 10, Williams, who was living in a van parked in a casino parking lot with her four kids, noticed her 9-year-old son wasn't breathing. Williams called a friend, who took Williams and her son to the hospital. While they were at the hospital, the children's grandmother called Williams to say that her 2-year-old daughter was also not breathing. Amillah Currie and Darnell Currie Jr. were pronounced dead at the hospital. It is believed they froze to death. 'I lost the one who made me a mother,' Williams told WXYZ a few weeks ago. 'I lost a 2-year-old. ... My heart is breaking and I have two more kids to live for.' Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a Feb. 11 news conference that the deaths have to make the city 'rethink everything' they are doing. Duggan said Williams and her family reached out to Detroit's homeless response team at least three times with the latest on Nov. 25. Duggan said 'no resolution was reached' after the family asked for help. He added that the response team never proactively reached back out again either. 'We have to make sure that we do everything possible to make sure this doesn't happen again,' Duggan said. In a news conference on Thursday, Duggan presented a homelessness report and said the city set up an immediate shelter system in December, but Williams and her family didn't know about it because no one on the outreach team followed up with her after her November call. In his presentation, Duggan introduced a seven-point plan to improve the city's homelessness response, including giving special attention to finding families in vehicles and requiring site visits for all families with minor children. Homeless families in Detroit waited an average of 133 days in December to be placed in a shelter, according to data from the Coordinated Assessment Model. Man Crushed As Bulldozer Cleared Homeless Camp Ahead Of MLK Day Event Judge Blocks Further Sweeps Of New Orleans Homeless Camp Ahead Of Taylor Swift Concerts Gavin Newsom Issues Executive Order On Removal Of Homeless Encampments
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Detroit Family Gifted A Home After 2 Children Die While Sleeping In Van
A Detroit family was gifted a new home after two of their children died from the cold when the van they were living in ran out of gas. 'It took my two kids to die for y'all to help me,' Tateona Williams, the mother of the kids, told WXYZ a few weeks ago. 'It just don't work like that. It hurt losing two kids in one night. I don't wish this on nobody, and if you can get help, please go get help because I don't want nobody else to go through what I'm feeling.' Williams received the home Wednesday from the City of Detroit and Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, an organization that provides food, shelter and services to homeless people. The organization will regularly check in to help Williams 'create a long-term housing plan,' the organization told NBC News. In three months, Williams has to transfer the home's utilities in her name. 'DRMM will step in to help if she struggles, but we expect responsibility and accountability to build toward her independence,' the organization said, according to NBC News. On Feb. 10, Williams, who was living in a van parked in a casino parking lot with her four kids, noticed her 9-year-old son wasn't breathing. Williams called a friend, who took Williams and her son to the hospital. While they were at the hospital, the children's grandmother called Williams to say that her 2-year-old daughter was also not breathing. Amillah Currie and Darnell Currie Jr. were pronounced dead at the hospital. It is believed they froze to death. 'I lost the one who made me a mother,' Williams told WXYZ a few weeks ago. 'I lost a 2-year-old. ... My heart is breaking and I have two more kids to live for.' Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a Feb. 11 news conference that the deaths have to make the city 'rethink everything' they are doing. Duggan said Williams and her family reached out to Detroit's homeless response team at least three times with the latest on Nov. 25. Duggan said 'no resolution was reached' after the family asked for help. He added that the response team never proactively reached back out again either. 'We have to make sure that we do everything possible to make sure this doesn't happen again,' Duggan said. In a news conference on Thursday, Duggan presented a homelessness report and said the city set up an immediate shelter system in December, but Williams and her family didn't know about it because no one on the outreach team followed up with her after her November call. In his presentation, Duggan introduced a seven-point plan to improve the city's homelessness response, including giving special attention to finding families in vehicles and requiring site visits for all families with minor children. Homeless families in Detroit waited an average of 133 days in December to be placed in a shelter, according to data from the Coordinated Assessment Model. Man Crushed As Bulldozer Cleared Homeless Camp Ahead Of MLK Day Event Judge Blocks Further Sweeps Of New Orleans Homeless Camp Ahead Of Taylor Swift Concerts Gavin Newsom Issues Executive Order On Removal Of Homeless Encampments
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Families wait an average of 130 days for shelter in Detroit system
The safety net meant to connect vulnerable Detroiters to shelter is under scrutiny after two children appear to have frozen to death last week while they slept in a van in a casino parking structure downtown. Leaders across the city are calling for change. Mayor Mike Duggan asked for a review of the city's homeless response system and protocols. In the meantime, leaders of homeless service agencies said the way people get into shelter is "broken" and called for more money and resources to address the need. New data, as well as changes made a year ago to the city's system of receiving calls for help and referring people to shelters, offers insight into the challenged system. The vast majority of those who made contact with the Coordinated Assessment Model, or CAM, which directs people facing homelessness to shelter and other housing resources in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park, were put on a waiting list to be placed in a shelter. Among those who received a referral, families spent the most amount of time — 133 days on average in December — on a list waiting to be placed in a shelter. Single women were on the waitlist for about three months, according to CAM's latest quarterly report. The length of time is a reflection of a number of factors, including availability of resources, such as housing subsidies, and need, said Tasha Gray, executive director of the Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND), one of three nonprofits that manages CAM. On top of that, pandemic-era protections and financial aid have largely expired, and is "leading to a crisis that the homeless system alone cannot resolve." "More people are staying in shelters longer because they are not able to bounce back as quickly," Gray said in an email. "Also, resources like housing choice vouchers, which supported some households in moving out of shelters and gaining stability, are drying up as housing authorities are in budget deficits and are not receiving new vouchers from the federal government." More: Warming centers in Detroit: Where to find them as temperatures plummet More: Funeral details released for 2 children who froze in Detroit casino parking garage The family had reached out to the city's homeless response team at least three times, the latest in November, Duggan said during a news conference last week. Family shelter beds were available a few miles away from the parking structure, he said. "For whatever reason, this wasn't deemed an emergency that caused an outreach worker to visit the family," Duggan said. The exact details about the family's interactions with the system remain unclear. An administrative review is underway. Last week, Duggan called for the following: A review of the family's requests for help from the city's homeless services and the circumstances surrounding the two children's deaths. A review of phone center protocols to ensure residents know about available services. Adopt a policy that homeless outreach workers automatically visit minors experiencing homelessness. Reviewing the city's public information program so residents in need know about city services. Gray, with HAND, said she expects the city's report will show what those who work in the system know. "The question will be will we have the resources and capacity to make the change and how will other systems and the community invest and engage in needed changes," she said. Last year, there were 1,725 people facing homelessness, both sheltered and unsheltered, in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park — a 16% increase from the year before, according to a one-night count conducted in January by the Detroit Continuum of Care, the Homeless Action Network of Detroit and the city of Detroit. Among those tallied, 728 were part of families. About 300 people, including 28 families, were unsheltered, meaning they were sleeping in places not typically meant for human habitation. Data from CAM show the average wait time to the CAM call line in December was a little over six minutes. CAM received more than 11,000 calls and visits from October through December. In all, CAM completed roughly 8,000 intakes during that time. An intake includes diversion away from shelter or placement on a shelter waitlist. It may also lead to a referral to street outreach or placement on the shelter waitlist. Typically, Detroiters who need emergency shelter must go through the CAM system, by calling or going to an in-person location, to get a referral. CAM is known as coordinated entry and there are similar systems across the country. The idea is to have one streamlined process. CAM refers people to shelter "as resources become available," according to its website. The city's referral system has gone through changes in the past two years: Management of the system has changed hands from what was known as Southwest Solutions in 2023 to a combination of HAND, the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency and Community & Home Supports, Inc. The way people are prioritized for shelter has changed, too. It was on a first-come, first-served basis. Now, shelter placement is based on need. Shelters also have moved away from placing people in overflow — cots, mats and temporary sleeping accommodations — when beds were full, according to HAND. That may have been because of funding limitations and safety concerns. This shift meant CAM staff couldn't refer people to overflow if there were no beds available. The city introduced a new phone number: the Detroit Housing Resource HelpLine (866-313-2520). The change is intended to reduce wait times and repeat calls. The CAM line that people called when seeking a shelter was integrated with the city's housing hotline in 2023. Now, residents looking for placement into shelter or warming centers can access CAM by calling the city's housing resource helpline or by calling CAM. Last year, the city of Detroit and homeless service providers embarked on a five-year plan to reduce homelessness. A report said that in order to fully meet the needs of people estimated to experience homelessness in Detroit a year, the system needs to add at least 275 emergency shelter beds and 870 units of permanent supportive housing. More recently, Duggan said the city added 400 more shelter beds this winter and 110 drop-in beds, when shelters are full. Street outreach is available 24/7, he said. Getting into shelter remains a challenge. The 29-year-old mother reportedly called shelters multiple times before last week's tragedy, according to Detroit Board of Police Commissioner Tamara Liberty Smith, who also runs a transitional housing service. The mother told local TV stations that she has been unhoused for three months and reached out to the city for help. "I asked everybody for help. I called out of state, I called cities I didn't know, I called cities people asked me to call. I even asked Detroit — I've been on CAM list for the longest," she told WXYZ Detroit on Tuesday. Chad Audi, president and CEO of the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, said the system is broken and has too many holes. He called for more changes, such as a 24/7 call center with transportation services. 'A homeless person needs a quick answer. They're in an emergency,' he said. John Stoyka, president and executive director of Community & Home Supports, Inc., said CAM is overwhelmed with phone calls and is understaffed. The system, including the staff and agencies involved, can only do so much, he said. CAM is tasked with assessing a person's needs and getting them into the appropriate program — but it's based on availability. "As long as there's not enough housing, people will continue to pile up in shelters, to be on the streets and to remain on waiting lists for voucher and permanent housing programs," Stoyka said. Frigid temperatures can be dangerous for people living out on the streets. Here's a rundown of resources to stay out of the cold and snow, according to news releases from the city and the Pope Francis Center. Two overnight respite locations are available through at least 9 a.m. Friday. Residents can walk into these spots anytime without a referral. They are: Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries located at 13130 Woodward Ave. The Pope Francis Center at 2915 W. Hancock St.: The Pope Francis Center has 50 cots and provides blankets and meals. Shower and bathroom facilities are also available. There are private areas for women. The accommodations are for single adults. To get into an emergency shelter or warming centers, call the Detroit Housing Resource HelpLine at 866-313-2520. It will operate 24/7 through Friday, according to a news release. Residents can also go to in-person CAM sites for help at the following locations: Cass Community Social Services, at 11850 Woodrow Wilson St., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. NOAH at Central, at 23 E. Adams Ave. on the second floor, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday. Veterans can go to the John D Dingell VA Medical Center, at 4646 John R St., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. There are three warming centers in Detroit with sleeping accommodations, meals and showers. For more information, go to The three warming centers are: Cass Community Social Services, 1534 Webb St., for families and single women. Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, 12900 W. Chicago, for families and single women. Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, at 3535 Third Ave., for single men. Detroit recreation centers and Detroit Public library branches are available during regular operating hours, but not for overnight shelter. To find out days and hours of operation, go to and Free Press staff writer Andrea May Sahouri contributed to this report. Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@ Follow her on X: @NushratR. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Long waits to be admitted to shelter plague Detroit homeless system
