November
9

By and David Komer

As the temperatures drop, the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries are working to provide an escape from the cold for those in need.

Dr. Chad Audi said he is bracing for an increased demand this winter at DRMM.

“I’ve always been all my life, very optimistic about everything,” said Audi. “This is the first time that I clearly say I’m very pessimistic about the future of our population.”

Homelessness is plaguing communities across the country, including here in Detroit and the percentage has been on the rise since 2017.

Just last year, the  “National Alliance to end Homelessness” published data stating approximately 582,000 Americans were experiencing homelessness. That means in 2022 about roughly 18 out of every 10,000 people were homeless. A majority of them are adults – but families and kids as well.

What about here at home? The numbers have risen at least 10 percent, Audi said.

Approximately 8,500 Detroiters are currently experiencing homelessness with 5,900 of them in emergency situations.

“This does not include the people who are still not counted who live in vacant homes, who live under the (overpasses), or who actually live in cars in parking lots,” he said.

Audi is the president and CEO of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries and is dedicated to finding a solution. That said, Audi believes the current top-down approach is harming more than it’s helping.

“We need to treat the real issue of homelessness,” he said. “We got mental health, we got affordable housing which we don’t have enough of, and then substance abuse and alcoholism.”

The city set up “Cam Detroit,” a coordinated entry system, to help place those in need of shelter. And while the intention is good, Audi says, the proof is in the people.

“The people cannot get referrals, they sit on the phone for about an hour and a half on average,” he said. “They want you to do the paper first and then see if you can help that person. And if I decided to help that person, and for some reason, forgot to do the paperwork, then you get penalized.”

He’s suggesting a boots-on-the-ground approach – with the agencies doing the work, take on the challenge.

“Take those 1.8 million dollars that you are allocating and give them to direct services – not to computers and not to staff to enter data,” Audi said.

Just yesterday the City closed one of a handful of emergency shelters leaving 52 men and one dog in need of a roof and warmth.

“Yesterday in one of our women and children shelters our capacity is 80 we had about 100 people coming in and we had more than 20 people we couldn’t take on,” Audi said.

Detroit has only three warming centers which are no match for the need.

“We are going to see more people dead and on the streets because of the cold,” he said.

To learn more about Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries or to donate, go HERE.

Warming Centers in Detroit:

Cass Community Social Services
11850 Woodrow Wilson St.
P: 313-883-2277

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries – Third Street Warming Center
11037 Mack Avenue
P: 313-331-8990

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries – Third Street Warming Center
3535 Third Ave
P: 313-993-6703

Several organizations offer emergency shelters for the homeless:

  • Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries
  • Cass Community Social Services
  • Alternatives for Girls
  • Noah Project
  • Pope Francis Center (Day shelter only Mon-Sat, 7-11 a.m.)

November
6

Join the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries for an Open House at our veteran housing!

Veterans Open House -Housing

Wednesday, November 15, 2023
211 Glendale Apartments
211 Glendale Ave Highland Park MI
2pm-4pm
Tour our newly- renovated, low cost, 1-bedroom apartments prioritized for veterans.
Refreshments, gift card giveaways, and onsite applications will be available!
Please RSVP to 313-993-4700 x4707 or to cclayton@drmm.org

October
31

Nushrat Rahman

Detroit Free Press

Most Detroit households experiencing homelessness are dealing with it for the first time.

How long people stayed in shelters or other housing programs doubled from 35 to 69 days during the last eight years.

Meanwhile, inside the shelters, people have reported overcrowding and violence. Some had to wait several hours or multiple days to access a shelter.

This is all according to interim findings from a comprehensive new report about homelessness in Detroit commissioned by the city of Detroit’s Housing and Revitalization Department. The report — believed to be the first of its kind in recent history — is meant to inform a broader plan to address homelessness after the COVID-19 pandemic, following a massive infusion of housing aid to help people stay housed during the economic crisis.

Detroit is using about $436,000 in CARES Act funding — of the $46 million the city received in pandemic relief aid — for this work. The report, released last week, is one part of the planning process.

“The intent is that, systemwide, we identify a number of priorities, goals and initiatives to make homelessness in Detroit rare, brief and nonrecurring. We have not done such work in Detroit before,” said Julie Schneider, director of the city’s housing and revitalization department.

The work is being done in collaboration with the Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND), the agency leading what’s known as the Detroit Continuum of Care (CoC) — a network of service providers and groups working to address homelessness in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.

The findings come after the main hotline for people to access shelter switched operators from the nonprofit formerly known as Southwest Solutions to a combination of HAND and Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency. The number (313-305-0311) and the system behind it  known as the Coordinated Assessment Model (CAM) — received sharp criticism before the management change from users earlier this year who said they had long wait times, that CAM failed to follow up and some users called their experiences dehumanizing. HAND seeks to make improvements during its first year of managing the system.

CAM is typically the first engagement people have if they are dealing with housing insecurity. They are either referred to a shelter or diverted to another safe place to stay.

Leaders of local shelters on Friday said they are aware of challenges in the system and emphasized the need for more funding to improve facilities and expand as shelters consistently operate at or beyond capacity.

Here are five takeaways from the report:

Homeless count: 8,500 people

In 2022, more than 8,500 people were identified as homeless in shelters, transitional or permanent supportive housing in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park. On any given night, more than 1,500 people experience homelessness on the streets and in shelters. These numbers are likely an undercount. Available data primarily tallies the unhoused in shelters and housing programs and so it doesn’t paint a true portrait of the scale of homelessness across the city.

Most households were homeless for the first time

Between 73% to 77% of unhoused households experienced what the report calls “first time homelessness,” defined as families not being enrolled in a homeless assistance program in the previous two years. From 2015 to 2022, that percentage has remained steady at 71%.

Detroiters say shelters are overcrowded, inaccessible

People experiencing homelessness shared their encounters with the shelter system. The report did not include the names of the people interviewed or the shelters they talked about. They had concerns about the physical conditions of shelters, with some reporting staying in basements with bugs and vermin and facilities with mold and leaking water. Some said that shelters have 10 families in one room and people have to sleep on chairs. Some shelters, others said, are not accessible for people with disabilities. One person who used a cane and was housed on the second floor of a shelter noted the building did not have an elevator.

People are struggling to find, keep a home

People expressed difficulty finding housing and the need for mental health, employment and transportation resources. As one participant put it: “No one talked to me about deposits required for water, power or the responsibility to pay those bills. I am scared of losing my housing or not being able to maintain.” Another person said: “I’ve been here for two years, and have been waiting for a voucher for two years.”

Ways to tackle homelessness in Detroit

The report highlights areas to prioritize for improvements, including “critical and profound issues with facilities” which have been “traumatizing” for people and unresponsive to their needs; working with landlords who are willing to use rental subsidies, and creating more affordable housing options for people with the lowest incomes

“The findings coming out of this document have helped shape what are some of the key things that we’ll be looking at,” Schneider said. The city expects to schedule meetings and community sessions in the coming months.

The city and HAND want to actively include people who are experiencing homelessness and front-line providers in the effort to address the issue in Detroit, she said.

Shelter leader: ‘We need to get more dollars into the system’

For shelter providers, the findings are not surprising.

Shelters are aware of the problems and share the same concerns about conditions at some facilities, said Chad Audi, president and CEO of the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), which operates three shelters in the city.

“When we go to the street to do street outreach and get people off the street, a lot of the homeless, they will tell us, I don’t want to go to the shelter because they’re afraid and they’re jamming them into one room,” Audi said.

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries maintains cleaning protocols and ensures that people who are sick get connected to doctors, he said. DRMM tries to avoid offering chairs instead of beds. If there are more people beyond shelter capacity, it has to provide cots.

Winter will only make matters worse when providers, he said, must focus on keeping people out of the cold and saving their lives.

“It’s an emergency,” Audi said.

Meanwhile, Celia Thomas, chief operating officer for Detroit-based Alternatives for Girls and chair of the Detroit of Continuum of Care, said the interim findings offer a clear assessment of long-standing barriers and inequities. She is hopeful that the broader plan will help address the issues laid out.

“We’re in a position right now to make things happen,” she said.

Thomas also echoed the need for more money.

“I’m actually optimistic at this point that we really can solve the problem of homelessness across our city,” she said.

For more information about the report and the plan, go to bit.ly/HomelessnessStrategicPlanningProject.

Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @NushratR.

October
3

DRMM in partnership with Wheels For Work Detroit and Amazon surprised one of our staff members with a car so she no longer has to walk to work daily.

See the full story covered by FOX 2 Detroit below!

 

September
27

“IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO CHANGE THEIR LIFE AND THEY’RE WILLING TO PUT THEIR BEST FOOT FORWARD, THIS PROGRAM ABSOLUTELY CAN CHANGE THEIR LIFE AROUND WITHOUT A DOUBT.” — STEPHANI

Stephani arrived at our doors during the pandemic, struggling with drug addiction and the trauma of domestic abuse. She was at rock bottom and in desperate need of a life-saving intervention. As we talked, she told us about her challenges, “I was in an abusive marriage, and I went to the hospital with broken bones. I was prescribed prescription pain pills. Within a few months, I was fully addicted, and when I couldn’t get a prescription, I turned to heroin.”

Stephani’s journey from homelessness to recovery wasn’t easy. But thanks to supporters like you, she was given an amazing chance to choose a new path.

At Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, Stephani received the treatment, guidance, and resources she needed to change her life. But those first few days were difficult. “The staff cared so much.” She told us, “That’s part of the reason why I stayed. Because the first day, I was ready to walk out the door, and they just took so much time to sit and talk to me and let me know that’s not the answer. A lot of the staff are recovering addicts themselves, and they showed me I could have a better life.”

Through prayer and hard work, she successfully graduated from our Victory program. She also discovered renewed faith because of her time at the Mission. “I see that God has forgiven me and has turned my life completely around and made me brand new just like He said He would.”

A second chance at life!

Today, Stephani is excited about the next chapter of her life. She is finally reunited with her children after five long years apart. She told us, “My life completely changed. I’m almost two years sober and clean. I want to go to school for nursing, and I’m taking real estate classes. My daughter is almost done with her first year of college, and my son is a senior. We’re back together as a family and loving that.”

Stephani’s story is just one example of the powerful impact you have on the lives of our community’s most vulnerable neighbors. With your support, we can empower more people like Stephani to overcome life’s challenges, heal, and embrace God’s path for a new life.

Make a difference for someone today! Send a gift in time for the Thanksgiving season.

Read more inspirational stories from the Fall 2023 Newsletter.

September
25

Close your eyes for a moment, and transport yourself to a serene, secluded place where the weight of your emotions mingles with the whispers of cherished memories. Here, in this tranquil sanctuary of reminiscence, a realization long overdue comes to life, stirring your very soul. Today, I stand at the threshold of profound sentiment, fueled by an unshakable resolve to craft a tribute to the unsung heroes who have left an indelible mark upon us all: our fathers.

Picture life as an exquisite tapestry woven with threads of adventure, both bold and delicate, waiting for us to unravel its intricate patterns. In this captivating narrative, our fathers emerge as the central characters, their roles etched in the annals of time, echoing through the epochs.

Our fathers are the silent heroes of our existence, reminiscent of the valiant character in our most treasured tales. They orchestrate feats of boundless love and self-sacrifice, towering giants who seek no recognition, no lofty titles. Rather, they are the gentle yet omnipotent forces that underpin the very fabric of our world.

Pause for a moment and travel back to the days of your youth, a time marked by scraped knees and dreams that took flight. Who was your sanctuary during those vulnerable moments? It was your father! He cradled you in his embrace, wiping away your tears, conjuring a fortress of solace. Did you ever notice how he wore the same worn-out clothes year after year, or how he willingly sacrificed his own desires to witness your radiant smile when you yearned for a special toy or those coveted new shoes?

Recall those tempestuous nights when thunder resounded, and lightning illuminated the darkened sky. Who remained steadfast, a vigilant guardian against the chaos of the storm? Your father! He stood as the unwavering sentinel, a shield between you and the menacing unknown. And when your imagination soared into the boundless realm of dreams, whose weathered hands breathed life into your fantasies? They were in the hands of your father! He didn’t begrudge the threadbare jacket or forsaking dessert; instead, he soared alongside your dreams.

Imagine our fathers as colossal oak trees within the vast forest of life, their towering presence offering shelter from life’s fiercest tempests. They toil tirelessly, bearing the scars of life’s trials upon their hands, all to provide us with sanctuary and sustenance. At times, they set aside their own aspirations so that we may pursue ours.

Yet, their love transcends mere actions. Our fathers are our most profound mentors, bestowing priceless life lessons through their stories, guiding us when we lose our way. In our youth, it felt as if they held the keys to the universe’s mysteries.

However, as we mature, we set forth to explore the world through our own eyes. We might cringe at our father’s old songs and playful jests, dismissing them as “uncool” for not aligning with contemporary trends. In our quest for independence, we inadvertently drift away from their wisdom.

During these moments of growth, we often take our fathers for granted, failing to recognize the battles they’ve waged on our behalf or the wellspring of wisdom that resides within them. Typically, it’s only when life’s most relentless tribulations come knocking that we remember their guidance and their unwavering love.

As life’s chapters continue to unfold, we gradually comprehend the profound depths of their love and the sacrifices they’ve made in our name. Our fathers are the unsung heroes, their love an evocative melody that softly lingers in the background, even when we momentarily forget to listen.

Now is the moment to wholeheartedly honor our fathers. Let’s immerse ourselves in their wisdom, for their wealth of experience is boundless. Take a moment to reflect on your father’s love, the sacrifices he has made, and the wisdom he has imparted. This love is immeasurable, deserving of the most heartfelt celebration.

In the spirit of authentic connection: If your father still walks beside you, reach out to him today. Share a cherished memory, ignite a shared laugh, and allow him to feel the depths of your profound gratitude. And if your father is far away or watches over you from ethereal realms, cherish those precious memories. Illuminate a candle, embrace a moment of tranquil reflection, and bask in his everlasting love—a love without boundaries, regardless of your physical separation or the passage of years.

So, whether you find yourself in the bloom of youth or the embrace of age, prepare to embark on this emotional odyssey and embrace the poignant chronicle of our extraordinary fathers. You will discover it to be as profound and inspiring as we are, rich with vivid details and heartfelt moments that breathe life into an unforgettable experience.

 Chad Audi President and CEO Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries

DRMM is a 114-year-old organization that gives much needed hope and help to the homeless, jobless, drug-addicted and afflicted of southeast Michigan. For more information, please visit https://drmm.org or call 313-993-4700.