62 people get into stabilized housing and off the streets thanks to local program

By Matt Witkos

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    GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (WXMI) — Homelessness continues to be an issue many are trying to solve in Grand Rapids. A new report, though, shows a solution. One person says it’s saving lives, including his own.

“I can’t thank them enough,” Community Rebuilders consumer Patrick Burnett said.

For three years, Burnett and his partner were homeless. He explained that he had been going from couch to couch for some time. Then, he was on the streets for about a year.

“I was always the one that carried everything, like the blankets and my stuff and sometimes her stuff,” Burnett said.

One night around Monroe Center, he got a message that initially gave him skepticism but later turned to hope.

“We were sleeping one day, and we were… he heard, ‘Hey, do you want a house or an apartment?'” Burnett added.

That voice was a worker with Community Rebuilders.

“We are primarily housing focused,” Community Rebuilders Executive Director Vera Beech said.

She tells FOX 17 they have a program that helps get people off the streets quickly.

“Then we use that housing as a foundation and the supportive services that they may need or want during their transition into housing to really help them maintain that housing long term,” Beech added.

Their organization’s new report, “The streets of Kent County were never meant to be homes,” shows success. The program “Geographically Targeted Housing Outreach” gets people into stabilized housing anywhere from two weeks to a month.

Their report gave a snapshot of the work that they do. Anywhere from “Bridge Housing” to “Rapid Housing,” Community Rebuilders helped 62 people get into stabilized housing in a year.

“Once we’re able to house the folks in that area, it stays pretty clear. So the idea is that you target the specific areas, and then you move on to another area,” Beech.

Their first program focused on the Monroe Center area. Beech says they’re expanding to Veterans Park.

“One contact with a person on the street by a housing-focused outreach worker, one contact is enough to get that person to engage with us and develop a housing plan,” Beech said.

Thanks to Community Rebuilders, Burnett is now entering his second year in his new home.

“I’ve been working. I’m trying to get another job on top of what I’m doing now,” Burnett said.

Community Rebuilders add you don’t have to be chronically homeless to use their help.

If you would like to learn more about this organization, click here.

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