The Lansing City Council is taking steps to allow a new homeless shelter to break ground near the city’s downtown.
The Council voted Monday to alter zoning and land use permissions at a pair of properties on West Kalamazoo Street. The City Rescue Mission of Lansing requested the change so they could construct a new facility there and house more residents who lack shelter.
If the organization follows through with its plan to purchase and redevelop the properties, it would be capable of housing up to 350 people per night. The rescue mission currently operates two facilities on Michigan Avenue and Cedar Street, but the new project would expand the number of individuals they can house.
Some individuals spoke out against the proposal, claiming the Christian charity discriminates against the LGBTQ community. Djinn Thompson told the council that the shelter is not welcoming to transgender residents like themselves.
“We've got people, children, teenagers who’ve been kicked out of their homes for being queer, and they’ve got no place to go because all the homeless shelters in this city have the same attitude (as) their parents have who kicked them out of their home,” Thompson said.
Councilmembers raised issues with the mission's doctrinal faith statement, a document workers are required to sign that states the only legitimate marriage is between a man and a woman. The document signals LGBTQ staff could be removed from their positions with the organization.
Officials with the City Rescue Mission said the group does not turn away those seeking shelter on the basis of their identity.
Council members also sought a legal opinion to confirm if the statement is illegal under Lansing's civil rights ordinance. City attorneys said the statement is permissible and referred to a part of the ordinance that states religious groups can restrict employment to individuals who "conform to the moral tenets of that religious institution."
At-Large Councilmember Patricia Spitzley said she understands concerns with the statement, but she said the council can only act based on the merits of the request.
“I do believe you, I hear you, I just cannot take those stories into consideration as I make a decision to rezone,” Spitzley said.
The Rescue Mission said its homeless shelter on Michigan Avenue will be converted into a kitchen space to cook meals for people who are unhoused.
