Lansing officials are turning to the courts in an effort to remove a homeless encampment that’s taken root on private property just north of Old Town.
The city has filed a lawsuit against two property owners — 113 W. Michigan LLC of Jackson and JAJ Property LLC of West Bloomfield Township — claiming they’ve allowed the encampment to grow unchecked for years.
The suit says the area has no running water, sewer access, or restrooms. And it calls on the owners to cover the cost of any cleanup, if the city ends up having to do it.
Michael Karl runs Cardboard Profits, a Lansing organization that helps the homeless find housing. He says housing encampments exist for several reasons.
"Our shelters are full, we've got the problem that we've got more people outside, and our funding is cut, it's half probably of what it was, and we didn’t address the issue when we had all of that money off of Covid."
Karl says the system is failing to meet the needs of the homeless — and says he’s proof it can do better.
"If I can do it without a salary and get people into hotels at half the cost of what the system does, then the system has the power to do it even better."
A hearing on the city’s lawsuit is set for August 13th in Ingham County Circuit Court.