Updated on December 18, 2025 at 4:15 p.m.
Dozens gathered at the Veterans Memorial Courthouse in downtown Lansing to hear whether they’d have what they called home swept out from under them.
Residents of the homeless encampment near Dietrich Park had attended weekly hearings in the court case between the City of Lansing and JAJ Property LLC, which owns the land they’ve camped on for nearly four years, since the lawsuit began in May.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina announced that the case was closed.
“[The agreement] does say this is a final order and closes the case. I'm retaining jurisdiction,” she said. “If you have a gripe, if there's a problem, if either side has not kept up their agreement, I'm still here.”
The city sued the property owner six months ago for allowing a homeless encampment of more than 50 residents to grow unchecked and argued that the camp posed a public safety risk.
JAJ Property LLC alleged that the city had pushed homeless residents to the property and that the city needed to provide them with shelter.
Both parties wanted the other to cover the full cost of clearing the camp.
Instead, they agreed to split the costs. The City of Lansing will pay for transportation from the Old Town encampment to the Causeway Bay Hotel in southern Lansing. There, the city will pay for residents to stay in a room for at least six weeks.
City spokesperson Scott Bean told WKAR News in an email that the city has "budgeted a maximum of $40,000, but that all depends on how many of the encampment residents accept the offer for warm, stable temporary housing."
Bean said the funds will come from the Human Relations & Community Services Department budget for emergency hotel stays.
“It is unconstitutional as far as I’m concerned and inhumane to leave you out in the cold, only to, when you have frostbite, take you to Sparrow Hospital or some other hospital, have a finger or toe cut off, only to be put back out in the cold,” Aquilina said. “We have to stop that cycle. This is a good start.”
Everyone at the homeless encampment must vacate by Tuesday, Dec. 23, or be charged with trespassing.
According to the consent agreement, JAJ Property LLC will pay to secure the property and remove anything left behind by the encampment residents.
Possessions and structures likely will be left behind, as city attorney Matthew Staples stressed that storage space was limited.
“I think the difficulty is going to come more from when we start talking about things the size of bikes or car frames or, I saw the other day a big dining room table. That's going to be the stuff I think is going to be harder,” he said. “But hopefully all the personal possessions we’ll be able to make some accommodation for.”
Khadja Erickson, executive director of the Tenant Resource Center of Mid-Michigan, has been a fierce advocate for the encampment residents. She expressed concern over residents needing to leave possessions behind.
“The timeline is really tight to pick through a whole life and decide what you want to bring with you to a hotel room,” she said. “Obviously the residents are grateful, to have six weeks of guaranteed warmth. There are just some very serious questions that will never get answered.”
These questions, she said, include JAJ Property LLC’s allegations that the city had directed homeless residents to the encampment over the years.
Sara Huerta Long of the Rent Is Too Damn High Tenant Union has driven residents from the camp to the courthouse and back for many of the hearings in this lawsuit. She said the residents have mixed emotions.
“Everyone is absolutely grateful and excited that they’re not being swept next week before Christmas, because that would be evil,” she said, “but everyone’s grieving. They’re still losing their home in this.”
