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Unhoused residents in Lansing will be able to extend their stay in a hotel after Ingham County set aside additional funds.
Residents of a former encampment in Old Town were placed in the Causeway Bay Hotel after a judge ordered the city to clear the encampment and provide temporary housing for the residents.
They were given six weeks in the hotel at an estimated cost to the city of $40,000. Those funds are set to run out by next week.
But another $76,000 from the Ingham County Housing Trust Fund will allow the residents to stay in the hotel for about two more months.
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Ronald Wright moved to the hotel and said having access to running water, allowing him to shower and shave, helped him secure employment.
“Last time, I was telling you how I got my first paycheck,” Wright said. “Well, now I’m here to tell you that, here in a few weeks, I’m going to also have a place to stay. It’s all because of the Causeway Bay.”
Community Liaison and Critical Services Coordinator Kimberly Gillespie said the hotel placement is not intended to be indefinite.
She said the goal is to provide short term stabilization while residents transition into shelters or permanent housing.
Two residents staying in the hotel have secured housing vouchers but are awaiting placement to use them, Gillespie said. There are 49 residents staying in 25 rooms at the hotel.
