A Rising Housing Crisis Is Leaving People and Families Without a Home

Equitable access to affordable, safe and reliable housing is a fundamental human right that all residents of Kalamazoo County deserve. On a single day in 2023, 635 people, including 123 kids, were identified as unhoused in Kalamazoo County. We see that we still have work to do. Many of our community members continued to experience an extensive shortage of housing, increased rents and increased costs of homeownership this year, resulting in a larger number of unhoused families and people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

For community members who are moderate to low-income earners, seniors or on a fixed income, increased housing costs place many in the difficult position of paying more for housing than they can afford or being displaced from their homes altogether.

For BIPOC community members and other marginalized groups, the issue is often even more complex. These community members have historically faced discrimination in the housing system, often experiencing the effects of redlining and inaccessible assistance with their housing needs.

Streamlining Our Strategies

To help address the housing issue in our community, KZCF invested $2.4 million in grants to local agencies that increased access to safe, affordable housing. This year’s funding strategy was rooted in three primary areas:

1. Protecting unhoused and unstably housed community members
2. Preventing evictions and housing loss
3. Preserving accessible housing stock through critical housing repairs and rehabilitation

2023 Overall Grantmaking

In 2023, KZCF awarded a grand total of $25,153,844.81 in grants, scholarships and sponsorships to organizations and students across Kalamazoo, Portage, Vicksburg, Schoolcraft, Mattawan, Oshtemo, Scotts, Galesburg-Augusta, Richland, Comstock, Parchment and Climax.