Housing Resources, Inc. (HRI) believes that every child deserves a home.

Unfortunately, 1,622 children experienced homelessness in the Kalamazoo community last year. HRI finds this unacceptable and hopes donors do too. HRI provides solutions to the issue of homelessness through the Eleanor House emergency shelter, homeless prevention, homeless assistance, and permanent supportive housing programs and services, in addition to ownership of affordable housing developments. Through these efforts, HRI provided services and financial assistance to 1,144 of the children experiencing homelessness.

HRI understands that housing is at the intersection of many areas of a family’s life including educational success, financial stability, and improved health. It operates two specialized programs focused on providing intensive supports for families with school-aged children focused on two goals. The primary goal is housing the family from homelessness or keeping them housed while working on the secondary goal of decreasing student mobility, improving financial stability with income and employment and school success in the areas of attendance, behavior, and academic improvement to ultimately have on time grade completion and graduation from high school.

"There are many things that contribute to a better life, but mostly it centers on home," says HRI Executive Director Michelle Davis. "A place that can set aside the worries of keeping a family together. A place that is safe and secure. A place that builds confidence and purpose and a sense of belonging. As one of our participants so clearly told us, ‘The stress of homelessness is unbearable’."

Having local flexible funds to meet local priorities — where federal and state restricted funds often result in denying services — can help avoid turning households away from the help they need.

You’ve already shown your love for this community by creating an Advised Fund at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. Through Partners in Philanthropy, we offer you an opportunity to demonstrate that love again by supporting one or more of the projects highlighted with a grant suggestion from the fund you established. The programs shared in this publication are among the recent funding requests we’ve received from local nonprofit organizations.

To support this program, download the grant suggestion form here and select Housing Resources, Inc. or make a grant suggestion using Kalamazoo Connect at https://connect.kalfound.org.