Traverse City commissioners voted unanimously Monday to support several initiatives to address homelessness, including giving Safe Harbor the green light to pursue becoming a year-round shelter, having the city participate in a regional housing task force, and committing $40,000 annually for the next two years to support day shelter services at Jubilee House. Safe Harbor must now go through a formal process to amend its special land use permit (SLUP) to operate its Wellington Street shelter year-round – a move that’s envisioned to help end the homeless encampment at the Pines.

Safe Harbor representatives described what it would take to turn their shelter – which operates October 15 through April 30 – into a year-round operation. In addition to amending the SLUP, the nonprofit would need to hire an operations director and secure more funding for staffing and safety upgrades. “If we were to go to a year-round scenario, we would need to strengthen our administrative infrastructure,” said Safe Harbor Board Treasurer Wayne Sterenberg. He provided an estimated year-round budget at $980,000, compared to the current operating budget of $515,000. Another $180,000 in capital improvements may be needed to upgrade the facility.

In addition to shelter, Safe Harbor provides unhoused guests with clothing, basic hygiene products, meals, and access to services. Board Chair Patrick Livingston said Safe Harbor averaged 76 guests per night and provided 5,000 meals last season. During cold-weather months, the shelter is open Monday-Sunday 6pm-8am. Livingston said that if Safe Harbor operated year-round, “summer would look a little bit different than winter” – operating Monday-Sunday 8pm-8am and eliminating evening meals from May 1 to October 14.

Safe Harbor’s expansion to year-round operations is “more or less an interim step” to provide a transitional alternative to the Pines encampment off Eleventh Street until community leaders can find a “more cohesive long-term solution” for addressing homelessness, Sterenberg said. For example, a group called Community Cares Coalition is proposing to put a year-round emergency shelter in Garfield Township, with Sterenberg noting that Safe Harbor is in ongoing talks with that group and others about regional solutions. Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation President and CEO Dave Mengebier and Rotary Charities CEO Sakura Takano, who have convened local stakeholder meetings since April with a wide range of agencies, service providers, churches, and neighborhood associations on homelessness concerns and solutions, said there’s universal consensus that the Pines encampment needs to end. Traverse City Police Department Chief Matt Richmond agreed the priority is “not to have the Pines next year.”

Richmond presented a safety plan to help address neighborhood concerns about Safe Harbor expanding year-round. Steps would include increasing the police presence during transitional hours when guests arrive at or depart Safe Harbor – often flowing through Boardman Neighborhood – and stepping up neighborhood patrols. Police can also increase enforcement of city ordinances and state laws around Safe Harbor related to issues like camping, trespassing, and alcohol use, install cameras around the North Boardman area, work with nearby businesses to limit loitering and morning alcohol sales, and implement a voluntary security camera program in which businesses and residents can share private security footage with police, Richmond said.

The police chief outlined additional steps Safe Harbor could take on its end, including having private security on-site, moving its transitional zone to the parking lot away from Wellington Street, providing trash bins and portable toilets, fencing the adjacent lot, staggering exit times for guests, and providing safe transportation to Jubilee House and Central United Methodist Church to reduce migration through Boardman Neighborhood. Several neighborhood residents asked Safe Harbor to consider adjusting hours to avoid conflicts with school pick-up times, with shelter representatives indicating a willingness to review hours as part of the SLUP amendment process.

City commissioners voted unanimously to express support for Safe Harbor’s year-round expansion – a conceptual move that encourages the shelter to move ahead with planning and pursuing its SLUP amendment. Officials hoped that SLUP process could be wrapped up and Safe Harbor ready to expand by May. Commissioners also voted to pursue city participation in a regional housing task force. Multiple public commenters supported the formation of that task force, noting the burden was being unfairly placed on the city since individuals experiencing homelessness in outlying areas come into the urban core for services. Mayor Amy Shamroe agreed neighboring townships like East Bay and Garfield should be at the table, noting their residents often end up at the city facility if they fall on hard times.

Commissioners Monday also voted to commit $80,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds – $40,000 in 2024-25 and $40,000 in 2025-26 – to support local day shelter services. While the motion did not specifically mention Jubilee House – City Manager Liz Vogel recommended keeping the language vague to offer flexibility in case anything changes with providers – the intent is to help fund Jubilee House’s day shelter services for the next two years. Rev. Jim Perra, the rector at Grace Episcopal Church (which operates Jubilee House), said that as the region’s only day shelter, the facility has grown from 20-some guest visits per day to almost 100. Such demand is not tenable to sustain with volunteers alone, Perra said, adding that professionals are now needed on every shift to provide support. “Without these funds, we cannot remain open,” he said, thanking commissioners for their support.