GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On Thursday at the former Hope Lodge hospitality house near Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Degage Ministries will celebrate the opening of its Complex Care Housing program, the state’s first housing program specifically for women experiencing chronic homelessness.
Degage will use the former 20-room facility to pilot a program that successfully provides transitional housing and support services for 25 women to graduate them into permanent housing. The initiative is believed to be the first in the state to target people with significant medical and mental health needs who are high consumers of EMS, police, and ER services.
“Housing these women will not only transform their lives but will also allow Dégagé to provide better service to the current patrons in the Open Door Women’s shelter,” said Thelma Ensink, executive director of Degage Ministries. “While women with these complex needs are 10% of our total shelter population, they often utilize 60% of our staff time. This project will also provide valuable data which will help our community reduce the number of people who experience chronic homelessness.”
The ribbon-cutting takes place Thursday, Jan. 11, from 11 to 11:30 a.m., at the former Hope Lodge hospitality house, 129 Jefferson Ave. SE in Grand Rapids.
Speakers include:
- Rosalynn Bliss, City of Grand Rapids
- Julie Kendrick and Thelma Ensink, Degage
- Jennifer Chaffer, Trinity Health Grand Rapids
- William Ward, Network 180
- Amanda Hentsch, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
