GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Homelessness in Kent County saw an increase from 2021 to 2022. The Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness did its annual count in February.
That data shows homelessness is up 17% compared to 2021. FOX 17 talked with several people Friday who used to struggle with homelessness. Many of them said that being out on the streets was one of the lowest points in their life.
"I ended up living in a tent for an entire summer," Thomas Mcgeorge explained.
He says his situation started after his mother kicked him out of her home.
"I had lived with roommates in a house that was definitely not fit for living in. There was no running water. There was no heat. Through the whole winter, we had big blankets to keep us warm. I got really almost definitely sick for a portion of the time that I was there," Mcgeorge added.
As You Are Youth Collective, Grand Rapids does what it can to ensure that youth in the community do not experience what Mcgeorge did.
"So [Friday], we also have a petition for community members to sign that's calling for the Grand Rapids city commissioners to acknowledge youth homelessness as a growing crisis here in Grand Rapids," AYA Youth Collective Specialist Li Kaplan said.
AYA Youth Collective hosted an event called "We Exist" at Rosa Parks Circle Friday to shed light on the need throughout the Grand Rapids community.
"So our biggest goal was to bring all of our youth together and we succeeded. We wanted them to be able to have a shared space to come down and see that the community cares and to be able to bring awareness to what's going on," Kaplan explained.
Courtney Myers-Keaton, Continuum of Care director for the Coalition to End Homelessness told FOX 17 that COVID-19 emergency rental assistance helped save a lot of people from becoming a statistic.
On Tuesday, she told Grand Rapids city commissioners that about $43 million out of the $50 million in funding went to rental assistance.
Keaton added that about 70% of the funds went to people in Grand Rapids.
"I'm just again reiterating the fact that data this year alone, in 2022, we've seen over 200 youth who are either sleeping directly outside or somewhere not meant for human habitation or accessing emergency services," Kaplan added.
Mcgeorge finally got the change he's been looking for after AYA Youth Collective put him into a home.
The first night, just absolute joy, absolute, just ecstatic, so happy. There was like a lingering fear of like, 'I've had this happen so many times, right?' I think I'm settled. I'm really not this time. I think it really is different. I think this time, I'm finally settled. I'm good," Mcgeorge said.
Mcgeorge says he's been working ever since he struggled with homelessness. He says he's trying to save enough money to buy a place of his own.
