GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Mel Trotter Ministries plans to launch a complex care program for men who are chronically homeless, taking cues from Dégagé Ministries, who recently piloted a similar and successful program for women.
"These are some of the most vulnerable within Grand Rapids," said Chris Palusky, president of the nonprofit. "That's why we're providing wraparound social services for them."
A total of nine men will take part in the pilot program, designed for those who have had trouble finding stability in traditional shelters, including the one at Mel Trotter.
"These are people who have been evicted from different places," Palusky said. "These are people who are living on the street, and they have been for years."
The nine men will live in a trio of transitional houses in Grand Rapids where case workers will be available around the clock, stopping by every two hours. Other resources, including Catherine's Health and Network 180, will bring healthcare and mental health services to their doorsteps.
"These people have said, 'I have a difficult life, I have a lot of issues, and I want to take that next step,'" Palusky said.
A number of case workers from Dégagé will train and work with Mel Trotter's staff, guiding them toward the success they found at Heartside Landings, Dégagé's program for chronically homeless women.
In March, the Grand Rapids nonprofit announced it had achieved a 100% retention rate from the first year of the program, which launched in January 2024. The 25 women it served also saw a 65% reduction in emergency room visits, and an 87% reduction in emergency medical calls.
Dégagé says these two things likely saved the city and its people around $250,000.
READ MORE: Dégagé Ministries' innovative approach to keeping women housed yields impressive results
"I think more than the financial piece is seeing these individuals thrive," said Executive Director Thelma Ensink. "They're thriving. They're no longer somebody experiencing homelessness. They are now a neighbor."
Heartside Landings is the first program of its kind in Michigan, due to the on-site healthcare it provides, Ensink says. She hopes Mel Trotter's can be a successful second.
"We have a very generous community, but we are competing for a finite amount of resources," Ensink said about the nonprofit climate in Grand Rapids. "But we have really shifted that thinking for the last five years or so, and really said, how can we collaborate? How can we make sure that there's not a duplication of services?"
"We always joke we're the brother and the sister organization when it comes to homelessness response in Grand Rapids so we definitely wanted to share this with them," she said.
