GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — What is the state of Grand Rapids? Mayor Rosalynn Bliss gave her annual speech Tuesday evening.
It was Mayor Bliss’s eighth address to the city since she was elected as mayor. During her speech, Mayor Bliss talked about her accomplishments in office, along with the path to move Grand Rapids forward.
"We are on an important journey to build a vibrant and welcoming city for all," Bliss said. "We are on a city-building journey and few things signal we're headed in a promising direction."
One major issue for Grand Rapids is the housing crisis.
"Working together, we are building one of the nation's most desirable places to live, work and grow," she said.
The city previously set a goal of 9,000 new units by 2025; however, FOX 17 recently learned the city is not on track to meet that goal.
Housing Next added that the city needs several thousand more units to fill the housing need in the community.
"Of course, it's not our intent to sprawl out across the land. We don't have a lot of vacant land left in our city, so that alone will not get us there," Mayor Bliss explained.
She highlighted the Studio Park and Creston Neighborhood projects, along with new, affordable housing for senior citizens.
"Together, with the private and nonprofit sectors, we're steadily working to address the housing crisis— one development at a time— across our city," she added.
Additionally, she talked about the Grand Rapids Police Department and the programs Chief Eric Winstrom started since taking over a little more than a year ago.
READ MORE: GRPD Chief Winstrom hits one year as top cop
"Instead of sending people to jail or an emergency room, this innovative approach helped an average of 85 people per month find more appropriate and effective care," Bliss explained of GRPD's new approach to pair mental health professionals with officers. "We are working together, figuring it out and building a system better designed to keep us safe, especially the most vulnerable among us."
Tuesday’s State of the City address was a private event, which started at 6 p.m.
Watch the full State of the City address:
