KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Holiday Inn Express & Suites on East Cork Street will not be turned into transitional housing, but the county is not done with the project.
The plan was originally to turn the hotel into a shelter by mid-2025, but according to a conversation with Kalamazoo County Housing Director, Mary Balkema, FOX 17 now knows they're moving in a new direction.
According to Balkema, negotiations for the property 'didn't make it over the finish line'.
Now they're looking for a new location to house 1,400 people currently stretching the needs of the one main shelter in the county.
Kalamazoo County put in $3.5 million to purchase the hotel, with an additional $1.5 million coming from the city and $500,000 coming from Portage.
The funding allocated will used once they find a new home for the project that can serve the needs across the county.
"Homelessness does not know a jurisdiction. They're in every school system, and so the need is great," Balkema told us when the plan was announced.
Balkema estimates they will still be able to meet their mid-2025 timeline to open.
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