County Council agrees to help fund the SAFE Housing Response Fund for Marshall County

Linda Yoder, Executive Director of the Marshall County Community Foundation and United Way of Marshall County, gave members of the Marshall County Council a PowerPoint presentation laying the groundwork for a funding request for the SAFE Housing Response Fund in Marshall County.  

SAFE is a United Way initiative and stands for Stability and Assistance for Emergencies, a program providing emergency housing help, including temporary shelter, relocation, and support services for residents facing housing crises like those involved in the situation at the Red Rock Inn.

 A letter of support from Mayor Robert Listenberger was read and stating that in the last year and a half, there have been three separate instances in Plymouth where multiple individuals and families suddenly required relocation assistance for housing. The letter said each time he reached out with urgency to United Way, and each time they quickly organized alongside volunteers who stepped up to help.

The mayor said the county needs to work together to provide financial support for the next crisis, saying, “It's not a matter of if but when, and we need to be ready.”

The newly created response team is geared toward multi-family dwellings, run-down apartments, outdated motels, and neglected properties that are no longer safe or sustainable.  This program is not for individual situations, but for multiple people during one big event, where families find themselves in crisis through no fault of their own. 

The plan provides immediate assistance and stability through the first month and possibly into the second month.  Yoder said participants will be notified of the limited assistance.

The team requested $25,000 to help keep residents safe and stably housed due to unsafe living conditions.

Some of the barriers families face include unstable incomes and wages, high up-front costs, poor credit, prior evictions, addictions and mental health histories, and felony convictions.

Brent Martin, a local architect, said many extended stay hotels typically fall through the cracks with no code enforcement and a tendency to defer maintenance issues.   He said they look good to low-income people because they don’t require a lease or utility deposits. Martin said, “Tenants are totally unprotected by the building landlords with owner neglect.” He also said staying in a hotel isn’t inexpensive because folks are paying $800 to $900 a month, and that cost is going up because of demand.  

Martin told the County Council that 21% of renters in Marshall County are considered very low income, which is 30% of the median income. Annual gross income for a family of 4 would be $27,600.

Council President Tim Harman suggested using the Opioid Non-Restrictive funds for the request and said there is $61,763 in it.    He said the county would send the funds to United Way, and the grants committee would set the protocols. He explained that case managers work with residents to determine what help is needed, and that checks are made out to hotels or utilities and not to individuals.  Harman also suggested that other communities use their Opioid Non-Restrictive fund as their funding source. 

Councilman Will Paterson said it was a great way to reach across the table and work with the other governments in the county and come together as a coordinated government.     

Councilman Brandon Schradek is a member of the SAFE Housing team and said there are many positive things about the program.  He also made the motion to support the request, and Councilman Compton seconded the motion. Councilman Greg Compton was supportive of the request but stated that the City of Plymouth should increase its contribution to be larger than the county’s because it represents about a quarter of the population in Marshall County. 

The County Council voted unanimously to support the request for $25,000 to establish a housing crisis fund at United Way. 

The team said they will be reaching out to the City of Plymouth and other communities in the county for assistance.