Editor’s note: Saunteel Jenkins is a candidate for Detroit mayor. BridgeDetroit is a nonpartisan nonprofit newsroom and does not endorse any candidates for public office.
The two children who died from hypothermia in the Hollywood Casino parking lot belong to all of us. Detroit, we need to commit ourselves to helping and protecting families that have nowhere to turn.
I know we’re all asking, ‘How did this happen?’ Now is not the time for placing blame; it’s the time to find solutions together. That mom moved from casino garage to casino garage while living in the car for months to keep her five children safe. They reached out three times to the city of Detroit for help and there were no solutions offered. That is unacceptable on every level.
The loss of two of our city’s youngest is a failure at many levels, and we must work to fix it. Our city has a homeless telephone hotline that closes at 6 p.m. during the week and is only open for three hours on Saturday – we should immediately adopt a 24/7 hotline during dangerous winter months.
Detroit’s Coordinated Assessment Model (CAM) process is a referral system designed to be a starting point for Detroiters who are experiencing homelessness. There aren’t enough beds most nights to shelter one person, let alone a family of six. Let’s rethink the CAM system, but that’s just the beginning.
As a trained social worker who worked at Mariner’s Inn, a shelter for homeless men fighting addiction, and spent 10 years as CEO of The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW), a nonprofit that provides utility assistance to keep families safe and warm in their homes, I know firsthand that the problem is bigger than CAM.
A mother of five should not have to make the ungodly choice of a shelter bed for one night (if available) or having enough gas to sleep overnight in a parking garage in the dead of winter. We need comprehensive services for people living on the edge to prevent them from becoming homeless and we need more affordable housing.
Make no mistake, as we mourn the loss of two innocent children, there are other families out there trying to survive this cold winter night with no shelter. Detroit we must come together – government, nonprofit, business and philanthropy– to find innovative solutions that give people a fighting chance. We have to offer supportive services that help people get on their feet and take care of themselves and their families. We can’t leave them behind. It’s all about respect and working together to find the right answer for their needs.
We need more street outreach workers who can guide Detroiters to shelters and other services. We need more beds for homeless families in Detroit. We need more services for the mentally ill. We need more temporary supportive housing so families can be together, and kids can go to school, until they find a permanent home. And ultimately, we need more affordable housing. These solutions all require funding, but that investment is worth it.
My heart breaks for this mother and the trauma she has faced. Let’s make sure she isn’t further traumatized by a continued lack of support and services. We must assist her and ALL Detroiters to find a better life. Those two children should still be with us. We need solutions that work for our city and its people. Help me to make that happen.
Submitted by Saunteel Jenkins, Detroit resident and mayoral candidate
I’m heartbroken as well. I keep asking why the churches are not a part of this conversation. The churches are locked down and people cannot even get in for prayer let alone heat. I think the City Government not including the churches as a part of the solution is missing an opportunity.
I’m so sorry this happened,sad to say tho it’s all true I’ve been homeless for years dealing with Cam for a long while now I told them my daughter and I are and have been sleeping in my niece car remember all my children all grown now my youngest is now 18 still no help still homeless,I done slept in vacant houses cars just walked around til day break with nowhere to go still til this day we are still homeless now I have to turn back to cam who I know is not gonna help once again but we as parents only know to do the one right thing turn to the City for help to continue getting disappointed cause there’s no help but I done introduce people to cam they got help and get S.S.I work and all make it make since
Thanks
I agree on all you are saying.
Give a helping hand .
Instead of judging.
We all can WIN