Tents tucked in the trees and makeshift shelters along the riverfront have become harder to ignore in Ypsilanti, especially around the Bell Kramer neighborhood. After weeks of complaints and tense public meetings, the City Council has voted to clear an encampment on city-owned Bell Kramer property in roughly four to six weeks, with a promise to send outreach workers in first to connect residents with shelter and services. Advocates warn that removing camps without adding beds or supportive housing mostly pushes people into another patch of public land.
Councilwoman Amber Fellows told FOX 2 Detroit that families are getting squeezed from all sides, pointing to steep jumps in both rent and basic groceries in recent years. She said the city plans to convene a task force to help connect people displaced from Bell Kramer with available assistance, and added that no single sweep is going to fix a much deeper housing shortage.
Neighbors living near the wooded site have been telling reporters they are fed up, citing trespassing, theft and mounting sanitation issues, ClickOnDetroit reported. One resident said she installed cameras after a bicycle vanished from her deck, while others say they have been showing up at council meetings for months asking the city to step in.
Where to get help in Ypsilanti
Service providers are urging people who are unhoused to plug into downtown resources instead of trying to survive in isolated camps. SOS Community Services runs a Family Resource Center on River Road that offers food, bus tokens, mental health referrals and rapid rehousing assistance. The center is listed at 114 N. River St. in Ypsilanti.
Shelter capacity and county services
The city’s housing committee has formally recommended creating an overnight shelter, noting that a 26-bed youth shelter currently serves young people but that “Ypsilanti does not have an overnight shelter for adults and families,” according to a City of Ypsilanti report. For adults, most overnight capacity is concentrated at the Delonis Center in Ann Arbor, run by the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, which operates as the county’s primary 24/7 shelter.
What’s next
Officials say the council’s approach at Bell Kramer, a limited clear-out tied to a task force and outreach, is meant to strike a balance between neighborhood safety concerns and getting people to services, FOX 2 Detroit reported. Community reporters and service organizations note that talk of a permanent 24/7 shelter on the county’s eastern side has dragged on for years, with both funding and finding a suitable site still unresolved, according to local coverage.
Service providers say anyone seeking emergency shelter or referrals should contact Housing Access of Washtenaw County for intake and routing. County winter shelter guidance lists HAWC and the Delonis Center as key contact points and explains how daytime warming centers and rotating overnight sites are used when regular beds are full. Advocates say the next few weeks will show whether outreach and short-term support can prevent people leaving Bell Kramer from becoming chronically unhoused.
