'I've seen people die': Holland's housing crisis has real faces, and real consequences

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Editor’s Note: This article is the first in The Sentinel’s “Homes for the Holidays” series by reporter Cassidey Kavathas. For the past two months, Kavathas and photographer Adam Vander Kooy have spoken to residents affected by homelessness, toured local organizations and spoken to housing experts. In her series, Kavathas will explore the challenges posed by a lack of affordable housing, the nonprofits working to combat it, and the solutions that might bring our neighbors back home.

HOLLAND — Kayne West is echoing off the bricks of Holland’s First United Methodist Church. A handful of people, swaddled in winter coats, huddle around a speaker and a bike, trying to escape the howling wind on a chilly November morning. They’re waiting for something.

Maybe that’s odd for some churches, but not here. Here, the group is a familiar sight on Fridays, a collection of men and women affected by homelessness waiting to freshen up, meet others and take a breath.

The First United Methodist Church at 57 W. 10th St. hosts Refresh, a partnership between the sanctuary and Community Action House. The program provides access to showers, clothes and a light meal, as well as mail services for those who need an address to receive checks and essential correspondence.

Inside, sitting at a table illuminated by fluorescents and sunlight through stained glass, Javier Ramirez waits for his turn to shower, chats and enjoys a light breakfast.

“It’s mainly a space to keep warm,” Ramirez said. “You get a shower and clothes. You get fed. It brings me joy just to know that I’m loved and supported.”

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Ramirez, 27, has been intermittently affected by homelessness for about three years. He doesn’t have a driver’s license or a car, but feels fortunate to have a tent for shelter. As he walks under the Pride Flag posted outside the doors of the church, Ramirez said, he can turn off his “survival safety mode.”

A poster next to the breakfast pick-up window reads: “You are smart. You are brave. You are capable. You are welcome. You are important. You are accepted. You are enough. You are strong. You are loved. You are worthy.”

“It’s that dignity piece that’s so, so needed,” said LuAnne Stanley Hook, director of community involvement at First United. “I’ve been shocked by the number of people who’ve come in here and said, ‘You treat me like I’m a normal person like no one else does.’ That’s terrible.”

Refresh has a few simple rules— keep the space safe, respect others, no illegal contraband or substances or weapons, and visit between scheduled hours. There are no moral rules, though. Residents can come as they are.

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“Even if you’re using substances, they don’t judge you for that,” Ramirez said. “They want you to get the help you need and support and guidance. They put a lot of effort into us.”

‘I’ve seen people die’

As the chill settles around Lake Michigan, spaces like Refresh aren’t just important — they’re life-saving. According to officials in Ottawa County, there are roughly 2,000 people experiencing homelessness here; living in cars, tents and storage units, or facing the elements head-on.

“Winter is harsh weather, especially if you’re trying to recover from something,” Ramirez said. “I’ve seen a lot of people in past winters die because it’s so cold and they weren’t having a good day, maybe they were drinking or using drugs.”

Ramirez suffers from depression himself, a problem somewhat triggered by his income. He relies on Social Security and Medicaid, but fears the day he loses access.

“It scares me to a point where I don’t know what to do,” he said. “It sucks, but then, at the same time, you have to think positive when you’re out there.”

His main goal? To find reliable housing — but he’s struggled with starting over. He hopes to see local funding funneled toward housing opportunities for homeless or low-income populations, instead of luxury developments.

It’s not a problem that’s getting better.

“We’re seeing more and more neighbors who need services,” said Katy Russner-Travis, director of communications at Community Action House. “We’ve walked with people through all the steps you can take, and there simply isn’t housing to find.”

According to county data, the population in Ottawa County grew by about 11,295 before 2018 and 2022. But the number of housing units between 2018 and 2023 only increased by about 8,000, according to the American Community Survey. The rental vacancy rate dropped from 6.6% to 3.3% in the same time period.

The fact of the matter is, housing growth in Ottawa County isn’t keeping up with the population.

“The issue has moved beyond just a lack of affordable housing,” said Brenna Zawacki, director of programs at Good Samaritan, a local housing assessment and resource agency. “There’s not a lot of vacant housing in general. People are really trying to stay where they are.”

As a consequence, there are few, if any, units available for those who manage to secure an MSHDA Housing Voucher. Thanks to budget shortfalls, waiting lists for vouchers aren’t even open.

“The units that are suitable and open for use by a voucher-holder are always in short supply,” said Holland Community Development Coordinator Mark Kornelis. “But they’re in even shorter supply than they were 10 or 15 years ago.”

More: Ottawa County moves ahead $1.5M in funding for affordable homes

Refresh, which launched in 2019, has seen the shift firsthand.

“When we started Refresh, if you had a voucher, you were housed,” Stanley Hook said. That’s not the case now.

Even worse, there’s no clear solution.

“You’re gonna find that homelessness somehow is getting worse and worse and worse — but at the same time, there has to be a way to fix it,” Ramirez said, before accepting services and heading back into the cold.

— Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at ckavathas@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @cassideykava

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland’s housing crisis has real faces, and real consequences