We are a committed network of community stakeholders creating a more comprehensive housing system driven by community data that prioritizes equitable housing access in Kent County.
Our community-based approach focuses on The Path to Housing Stability that moves from “No-Housing” to “Housed by Choice” and aims to develop an equitable housing system for all people in Kent County.
Who We Are
A collective impact backbone organization of the Housing Stability Alliance
What We do
Elevate, align, and coordinate multi-sector solutions that advance housing stability for all people in Kent County.
Our Process
Center on lived experience, develop shared data and measurement, convene multi-sector partners, dissolve complex housing issues
Please visit the link below to learn more about the Housing Stability Alliance and to read the Common Agenda and Roadmap entitled “Redefining the Path Home: System Building for Housing Stability in Kent County”
The Path to Housing Stability
The Path to Housing Stability importantly illustrates the path from “No Housing” to “Housed by Choice” where options and control increase as one moves to the right and decrease as one moves to the left. This illustration anchors systems across each component, helping to ensure that planning efforts and strategy development is inclusive of the entire pathway, as each housing situation is interrelated to the others and therefore best served by a holistic approach. Perhaps as vital as the meaningful illustration of the interdependence inherent in this is the collective awareness that no existing community-based organization is designed to work across the entirety of the continuum on behalf of all Kent County residents.
Click here for the shared definitions around The Path to Housing Stability.
A Look at the Data
Family Homelessness
African Americans make up only 12% of Kent County’s total population but 72% of all the children and adult in families in the homeless system.
Half of Kent County households cannot afford their housing. The tight housing market, increasing prices, and the lack of affordable housing options in Kent County may be playing a significant role in the increased demand for the homeless system.
For a closer look at the data, review the Kent County Housing Data and Current State Map sections of the Common Agenda and Roadmap.
Board of Trustees
Tasha Blackmon (co-chair)
President and CEO
Cherry Health
Rosalynn Bliss
Mayor
City of Grand Rapids
Michael Bohnsack
President
Bohnsack and Associates
Eric Brown
President and CEO
Urban League of West Michigan
Lynne Ferrell
Program Director
Frey Foundation
Raquel Guzman
Partner
Avanti Law
Brad Kessel (co-chair)
President and CEO
Independent Bank
Josh Lunger
Senior Director of Government Affairs
Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce
Pamela Parriott
Director of Philanthropy
DeVos Family Foundations
Al Vanderberg
Kent County Administrator
Kent County
Mark Washington
City Manager
City of Grand Rapids
Get Involved
Interested in getting involved with Housing Kent? Please fill out the interest form below and someone from the organization will be in touch within 72 business hours.
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