The Housing Stability Alliance works to develop an equitable housing system for all residents in Kent County, specifically focusing on addressing the disparate outcomes for Black and Latinx residents in our community.
Creating an equitable housing system will not happen overnight. It will take decades of hard work and dedication from the entire community. However, if the past two years was any indication that the Kent County communities share a passion for this issue; we are well poised to create change. We’re working to increase access to quality affordable housing and dissolve homelessness in Kent County with an intentional focus on eliminating racial disparities among families, children, and youth and other data-driven priorities.
The Community Plan
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 First Twelve Months
In May 2018 concerned community stakeholders asked KConnect to bring people together to examine how the housing system is working, establish shared goals, and develop collaborative strategies to reach those goals with a focus on children, families, youth, and people of color. KConnect initiated its work in Fall 2018 and began a yearlong process to convene organizations, funders, and other stakeholders within the housing and homeless system.
The Work Moving Forward
We promised to deliver a common agenda and roadmap to create and sustain a movement that builds systems between sectors and empowers lived experience to dissolve housing instability and homelessness for children and families from the landscape of Kent County. That work was completed in August 2020. It is our goal to continue to build on the movement that is already underway, and to center lived experience around this system-change strategy.
Launching the Backbone
Within the Common Agenda and Roadmap a five-part approach was developed; one section of the framework focused on the creation of a backbone organization to lead the work, collect and analyze data, convene partners, and operationalize the Common Agenda and Roadmap.
Housing Stability Alliance
Board of Trustees
A public/private/philanthropic team has been established to serve as publicly-facing liaisons to the work.
Tasha Blackmon
President and CEO
Cherry Health
HSA Board Co-Chair
Brad Kessel
President and CEO
Independent Bank
HSA Board Co-Chair
Rosalynn Bliss
Mayor
City of Grand Rapids
Mandy Bolter
Chair, Kent County Commissioners
Kent County
Lynne Ferrell
Program Director
Frey Foundation
Christina Keller
President and CEO
Cascade Engineering
Resources and Local News Coverage
Looking for historical resources and local news covered related to housing? Visit our Housing Resources page.
Data Video
Thank you to the team at Heart of West Michigan United Way for working closely with the communications team to develop this data explainer video in 2019.
Housing Stability Alliance Partners
| Access of West Michigan | Frey Foundation | Mel Trotter Ministries |
| Arbor Circle | Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce | Michigan Department of Civil Rights |
| AYA Youth Collective | Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness | Michigan League for Public Policy |
| Bohnsack and Associates | Grand Rapids Community Foundation | Resilient Roots Yoga LLC |
| Byrum & Fisk | Grand Rapids Housing Commission | Rockford Construction |
| Calvin University Center for Social Research | Grand Rapids Public Library | Sacred Beginnings |
| Cascade Engineering | Grand Rapids Public Schools | Spectrum Health |
| Cherry Health | Grand Rapids Urban League | Steelcase Foundation |
| City of Grand Rapids | Grand Valley State University | The Eureka Group |
| City of Wyoming | Greater Ottawa County United Way | The Salvation Army |
| Community Rebuilders | Habitat for Humanity Kent County | Turner Thole Consulting |
| Creative Reach LLC | Heart of West Michigan United Way | United Methodist Community House |
| Degage Ministries | Hispanic Center of West Michigan | Urban Core Collective |
| Design Group International | Housing Next | Wyoming Department of Public Safety |
| Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids | Inner City Christian Federation | YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids |
| Dyer-Ives Foundation | Irwin Seating | YWCA West Central Michigan |
| Essential Needs Task Force | Kennari Consulting | |
| Fair Housing Center of West Michigan | Kent County | |
| Family Promise of Grand Rapids | Kent Intermediate School District | |
| Flat River Outreach Ministries | Measurable Change |
Tool Table
- January 2021 Alliance Update
- June 2020 APC Housing Update
- May 2020 Housing Update
- April 2020 Housing Update
- March 2020 Housing Update
- February 2020 Housing Update
- January 2020 Housing Update
- November 2019 Housing Update
- October 2019 Housing Update
- June 2019 APC Housing Update
- May 2019 Housing Update
- February 2019 Housing Update
- January 2019 Housing Update
- 2018 Data Summary
- 2018 Data Explainer
- Housing Stability Spectrum
- Common Agenda House Graphic
- Housing Instability Root Causes
- System Findings and Assets
- Housing Stability Alliance Structure
- Shared Measurement System
- News and Stories