For people facing homelessness in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park, the main way to access shelter and other housing help is through one central phone or in-person system.
Starting Monday, that system — known as the Coordinated Assessment Model (CAM) — will be changing how people can get into emergency shelters. When someone calls or visits a CAM location in Detroit, staffers will determine who needs shelter the most and follow up with those who weren’t able to get in once space opens up.
Currently, families and individuals are placed into shelters on a first-come, first-served basis. If there isn’t room, they have to call back every day to check for an available bed.
The shift comes at a time of high need during the winter — when more people seek a reprieve from the harsh elements — and after the closure of some shelters last year where single men could go. CAM, before a management handover, also received sharp criticism from users last year about their experience using the system.