Residents of the “Fallen Angels” homeless encampment in Lansing have been granted an additional 90 days before they’ll be required to vacate the site — but advocates say the extension offers only temporary relief as winter sets in and long-term housing solutions remain scarce.
- 30th Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina granted the Fallen Angels homeless encampment a 90-day extension before residents must vacate, but long-term housing solutions remain uncertain.
- Advocates like Mike Karl report a growing unhoused population in Lansing, with shelters lacking space and strict rules that don’t meet everyone’s needs.
- Advocates also emphasize that homelessness extends far beyond the Fallen Angels encampment, with needs present across the entire city.
- Housing vouchers are seen as the main path to permanent housing, but only 1 of 40 applicants from the encampment has received one so far according to
WATCH: Lansing’s Fallen Angels encampment to stay another 90 days
Lansing’s Fallen Angels encampment to stay another 90 days
Mike Karl, a longtime homeless advocate who once experienced homelessness himself, says the city’s homeless population has grown significantly.
“I’ve been doing street work since 2010, and there’s more people and families out on the street than we’ve seen in a long time,” Karl said.
Karl spent much of his time years ago in Reutter Park while he was unhoused; today, he returns to the same area not for help, but to offer it.
He says encampments across Lansing are growing, with Reutter Park alone drawing hundreds recently…