LANSING — A homeless encampment of more than 50 residents, which was supposed to be vacated by Nov. 14, will get a reprieve of sorts after an Ingham County judge extended an order by 90 days allowing occupants to continue living on private property while city officials work to find them housing.
The new order will allow residents to stay in the encampment near Dietrich Park, north of Old Town, through much of the winter, exactly what resident Willie Hayes wanted – to stay outdoors because he doesn’t feel comfortable in shelters.
“It was a win all the way around,” Hayes said after the Nov. 12 hearing. “The judge did well in representing the homeless people at the camp. She’s been getting our emails. Otherwise, they would just try to run roughshod over us. We wouldn’t have any recourse at all. Because once the case is done, it’s done.”…