After spending $10,000 to provide emergency housing in hotels during the coldest days of an especially frigid winter, City Manager Robert Belleman will request additional funding to continue to provide emergency housing.
East Lansing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director Elaine Hardy worked with a Quality Inn & Suites to provide 11 rooms for 33 people over a 10-day stretch starting Jan. 23, when the City of Lansing activated its Cold Blue emergency plan. The plan is activated when temperatures becomes dangerously cold, and includes using community centers as overnight warming centers and allowing local shelters to temporarily increase their capacity.
East Lansing bought hotel rooms a second time from Feb. 5 to Feb. 9, this time purchasing six rooms for 11 people. The hotel provided the city with a discount on the rooms, with each costing around $90 per night…