History of the Capital Region Housing Collaborative (formerly the Greater Lansing Homeless Resolution Network)

In 1987 Congress passed the first federal law (The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act) specifically addressing homelessness.   Later renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, this Federal mandate provides financial support for a variety of programs to
meet the needs of homeless individuals and families who are homeless. The housing programs authorized through this funding are administered by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs.

At the time the McKinney-Vento Act was taking root at the federal level, organizations working with the homeless were beginning to collaborate more closely.  In the late 1980s, approximately 8 Lansing area agencies were meeting on a monthly basis at what is now the Ingham County Department of Health & Human Services.  These agencies were focused on simply sheltering homeless adults, families, and young people.  By 1994, as HUD consolidated homeless plans nationally, localities, like the Ingham County/Lansing/East Lansing area were strongly encouraged to formally organize as recognizable Continuums of Care.  With that mandate the group of agencies decided to formally name itself and the Greater Lansing Homeless Resolution Network (GLHRN) was born.

From 1994 forward, the GLHRN used its collaborative strength to secure a significant amount of funding to house and provide case management support to the homeless.  This collaborative of agencies successfully identified and addressed gaps in service and barriers to stability for homeless individuals and families in the Ingham County/Lansing/East Lansing area, assisting many thousands of community members in the past 25+ years.

In 2019, this successful network of agencies changed its name to the Capital Region Housing Collaborative (CRHC) to reflect the focus on stable housing as the number one solution to homelessness.  Since its inception, the number of agencies participating in the CRHC has increased, with 20 formal members and 10-15 associated agencies from the Ingham/Lansing/East Lansing area.  Funding for services in our community now has many sources, some of which we apply for cooperatively.  More importantly, we have learned to effectively weave together our strengths as agencies to offer a solid foundation of assistance to those at highest risk in our community.  Together we are clearing the path from homelessness to stability.

For more information regarding the McKinney-Vento Act see:

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/McKinney.pdf

If your agency is interested in joining the Collaborative, please complete this form. If you would like to contribute toward ending homelessness in Ingham County, please consider donating to the Capital Region Housing Collaborative.