Sep. 18 -- TRAVERSE CITY -- Jubilee House was on the verge of shutting down, leaving Traverse City without its only day shelter for people without homes.
Now, the ministry of Grace Episcopal Church will keep its doors open, thanks in part to an infusion of funds from Traverse City's American Rescue Plan Act money. City commissioners on Monday voted unanimously to give Jubilee House $40,000 a year for the next two budget years.
The Rev. Jim Perra, Grace Episcopal's rector, told commissioners that Jubilee House is looking at a 431-percent spike in visitors since 2022.
"Since 2022, we've gone from about 20-something visits a day, to darn near 100," he said. "Frankly, we are staffed almost exclusively by volunteers, but at that number of people it is no longer tenable to not have them backed up every shift by professionals."
Perra said that uptick started the same year the city partnered with other organizations helping the homeless to provide more services, especially during winter. For Jubilee House, that included extending its hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and adding a part-time employee.
As more people sought out Jubilee House -- a place where they can shower, do laundry, use the internet, socialize or simply relax -- shelter volunteers had to deal with an uptick in what Perra called "critical incidents."
One in July involved a guest bringing a loaded gun into the Washington Street home where Jubilee House operates, according to a social media post from the organization. Shelter volunteers faced a similar incident in February.
Plans are to hire a director and two half-time positions to not only back up the volunteers who operate the shelter, but to ensure it's open during regular hours, Perra said after the vote. That's expected to cost $161,000.
City Manager Liz Vogel said the city's funding is one piece of that, including $56,000 from its first community development block grant. She's also working with Perra to secure $10,000 from the DTE Foundation, and will ask the Grand Traverse Area Community Foundation and Rotary Charities of Traverse City to chip in as well.
"So this is closing that gap and getting us toward the finish line of supporting Jubilee House for this next fiscal year," Vogel said.
Working with Jubilee House to put together the funding helped prevent the shelter having to close at the end of September, Perra said. He called commissioners' vote an "unbelievable tribute" to the shelter's volunteers and the work they do.
"And I think it also speaks to the compassion and the care and the sense that the city commission knows who they want Traverse City to be in terms of how we take care of those who are vulnerable," he said.
City commissioners approved the funding with little discussion Monday. They asked Vogel to bring them the proposal after she updated them at a previous meeting on how much ARPA money the city has already spent or committed, and how much remained.
While the motion doesn't mention Jubilee House by name, Vogel told city Commissioner Heather Shaw that she wanted to keep the city's options open should another day shelter open, or Jubilee House move its operations.
Their action came immediately after voting to support keeping Safe Harbor open year-round to provide an alternative to camps on city land at Eleventh and Division streets.
The seasonal overnight shelter located several blocks from Jubilee House still will need an amended special land use permit, and an updated operating agreement with the city to stay open all year.
Making the change would give people without homes somewhere to go throughout the year, while charities and organizations that serve the homeless examine other, longer-term solutions. Community Cares Coalition is pursuing one possibility as it looks to build an 180-bed shelter near Traverse City that would be open all day, all year.
"I think we've done a lot to help get ready for the winter -- and beyond -- today," Mayor Amy Shamroe said.