Councilwoman Waters and AGS are collaborating to address homelessness by supporting the City of Detroit’s 7-point Immediate Shelter plan. Together, they propose the Detroit InstaLiving Smart Village, a mixed-use community combining sustainable housing, retail, healthcare, education, and workforce development. AGS will manufacture modular, eco-friendly emergency and transitional housing units using A-1 fire-rated materials, expanding shelter capacity for families, children, and individuals living in vehicles. These units will be deployed with outreach teams, hospitals, and DPD to assist 24/7 relocation efforts and reduce reliance on the CAM system. The Smart Village will provide dedicated shelter beds, flexible housing options, and integrated services to help unsheltered residents transition into stable housing. This initiative aligns with all seven action steps, offering a scalable, community-based solution to address Detroit’s homelessness crisis.

To ensure that every unsheltered person in need of emergency shelter is reached, Mayor Duggan has outlined a 7-point plan:

1. Require Site Visits for All Families with Minor Children. Site visits by outreach workers will be automatically required when CAM receives calls from families with minors facing imminent shelter loss. 76% of all CAM calls come from individuals who have shelter at the time of the call, making it difficult for CAM call center workers to determine the full situation from that initial intake phone call. HRD will now order an on-site visit by the street outreach team for any family with minor children who report they fear imminent loss of housing.

2. Give Special Attention to Finding Families in Vehicles. The Detroit Police and 24-hour outreach teams will extend their focus to seeking out families living in vehicles. Chief Bettison is directing DPD to pay special attention to parking garages and other locations where people may be sleeping in their cars. Police will then connect with Street Outreach teams to get people to a safe place for the night. Outreach teams have also increased their attention to parked vehicles. Any member of the community who is aware of unsheltered individuals living in a vehicle can help by calling 866-313-2520.

3. Expand HelpLine to 24 Hours. 24-hour outreach telephone assistance for the unsheltered has been added and is now available. The Detroit Housing Resource HelpLine and CAM share a common entry point through the 866-313-2520 phone number but had operated only during traditional business hours. HRD has now added a nighttime response to that line so that those calling the HelpLine and CAM can get a line directly to outreach teams after business hours who will provide connections to shelter for those who are unsheltered.

4. Double Number of Drop-In Beds. The number of drop-in center beds for the Immediate Shelter system will be doubled from 110 to 220 within 90 days. No one has been turned away for lack of space since the Winter 2025 Immediate Shelter system went into effect according to records, but HRD is anticipating that the extended outreach to those living in vehicles and the publicity of the new system will increase demand.

5. Expand Night Outreach Teams. The City had been operating with two outreach teams on day and afternoon shifts and one outreach team on the midnight shift. An additional outreach team has been added from 6 PM to 2 AM to provide more complete around-the-clock coverage when it is most needed.

6. Continue Successful Use of Police Precincts as Havens for Safety & Referrals. Since the Mayor’s announcement two weeks ago that anyone with a shelter emergency can go to their police precincts, 25 individuals have already sought and gotten help at one of the 12 precincts. An additional 61 households were transported to shelter via DPD interaction in the community. The high degree of trust the community is showing in DPD will continue to be an important asset in preventing harm to unsheltered residents.

7. Expand Street Outreach & Education. Many unsheltered individuals are not getting updated information from traditional news and social media outlets. HRD will expand communication efforts to make resource information available at places that people may frequent when in a housing crisis such as bus stops and gas stations.

To support this initiative, Waters and AGS are working collaboratively to align their efforts with the 7-point plan, focusing on providing sustainable housing solutions and resources to help end homelessness in Detroit. Together, they are committed to creating lasting change and a path to stable housing for all.