KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The city of Kalamazoo has a plan for the funds they receive from Washington to do housing projects, but the question remains open about whether the money will be there.
City commissioners received a presentation on funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the next fiscal year and how they plan to spend it over the next five years.
Community Development manager Sherilynn Parsons made a statement, that like everyone else they are waiting to see if the funding will survive the change in the presidential administration.
If the millions they expect to get over the rest of this decade comes through, Parsons says it would be spent replacing roofs, making home repairs and helping people in low-income neighborhoods.
City commissioner Don Cooney says it isn’t enough.
Parsons says they are prevented by federal rules from lobbying for legislation, but the public isn’t.
Several homeless advocates and residents also expressed concern that the Trump administration will make life even worse for them, with Shonda Espinosa and Ryan Smith speaking out.
Vice Mayor Jeanne Hess says she heard from a speaker on Martin Luther King Jr. Day who said you can choose chaos or community; she chooses the later.
Parsons says they have fallback positions if the funding is reduced, it simply means a reduction in the services they will be able to provide.
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