Established in 1982 as a 501 c (3) non-profit organization, HRI provides housing solutions for individuals and families during a housing crisis. Our mission is the assurance of housing for socially or economically vulnerable persons in Kalamazoo County. Our services are designed to stabilize households experiencing homelessness and help those in jeopardy of losing their housing.

HRI is a United Way Agency affiliated with United Way of the South Central Michigan. HRI has a variety of funding sources depending on grants and contracts available to expedite our agency mission. Our funds often include grants or contracts from HUD, MSHDA and local funding sources. We also independently raise awareness and funds in our community to cover unmeet needs and costs.

Housing Resources, originally named Center City Housing, was founded in response to the mass displacement of very low-income single adults from the last of the community’s old residential hotels. This crisis served to focus attention on the issue of homelessness, as well as the lack of safe and affordable housing opportunities.

First United Methodist Church renovated and deeded a 100-year-old home to serve as the HRI Family Shelter. The 24-bed HRI Family Shelter met the needs of several hundred homeless families over the years. Our shelter services were provided 24 hours a day in a home-like setting designed to keep families together while they seek solutions to their housing crisis.

HRI prides itself in being good stewards of our public and private funding and meeting the the changing needs of our community. After careful assessment of the cost to operate, maintain and repair our 130+ year old historic house as a family shelter, our Board made the very difficult decision to close it permanently in June of 2019.

HRI, as the Housing Assistance Resource Agency (HARA) for Kalamazoo County, continues to provide a comprehensive menu of homeless assistance, homeless prevention and emergency services to help people facing a housing crisis or homelessness.

For the past five years, we have made significant progress on our journey of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals. It is important to us that our staff represents the people we serve and our community. Please see more information on our staff and Board make up here: Staff and Board DEI Information.

We have earned GuideStar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency!

helping families and children avoid homelessness

One unexpected crisis — an illness, a broken relationship, or a lost job — can mean homelessness.

During the last year, Housing Resources, Inc. received thousands of requests for service and information from Kalamazoo County residents, providing an array of emergency, transitional, and permanent housing solutions all with the aim of lifting these residents out of poverty, into permanent housing and onto self-sufficiency. On any given day, our staff will:

  • Respond to a frantic housing emergency call and direct people to emergency shelter.
  • Help provide back rent to a landlord, so a family can keep their housing.
  • Offer housing rental support to an unemployed middle-aged woman with three children, thereby enabling her to find employment, and eventually move to permanent housing.

As a recipient of local, state and federal funds, HRI participates in the Homeless Management Information System or HMIS. As a community system, HMIS is management by the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness and allows HRI to work with other homeless providers to provide a community solution for those facing a housing crisis.  HMIS privacy information allows for sharing of data when it becomes necessary to finding solutions. Read more information about our Privacy Notice here: HRI Privacy Notice (002)

To learn more about homelessness in Kalamazoo County please read the most updated report from our local CoC:

Continuum of Care Annual Report 2021 Final