Kentwood city commissioner to host ‘Community Conversation’ on homelessness

WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org

A part of her continuing Second Sunday community conversations, City of Kentwood Commissioner Emily Bridson will host a Community Conversation on Homelessness Sunday, Nov. 10, from 2-4 p.m., at Broad Leaf Local Beer.

The Keynote Speaker of the public event will be Judge William G. Kelly, the chief judge for Kentwood’s 62B District Court.

The panel will include Wende Randall, director of Kent County Essential Needs Task Force; Kent County Commissioner Stephen Wooden; James White of Cinnaire; and Cheryl Schuch, of Family Promise of Grand Rapids.

The event will be moderated by Bridson and Marshall Kilgore, Western Michigan Director for United Precinct Delegates. WKTV will record the discussion and post it on our WKTV Journal In Focus Podcast Channel.

“The more people I spoke with about housing, the more I realized we have several great community organizations working very hard in this area to make an impact,” Bridson said in her monthly community newsletter. “Homelessness doesn’t have a simple solution, but it does need a regional approach by various members of the community sitting down to compare our efforts, bring more awareness to all and work on more active solutions to keep chipping away at this issue.

“This issue is especially important to me because it disproportionately affects women, people of color and children.”

Bridson said in the community newsletter that she asked for information on homeless students in Kentwood Public Schools and found that, in 2018, Kentwood Public Schools had 283 students that were homeless, while Grand Rapids Public Schools had 671 students homeless.

She also states that Kentwood does not have a homeless shelter.

Broad Leaf Local Beer is located at 2885 Lake Eastbrook, Kentwood. For more information on the event visit here.

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