The Shelter Association of Washtenaw County has a new executive director. Nicole Adelman takes over as resources to help the homeless and others are being stretched thin.
The estimate is that about 5,000 people in Washtenaw County are homeless. Many others are a missed paycheck or two away from being on the streets.
At the Delonis Center, the Shelter Association provides emergency housing, meals, and programs to divert people away and out of homelessness.
Adelman says the high cost of housing in the county and particularly Ann Arbor continues to be a problem.
“Washtenaw County is the most unaffordable county in this state, I believe, in terms of cost of living. Housing costs and rental costs are extremely high. Even, I would say, the majority of the folks who work at the shelter don’t live in Ann Arbor.”
The federal government shutdown and other cutbacks have Adelman and her staff concerned, but, so far, they haven’t had to cut services.
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