A new City of Detroit report has been delivered that summarizes the circumstances leading up to the deaths of Darnell Currie Jr. and A’Millah Williams Currie and proposes a 7-point plan to improve the city’s emergency response to Detroiters living on the streets. Mayor Duggan indicated that he has accepted the report and will begin immediately to implement the plan as proposed.
The report detailed how the City created a new “Immediate Shelter” housing plan that went into effect on December 16, 2024, for those living on Detroit’s streets. It also analyzed why the Williams/Currie family were unaware of the Immediate Shelter system and how the system failed to reach out to them as they were staying in a van in casino parking structures.
“We must make changes so no Detroit family ever again suffers a tragedy like this,” Howard said. The plan focuses on significantly expanded access to shelter beds and supportive services – with priority given to families with children facing homelessness – as well as expanded street outreach.
“It is not enough to have services if those most in need don’t know they exist. We must implement these 7 steps to make sure every Detroiter in need of emergency shelter knows there is a place for them and that they can access it,” Schneider said.
Seven-point plan
In order to do everything possible to reach every unsheltered person in need of emergency shelter, Mayor Duggan indicated that the report’s 7 Point Plan would be implemented immediately:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
The report also examined the history of contact with Tateona Williams prior to the loss of her children and can be found on the City’s website at https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/2025-02/Homelessness%20Report%202.27.25%20FINAL.pdf
On February 26, Deputy Mayor Howard helped Ms. Williams and her family move into a fully furnished single family home provided by Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries director, Dr. Chad Audi, who said the family can live there for the next year at no cost.
