Residents urge Lansing leaders to halt encampment sweeps and expand housing and services after recent deaths

Multiple residents and outreach workers told the Lansing City Council on May 11 that current practices for clearing unsanctioned encampments are harming — and in some cases causing the deaths of — people experiencing homelessness, and they urged immediate policy changes.

Darren, who identified himself as a member of Punks with Lunch Lansing, said outreach workers provide food, supplies and Narcan and that the city must stop sweeps and invest in case management and alternatives to clearing camps. "Please stop killing our neighbors," he said, testing the council's attention to encampment policy and service gaps.

Several speakers recounted recent losses. Mike Goraschak and others identified a person called Myra (also named later as Tamara McCarthy) who moved among camps and hotels and died after being moved multiple times; Goraschak said the loss followed repeated sweeps that dispersed community supports. Ivan Droste, a Ward 3 resident, said a recent death occurred shortly after a camp sweep and urged the council to create sanctioned encampments or safe-parking areas.

William Denyke (as he identified himself) accused staff and contracted caseworkers with Advent House of negligence, alleging that he was placed in substandard housing with chronic sewer backups and that staff failed to rehouse him; he named caseworkers and a landlord and asked the council for accountability. The council did not respond directly to individual allegations during public comment.

Several advocates urged a moratorium on sweeps and called for the city to fund shelter capacity, case management, safe parking and other low-cost measures that could keep people alive and in contact with services. Eli Ghaffari said five unhoused neighbors have died in recent months and said organizers would provide documented evidence of the impacts of sweeps in upcoming meetings.

Speakers also raised related issues including accessible transit (complaints about Spectran services for people with disabilities), interpreter access at council meetings (request for ASL interpreters), and the need to use vacant city properties for housing. Councilmembers acknowledged the comments but did not adopt new policy on the spot; several speakers said they would return with documentation and requests for specific policy changes.