How Ann Arbor Enables Its Homelessness Problem

I recently spent a day kayaking down the Huron River through Ann Arbor and noticed a major new development—massive homeless encampments underneath bridges.

While the policies Ann Arbor has championed to combat the homelessness crisis were done with good intentions and compassion, does the extensive network of support systems and soft on crime policies simply enable more homelessness?

After walking through downtown after dinner a few days later, my three children and I encountered panhandlers, tents, people sleeping on sidewalks, and individuals clearly experiencing a mental health crisis or abusing substances.

Those experiences are anecdotal. But the broader trend is not.

Washtenaw County homelessness has climbed roughly 77% between 2025 and 2022 despite spending millions per year on housing related social services and shelter programs.

In 2020, Ann Arbor voters approved a 20 year millage to expand the city's supply of affordable and supportive housing, reflecting a long-term commitment to addressing housing insecurity. Another $20 million has since been allocated to housing and shelter services.

In October 2023, Ann Arbor was asking an uncomfortable question: Why are people sleeping in our parks? Local leaders said the answer wasn't more enforcement—it was more housing, more services, and policies that decriminalize homelessness.

A 2023 Homeless Systems Modeling Report called for hundreds of additional permanent supportive housing units, rapid rehousing slots, and diversion programs. The county's Continuum of Care coordinates a “Housing First” strategy providing housing without preconditions such as sobriety or participation in treatment services.

But the philosophy extends beyond housing.

Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer has publicly said her office will not "criminalize homelessness" and instead emphasizes housing and harm reduction.

Shortly after her election last year, she said: “My office will not treat homelessness as a crime in Washtenaw County,” she said. “We will not carry out enforcement actions that target people simply for being unhoused, struggling with substance use or living with mental illness. That approach can harm entire communities, not just the people it intends to target.”

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, currently running for Michigan Attorney General, eliminated “Zero Tolerance Policies” favoring diversion and alternatives to prosecution for offenses tied to poverty, homelessness, mental illness, or substance use.

In a 2023 interview with a University of Michigan student, he said: “The criminal system needs to do a much better job of promoting rehabilitation, not pursuing punishment for the sake of punishment.

“It’s really about getting people the help they need,” he also said. “I want you to go forward without a criminal record.”

Essentially, the county law enforcement system prefers to use resources on rehabilitation and recovery efforts rather than jail time, fines, or a criminal record.

But how exactly does Washtenaw County help the homeless population “move forward”? Despite all the emphasis on housing and rehabilitation, three years later, the conversation is different—downtown businesses say they are being "besieged."

During a recent WEMU discussion with the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber, business leaders acknowledged trying to balance compassion with maintaining safe, welcoming commercial districts. Leaders say the situation has become increasingly difficult.

Main Street Ventures, who owns Real Seafood Restaurant Co., Palio and the Chop House are reportedly weighing leaving Ann Arbor over “aggressive panhandling,” rising homelessness, and concerns about “perceived public safety” among other issues hostile to Ann Arbor’s restaurant industry.

I went back downtown this weekend and struck up a conversation with a small group of unhoused Ann Arborites to ask them for their thoughts on the crisis.

“What can we do better for you? How can we help?”

One man cited better access to shelter during the summer months. He said there were plenty of places to stay during the winter but not as many resources on a hot July day as temperatures approached 100 degrees.

How is it possible that we are pumping millions of dollars into housing services but support is seasonal?

Another man had a different perspective: “I want to work. We need jobs and trade skills.”

Could the solution to solving Ann Arbor’s homeless crisis be…addressing the root causes of homelessness rather than making it easier to be homeless?

Perhaps City of Ann Arbor officials should spend some time talking to Ann Arbor’s growing homeless community to identify what they really need rather than throwing millions of dollars into housing and other services that keep them trapped in tents alongside the Huron River.