Hannah Wescott | December 11, 2025
A young man at Jubilee is fighting a lonely battle with severe schizophrenia. It is not clear to what extent he experiences Jubilee or what he imagines the world around him to be. He wanders the streets, out of his mind, a victim of failed social systems. By some miracle, he has learned that Jubilee means safety, though he’s been banned from overnight shelter for behaviors that don’t mesh with shelters not designed for his specific needs. Rarely does he arrive at our door in the mornings appropriately clothed, fed, or rested. Jubilee House tends to those unmet needs. We are his only connection point to lifesaving services, and the first organization that will notice if he disappears.
This ministry has changed so much since its inception in 2006. We began as a very small operation, open for limited hours to provide shelter from the elements, showers, laundry, and computer access. At that time our guests were mostly older men, many of whom were struggling with alcoholism. Those days are long gone, and in 2022 Jubilee House was asked to more than double our hours to shelter a growing number of unhoused neighbors. As the face of homelessness has changed in our region and nationwide, so has Jubilee: in response to the wider range of ages, genders, and substance use disorders among our rapidly growing homeless population, we now offer connection with local mental health and substance use resources through our partner agencies. With the hiring of Tara DeGroot, our new Assistant Director, who brings years of experience working in multiple different homeless systems, we are excited to explore possibilities for providing housing workshops here at the House—a service we’ve never been able to offer before.
As Traverse City’s only drop-in center for adults experiencing homelessness, we see firsthand the struggles that our guests are facing. We hear their stories, help them troubleshoot, and support them through good days and bad. We are therefore perfectly poised to publicly stand up for them in ways that will make a difference in their lives. We’re proud to have taken part in the Housing and Homelessness Task Force, a coalition of homeless-related agencies which for the past year has been working to construct a coordinated plan for sufficient safety net services, shelter, and permanent supportive housing, with the goal of reducing or even eliminating homelessness in our community altogether. This work is far from finished, and Jubilee is fully committed to its continuation.
It will take years to see the fruits of the Task Force’s labor, and, in the meantime, we are watching our friends suffer as shelters fill up and as the dismantling of social services whittles away available resources. Safe Harbor, our only emergency overnight shelter, has been full and operating on a waitlist since the beginning of October, routinely turning away at least 10 people per night. Congruently, new camping ordinances are pushing unsheltered people out of the public eye, into hiding and further from lifesaving resources. Looming government cuts to Housing and Urban Development will not only reduce funding for current housing efforts, but, most horrifically, will take housing away from those who are currently stable, forcing them back onto the street where overstretched resources will be unable to help them. Our homeless response system is completely unprepared for the devastating tsunami wave that these cuts will send through our community.
A month ago, I met a gentleman on the day he was discharged from Munson, having just been forcibly removed from his former home. His first time ever being homeless. Bewildered and terrified, he came to Jubilee for help like many newly homeless individuals before him. We listened to his story and his needs, provided him with information and resources to get him acclimated, and began the process of connecting him with our region’s Homeless Management Information System. Knowing that Safe Harbor would have no room for him, I gathered some winter gear while he called every friend he could think of before giving up. Off he went at closing time, into the freezing night with the sleeping bag and winter clothes we’d given him. He is still unsheltered five weeks later, sleeping outdoors in snowy nooks and crannies with handwarmers stuffed into his socks. Jubilee House is his only refuge from the cold and his most consistent connection to lifesaving resources. His story, unfortunately, is not uncommon: he is one of 70 individuals who have been turned away from Safe Harbor since October 15th. It’s important to remember that we are all at least one terrible event away from being homeless ourselves.
As one of the main entry points into homeless services in Traverse City, we at Jubilee House will continue adapting to our guests’ needs and fighting for change on their behalf. Though Traverse City already offers great services, there is still much room for improvement in the way that we care for our marginalized neighbors. We are proud and honored to be their mouthpiece in an ever-noisier world.
