LANSING, Mich — Inside the Causeway Bay Hotel in Lansing, residents of the former Fallen Angels Encampment continue to live in temporary housing as conversations about encampments persist across Mid-Michigan.
- Residents of the former Fallen Angels Encampment remain housed at the Causeway Bay Hotel in Lansing, following a court-ordered relocation.
- Advocate Khadja Erickson of the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center says stable housing has led to positive changes, with some residents now working at the hotel.
- Residents and advocates continue to express concern about long-term housing options once temporary accommodations end.
- Ingham County Commissioners are expected to vote in the coming weeks on whether to continue funding the hotel housing program
The Fallen Angels Encampment, once home to more than a dozen unhoused neighbors, was dismantled following a court battle between the City of Lansing and JAJ Properties. The settlement required residents to vacate the property and relocate to the Causeway Bay Hotel for what was initially planned as a six-week stay.
For many, that transition came with uncertainty.
“There probably still won’t be housing available by then, so we’re going to be right back out on the streets,” said Anthony, a former encampment resident, as the relocation first began.
Four years earlier, Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center advocate Khadja Erickson recalled searching the city for resources to help unhoused individuals connect with services. That work eventually led her to the Fallen Angels community.
“About this time four years ago, actually, I was out around the city trying to find active resources and get them connected with services,” Erickson said.
As she reflected on the journey of the encampment and its residents, emotions ran high.
“There are other people out there who would love to have the opportunity to get warm, with regular meals,” Erickson said through tears.
Today, Residents still remain housed at the hotel and Erickson says the stability has made a noticeable difference with some residents even securing permanent roles at the hotel as employees.
When asked what comes next, Erickson emphasized that the work is far from over.
“Next is the fight to keep extending the time that they have there,” she said.
In the coming weeks, Ingham County Commissioners are expected to vote on whether to continue funding the hotel housing program. Advocates hope the decision will not only maintain current placements but also expand capacity to serve more unhoused neighbors in the community.
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