Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford called for re-forming a homelessness task force, after Councilman Robert Socha brought up a Hillsdale resident’s letter criticizing the city’s response at the Monday city council meeting.

Resident Nicholas Rorick claimed in his letter that Hillsdale’s homeless population has created a public safety problem. Rorick alleged that a homeless man exposed himself to children two weeks ago, and he called on the city to restrict or outlaw its homeless shelters if they are increasing Hillsdale’s homeless population.

“If people were bused here against the wishes of our town and community, we can send them back. There has to be a coordinated effort to fix this problem,” Rorick wrote.

Elijah Hardgrove, who is homeless, said Rorick is making a false assumption that the shelter is attracting more homeless people.

“There are people camping out by the school because there’s not enough room at the shelter,” Hardgrove said. “There’s [sic] only 20 beds for 14 men and six women. So the common sense solution would be to create more space, so there are places to go.”

Hardgrove also said the letter falsely demonizes the homeless population as sexual predators. 

“A series of unfortunate events led both my wife and me to end up at the homeless shelter, and without it, we wouldn’t have the opportunities we have now,” Hardgrove said. 

Stockford said he intends to reestablish the homeless task force. Previously, the task force comprised residents, local community agencies, and police officers. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the mayor suspended the task force because of low participation and attendance.

The new task force will be manned solely by parents, residents, and police officers to address the public safety concerns posed by the homeless, according to Stockford. 

Kathy Beckwith, a board member of Share the Warmth of Hillsdale County, an overnight shelter that operates during the winter, said the city needs more collaboration between community leaders, fundraisers, faith-based organizations, and public health officials to coordinate a response. 

“Criminalizing homelessness is not the answer,” Beckwith said. “We do not want to be one of those communities employing aggressive and cold-hearted strategies to move homeless people out of our way. I feel like that was the tone of that letter that the council received.”

Dennis Wainscott, a member of the Housing Commission Board, said the city needs to embrace a more compassionate approach to the city’s homeless rather than one motivated by fear.

“Sure, it’s easy to say we are just going to box them up and move them somewhere else,” Wainscott said. “But we need to do what we can to strengthen one another and lift each other up.”

Socha said Rorick and several other property owners were frustrated by the increase in trespassing.

“Property owners have rights, too,” Socha said. “The property tax paying citizenry have a right to feel like they can walk on the bike trail unmolested. I have received emails from people who have stopped allowing their children to ride on the bike trails because of the homeless people.”

The council also approved a raise for the city manager’s work as Board of Public Utilities director. They discussed both a project to reroute a stormwater drain underneath Willow street, and applying for a resource officer state grant.