The mockup for the new “Hope Harbor.” Courtesy | Missy DesJardin
The tent structure for the homeless at Camp Hope is slated for removal this week following a 5–3 vote by the Hillsdale City Council. Residents vacated the tent Oct. 15, with city officials planning to remove the structure on Oct. 16-17.
At its Oct. 6 meeting, the council deemed the structure unsafe for occupancy and cited concerns over zoning compliance, public safety, and the camp’s indefinite status. Ward 4 Councilman Robert Socha voted in favor of the removal of the tent and noted growing frustrations with the camp and its occupants.
“There seemed to be a lack of respect for their neighbors, and that frustrates me,” Socha said. “Camp Hope’s neighbors deserve to live in peace and not be anxious or have loud disturbances in the evening hours.”
The camp’s founder, Missy DesJardin, resigned last week from her role as executive director at Hillsdale Community Thrift to preserve the store’s reputation. Camp Hope is located behind Hillsdale Community Thrift on 390 W Carleton Road.
“I didn’t want my actions at Camp Hope to negatively affect the thrift store,” DesJardin said. “So I decided to step down.”DesJardin pushed back on the complaints the shelter has received, saying the site is safe and well-managed.
“We are not hurting anybody here at all,” DesJardin said. “The complaints are not true. We are not loud, our place is tidy, and we have had no major problems here.”
Socha applauded DesJardin’s intentions but expressed concern over the shelter’s prolonged existence.
“I think Missy’s efforts are to be praised, but the original agreement was that this was just going to be a temporary thing — six or seven months, and in the spring of 2024, it would be gone,” Socha said. “But here we are, 2 1/2 years later, and it’s the same. At some point, you have to enforce the law.”
DesJardin said the camp was never meant to be permanent but became a necessity due to its ongoing need. “It was never our intention to do this full-time,” DesJardin said. “We wanted to provide support while we waited for the other shelter in town to become a year-round shelter, but that still hasn’t happened, so that is why we are still going.”
Socha also highlighted the city’s liability risk.
“The city now has this place where people are dwelling that hasn’t been given that use,” Socha said. “So we have liability on the city side, and if something bad were to happen here, we need to make sure things are up to code.”
DesJardin said the closure will leave more than 20 tenants without permanent shelter.
Charlie Vallance, who is currently living at Camp Hope, said he does not know where he will live once the tent is taken down.
“I’ve been walking around asking for help, and right now the best thing I can do is put myself in a storage unit,” Vallance said.
DesJardin said the city council made a short-sighted decision.
“The council made this decision based on a small group of constituents and their own discomfort,” DesJardin said. “They’re hiding behind the ordinance instead of doing what’s right for the people.”
DesJardin also said that while the tent may be removed, her mission will continue.
“We’re not stopping,” DesJardin said. “If they come with a bulldozer, I’ll be standing in front of that tent, because that is the right thing to do.”
DesJardin said she is finalizing plans for the standalone nonprofit HOPE Harbor, which will convert the storage building behind Hillsdale Community Thrift into a permanent transitional living facility. DesJardin said she has received the blueprints for the building from the engineer and is prepared to bring the plans before the city’s planning board next month.
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