07/29/2025
“Amazing evening!” “Presenters were very thorough, informative, and well-versed in the services to be rendered for the less fortunate with added challenges.” These are just two of the appreciative comments from people who on Monday attended the ICCD’s panel discussion about housing.
👏A heartfelt thank you to the outstanding panelists at “Housing for All: Addressing Insecurity & Affordability.”
🔹 Our awesome speakers were:
Manar Kodamah, District Liaison, Dearborn Public Schools; Dustin Kane, Housing Manager, City of Dearborn; Lt. James Isaacs, Dearborn Police Department; Brigitte Fawaz-Anouti, Director of Social Services, ACCESS; Dani Hourani, Director of Community Development & Governmental Affairs, Team Wellness Center; Vong Na, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Michigan-Dearborn.
✅ Follow ICCD for future community-building events &/or contact us to become a community partner, sharing information with other partners on Zoom each month. https://interculturaldearborn.org/
Thank you Manuela Blankinship for this summary of the program:
“Great group of speakers at last night’s panel discussion! It was great to hear about the programs in place and some wonderful success stories (veteran homelessness is close to being eliminated in Dearborn) and advocacy.
It looks like there is a great cooperation between local law enforcement and mental healthcare providers to provide emergency healthcare and shelter for people experiencing mental health challenges.
That said, there is still a great need for funding and support for homeless students and their families. Legislation only requires that homeless students are provided access to education and transportation to school.
Any additional assistance through the school district and ACCESS is cobbled together through grants and corporate and private donations. These funds are insufficient and the situation is expected to get worse as the effects of the new budget bill trickle down. There are currently about 50 homeless students in the Dearborn school district. That’s 50 too many but a relatively small number compared to other school districts like Detroit.
There was a call for Dearborn to establish a homeless shelter to provide emergency housing for families and others who cannot be placed in facilities that primarily serve people with substance abuse challenges or those experiencing mental health problems.
According to the Dearborn Police representative, more that 95% of the time, they cannot find any open beds in homeless shelters when trying to place someone. The representatives of ACCESS and the school district confirmed this, adding that it is a three hour intake process that often results in people being turned down anyway.
There is an added barrier to getting help because of the stigma of homelessness. However, school liaisons and staff at ACCESS are not allowed to help with these calls as families are required to apply personally and not through an intermediary.”
