MCREST celebrated the opening of its first shelter with a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 8, 2022. Guests moved into the building on April 10.

From left to right, Stephanie Jackson, MCREST Executive Director April Fidler, David Austin, Macomb County Treasurer Larry Rocca, Scott Zemens, Hank Luks, Diane Royer, MCREST Board of Directors Chairman John Johnson, Cindy Gliesman, Tim Joy, Janice Donahue, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, Clinton Township Trustee Tammy Patton, Sue LaTour, and Macomb County Board of Commissioners Chairman Don Brown cut the ribbon in a dedication ceremony held Friday in Mt. Clemens for MCREST’s new women and children’s shelter (Photo Credit/Larry Peplin).

For more than 30 years, MCREST’s guests have rotated through its partner churches for shelter and meals, with families moving location from week-to-week.





“With this fixed shelter, we are giving families, especially children, a greater sense of stability as they transition to independence and housing,” said April Fidler, executive director of MCREST.





Located in a formerly vacant building, the newly renovated MCREST shelter houses about 45 women and children for up to 90 days at a time.





MCREST's shelter provides meals, education and training services for homeless women and children. The site includes a Learning and Resource Center for its guests to get assistance with job searches and resume building, and it will offer after-school tutoring.





MCREST’s goal is to provide the wraparound services necessary for each family to successfully transition into permanent, stable housing.





MCREST raised more than $1.6 million in a two-year capital campaign to renovate the shelter. The three-story building features ADA-compliant bedrooms on the first level, a women's common area with a fireplace and a children's playroom.





More than 1,000 children are experiencing homelessness right now in Macomb County.





As they transition to self-reliance, women and children in the new facility will be offered wraparound services, including transportation and childcare assistance, self-improvement classes, student tutoring, and job readiness and job placement support.



MCREST also will expand its Learning & Resource Center at the new shelter to better serve individuals experiencing homelessness in Macomb County with job readiness and job placement support services. The expansion of the Learning & Resource Center aligns with MCREST’s focus during recent years on “housing first” interventions, as well as improving opportunities for economic self-sufficiency.



MCREST is committed to assisting every individual and family entering our program to successfully transition to self-reliance.