MCREST In the Media
MCREST Launches Returning Home Campaign to Complete Support Center for Macomb County Families and Children
ROSEVILLE, MI, November 10, 2020 — Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (MCREST) is launching a $300,000 Returning Home campaign to better accommodate and enhance the support provided to homeless children and families. More than 1,000 children experience homelessness in Macomb County each year.
The new campaign will enable renovations to a Mt. Clemens building to provide temporary shelter, food, educational resources, job training and job placement for up to 45 women and children at a time.
For more than 30 years, MCREST has worked with a network of 70+ churches to offer a rotating solution for guests experiencing homelessness. In 2020, they have helped nearly 600 individuals.
The new Center will allow a stable location for women and children to receive support services on their path to self-reliance. Men will continue to be welcomed within the church network.
One guest, Angela, spent three months in the MCREST program this year when her family struggles became dire and left her and her family homeless.
“MCREST keeps my family safe and is a refuge,” said Angela. “They help with food, housing, rent and security deposits. It is ground zero when you need help. We didn’t know where to turn, especially with a 10-month old.”
“It’s traumatic to move children around, particularly during the school year,” said April Fidler, executive director, MCREST. “The new Center will reduce the stress on the whole family as we wrap our arms around them with support services and stability.”
Lead sponsors to date for the Returning Home campaign are Weingartz and Christian Financial Credit Union. To donate or sponsor to the campaign, please go to the RETURNING HOME page.
New 2020-21 Program
As the leading County provider of shelter and support services for homeless individuals, MCREST is now also helping provide additional temporary shelter throughout 2021. Beginning this month, MCREST is sheltering up to 180 men, women, and children experiencing homelessness each month. The 120-person increase triples MCREST’s current 60-person monthly capacity and comes at the beginning of the cold weather months, which can be devastating to those experiencing homelessness.
The funding for this increase is provided by Macomb County Emergency Management and was secured from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and a HUD Emergency Solutions Grant. The additional money will support the expansion of MCREST’s capacity for one year.
MCREST is accommodating all 180 guests at the Microtel Inn & Suites on 13 Mile Road near Gratiot Avenue in Roseville. MCREST typically houses guests in communal spaces like congregation halls and gyms at its network of more than 70 churches, but separate rooms and communal space to social distance is needed to keep guests safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
People in need of shelter should telephone 586-415-5101.
About MCREST
Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (MCREST) provides meals, lodging, life-skills training, housing assistance, job readiness training, and emergency shelter 365 days each year to Macomb County’s homeless population.
MCREST partners with more than 70 churches in Macomb County to temporarily shelter people experiencing homelessness on a rotating basis, with the shelter location moving from church to church each week. MCREST also operates a Learning and Resource Center.
Founded in 1988, MCREST has grown from a homeless day camp to a registered 501(c)(3) that assists approximately 600 people experiencing homelessness each year.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Colleen Robar, , 313-207-5960
