I was walking on the northwest side of Grand Rapids after visiting a food pantry, and I found myself asking whether homelessness was getting worse around me. Maybe I was paying closer attention. Maybe something had changed. I wanted to know which.
I’m tired of people’s constant assumptions. And yes, I’m guilty of making them too. That means checking my own impressions before turning them into a headline.
What the local numbers actually show
The Kent Homelessness Coalition’s 2026 Point-in-Time report lists 1,168 people experiencing homelessness on one night in January 2026, compared with 1,238 in 2025. That is a decrease of 70 people, or about 5.7%. The 2024 count was 1,089. So the figures rose in 2025 and fell in 2026; they do not show an uninterrupted yearly increase.
The same report counted 56 people in unsheltered locations in 2026, compared with 114 in 2025. These are Kent County figures, not a count of the northwest side.
A Point-in-Time count is a snapshot of one January night. It is not a count of everyone who experiences homelessness during a year, and it cannot tell us exactly what is happening along my walking route in October.
What we know about the northwest side
In August 2025 reporting from WGVU, Matthew’s House Ministry described serving 80 to 100 people a day while seeking more suitable space on the northwest side. Its director described a lack of services on the west side. That documents local need. It does not establish how much northwest-side homelessness has increased, and people using food or other assistance are not necessarily homeless.
I haven’t found a reliable, separate northwest-side count that proves an increase. I can honestly say I’m noticing what looks like more visible homelessness. I cannot honestly turn that observation into a verified neighborhood trend.
A person is more than our assumptions
Seeing someone outside does not tell me their housing situation, their health, whether they work, or how they got there. I would rather ask better questions than pretend I know their life from a passing glance.
A lower countywide count is welcome news. It also leaves more than a thousand people counted without permanent housing that January night. Both facts deserve attention.
I’m not doing the same formal volunteering I once did. But giving my time to research, writing, and sharing useful information through FindMeRaw feels like another way to contribute. I haven’t been compensated for this work yet. It still takes time, and I want that time to be useful.
That includes correcting myself when newer evidence changes the picture. Apparently, checking assumptions also applies to the person holding the phone.
If you need housing assistance in Kent County, the local coalition directs residents to call 211 or use Community Housing Connect. Asking for help is a practical step.
Sources checked October 22, 2026. The observations are mine; the county figures and local reporting are linked above.
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