This article is part of a special collaboration between Michigan in Color and Groundcover News. Read the rest of the joint issue here.
If you ever find yourself at the University of Michigan, chances are you’ll take a trip down State Street. During the early evening hours after the last classes for the day have ended, State Street comes alive. Many of the local campus eateries, shopping and living complexes are centrally located there. Although it is a hub for college students and located in the heart of one of the country’s best college towns, Ann Arbor is still a city where individuals and families with no association with the University reside.
Recognized as the third best public university in the nation, it is no surprise to University of Michigan students and associated employees that the cost of living in downtown Ann Arbor and its surrounding neighborhoods is high. The level of prestige, elite status and innovative research tied to the Michigan name alludes to an exclusive lifestyle attainable by the average student on campus. It’s important to acknowledge that the average U-M student most likely doesn’t have an issue with meeting housing costs due to help from family members or other resources. The median student household income of a student that attends the University of Michigan is $154,000, while the average American household’s median income is $67,521.
Therefore, when apartment complexes located close to campus like Foundry Lofts, The Hub and The Varsity begin charging more than one thousand dollars per occupant in a unit, it’s no shock that other complexes in Ann Arbor have started following suit. According to PayScale, housing costs in Ann Arbor are 16% higher than the national average. In 2023, the average Ann Arbor apartment is predicted to cost between $1,368 and $1,917 per apartment. With 47,659 students currently enrolled as either an undergraduate or graduate student at the University, there is demand for housing that needs to be met. And as recalled before, the average U-M student has the means to meet prices put in place by landlords. However, where does this leave low-income and/or unhoused residents of Ann Arbor not associated with the University? And how do they manage to survive in a town built to cater to those who come from an upper-class society?
According to the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, in 2020, 2,800 individuals experienced homelessness or sought emergency housing. More recently, at the end of 2022, the demand for a place in Ann Arbor homeless shelters rose by 30%.
During my time as a student, I’ve noticed the housing crisis gets worse on everyday walks down State Street as the population of unhoused people continuously grows. There is a common misconception that those who face housing insecurity or financial troubles misuse their money or “don’t spend it on the right things.” (Who are we as a society to police the way people choose to spend their money? Unhoused persons may struggle with addiction and when medical resources are unavailable, treatment for substance abuse is unattainable.) However, research shows that the average person is only one or two paychecks away from experiencing homelessness. In general, society holds extremely negative perceptions of people in poverty experiencing homelessness. It often leads to the dehumanization and criminalization of the homeless population.
Unhoused persons are more likely to be subjected to violent crimes, harassment and public degradation. There are rules present in cities across Michigan prohibiting sleeping, receiving free food or loitering, all activities unhoused persons engage in to survive. In Ann Arbor, the Michigan State Police once threatened to evict residents of Camp Take Notice, a tent community that provides food and shelter to individuals in need. The policies established to erase Ann Arbor’s homelessness crisis continue to isolate homeless persons, restrict them from receiving help and further perpetuate the idea that an individual’s actions are what got them to that place. It fails to acknowledge other non-controllable and systemic circumstances that can cause someone to become homeless.
Furthermore, people tend to look away when they see a homeless person on State Street. For some reason, they have this elaborate fantasy that they’ll be singled out by an unhoused person, where they will then be forced to offer money. When the people of Ann Arbor turn a blind eye to the town’s homeless population, it denies their experience, ignores the realities of the Ann Arbor housing crisis and further alienates unhoused persons from society.
Extending a hand or simply smiling at someone is an act of kindness that’s often forgotten about. Walking past someone asking for food or money in front of our local Target or Starbucks is a form of dehumanization that U-M students actively participate in every single day. As another student, I understand that sometimes we can be trapped in our own world with tunnel vision, focused on being on time to the next class or meeting. However, when you consciously put in your AirPods, fake a phone call with an imaginary friend or decide to cross the street early before you are approached by a homeless person, it becomes clear that they are not seen as a person in your eyes as they become invisible to you.
Previous MiC Senior Editor Anchal Malh can be reached at anchalm@umich.edu.