Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) Frequently Asked Questions

HOT contact information – 616-456-4240, grhot@grcity.us

Any resident, business, neighborhood association, or any other entity in the City of Grand Rapids can contact the HOT team directly. HOT should only be contacted with issues regarding street homelessness. If the team cannot address the issue, they will direct you to the appropriate department or agency.

The HOT team provides a “boots on the ground” presence Monday through Saturday. The team canvasses the community to interact with unsheltered persons, engage with businesses and residents to resolve issues, and address specific calls for service. The team works to build personal relationships with individuals to better assist them in obtaining services and housing solutions. The HOT team can be reached at 616-456-4240 and via email at grhot@grcity.us.

HOT is under the supervision of the Grand Rapids Fire Department and is staffed with firefighters who work Monday through Saturday. The City has partnered with Network180 to add mental health clinicians and addiction and recovery specialists to the team for behavioral health and recovery coaching services.

The HOT team does not respond to general issues outside of street homelessness. The community has a response system in place for this purpose. Any individual or family who is experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness should call 2-1-1. This is essential to ensure persons get connected quickly to agencies in the community with housing and shelter funds to assist them. This is also important because the recovery funds and other federal resources available in our community for prevention, re-housing, and temporary shelter require a “coordinated entry” approach to accessing these resources.

Unsheltered persons will always be encouraged to seek shelter as the streets are not a safe or healthy place to sleep and/or live. The HOT team is working with the Coalition to End Homelessness and local housing providers to connect individuals with re-housing services. The HOT team members can make referrals, but persons seeking shelter can call 2-1-1 to access community services and resources.

In April 2020, the City of Grand Rapids developed the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) to respond to emergency needs including isolation, health and safety issues, and COVID mitigation within the homeless community. The team has transitioned to an ongoing, active homeless street outreach unit in the City. The team canvasses the community Monday through Saturday to interact with unsheltered persons and engage with businesses and residents to resolve issues. It also works to build relationships with individuals experiencing homelessness to better assist them in obtaining services and connecting to housing solutions. The City, including HOT, is part of a community-wide system to address homelessness with the Continuum of Care.