Kalamazoo Housing Advocates celebrated the grand opening of Serenity House on November 17, unveiling an 11-bedroom transitional housing facility designed to support families moving from homelessness to long-term stability. During a guided tour of the space, Executive Director Sarah Cain described the purpose behind the organization’s new initiative. “Transitional housing is an opportunity between homelessness and permanently housed that will provide a safe, comfortable, serene environment for a family to feel motivated and able to start working on what it takes to get to your next level of housing without the trauma of being homeless,” Cain said. Serenity House, located in the Edison Neighborhood, features family-sized bedrooms, shared bathrooms, common living areas, and on-site office space for supportive services. The rooms are prepared to meet the needs of families with infants, toddlers, and older children. Interest is already high as families wait for placement. “We have a list of people that we are working on right now to see if if we can fit them into the last two bedrooms that we have to fill,” Cain noted. Kalamazoo Housing Advocates is also inviting community members to get involved. “We have a website, KalamazooHousingAdvocates.org, We have a way on our website for you to send us an email, or you can call us and let us know what you're interested in doing to support us,” Cain said. Cain emphasized the broader importance of transitional housing in Kalamazoo. “This is a missing link in our community. This is what we need. We need more and more and more of these opportunities for our unhoused population,” she said. As the grand opening wrapped up on November 17, Cain reflected on the moment outside the newly named Serenity House: “What a beautiful day.”