A growing humanitarian concern is unfolding in Detroit, where overcrowding at one of the city’s largest homeless shelters is forcing vulnerable families—many with young children—to sleep in their cars for months at a time, even as freezing winter temperatures approach.
Outside the Cass Community Social Services drop-in shelter, vehicles have quietly become makeshift homes. Among them is the car of Lastar Jenkins, a mother of six, who says her family has spent the past eight months sleeping outside the shelter because there are not enough beds inside.
“My kids don’t understand this,” Jenkins said. “They’re so young. My biggest fear is Michigan gets cold—and I mean cold—and there’s nowhere for us to go.”
Jenkins and her children were displaced last May after a house fire destroyed their home. Seeking help, they turned to Cass Community Social Services, a facility intended to provide temporary relief for people experiencing homelessness. But she says severe overcrowding has left her family waiting indefinitely for a permanent bed.
While they wait, Jenkins keeps her car running to stay warm, a situation that raises safety concerns and takes a heavy emotional toll.
“I’ve been up a few days straight,” she said. “You don’t know about your surroundings. You’re never really comfortable enough to sleep.”
According to the shelter’s deputy director, about 210 people were staying inside the facility just weeks ago—nearly three times its original capacity of 75, which was set under a city-funded grant. The strain has sparked alarms over overcrowding, sanitation, and the ability of the shelter to safely accommodate families.
Jenkins says she is not alone. She estimates at least six mothers are currently sleeping in cars outside the shelter. Another mother, who spoke anonymously, said she and her six children slept in their vehicle for three months last fall before finally securing housing through Detroit Power and Detroit Community Outreach.
“They basically gave us the option to sleep in the car,” the woman said, citing conditions inside the shelter. “We should be treated how they would want to be treated if it was their family on the street.”
Cass Community Social Services, however, disputes the characterization that families are being turned away. In a statement, the organization said individuals sometimes choose to sit in their vehicles during the day and that “occasionally” people opt to sleep in their cars, adding that this is not due to a lack of invitation to come inside and is rare during winter months.
Still, advocates warn that the situation highlights broader challenges facing U.S. cities as housing costs rise and emergency shelters struggle to meet demand. For families like Jenkins’, the wait for stable housing is not just about space—it is about safety, dignity, and survival.
As winter tightens its grip on Detroit, the question remains whether the city’s shelter system can expand fast enough to ensure that no child is left to sleep through the cold in the back seat of a car.
