Chelsie Wilkinson named new Room at the Inn executive director

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - Room at the Inn has appointed a new executive director.

Chelsie Wilkinson, newly appointed Room at the Inn executive director, hasn’t been in the area for long, but said she’s excited to make strides toward her goals for Room at the Inn.

She is planning on making 3 main changes with her new position. The first goal is to raise awareness to the homeless issue in the area and to build empathy with the community.

“One thing that’s really important for folks to realize, especially post COVID, is a family or a household can be just one or two paychecks away from experiencing homelessness,” said Wilkinson. ‘”It’s really important for me to communicate those nuances to the community so that we’re building empathy, and we’re building compassion.”

Secondly, they will be attempting to create some public, private and nonprofit partnerships that didn’t exist before. Wilkinson’s third goal is to start sustainable housing conversations in the area.

“It’s no secret that the housing available is slim pickings, especially for folks on a fixed income. It’s going to be really important for us to navigate some new housing solutions here in Marquette and across the Upper Peninsula,” said Wilkinson.

Wilkinson said she would like to encourage the community to get involved in any way that they can.

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