Felons Move to Genesee Neighborhood

Capitol Area Michigan Works recently moved a group of six felons into two houses in the Genessee neighborhood but they didn't notify any of community members and that has some concerned.

Residents on the 500 block of west Shiawassee street have some new neighbors tonight.

Six parolees have been placed in the community as part of the Michigan Works initiative to alleviate the states overcrowded prisons but neighbors were not notified or given a chance to voice their opinions beforehand and this has neighbors like Devonna Ryan worried.

She says "it concerns me a little bit depending on what they did exactly, it kind of raises a question."

A question as to why Michigan Works would choose not to notify the community, especially when the felons houses are so close to Ferris Park where children often play. 

CEO Doug Stites says it was because their vendor for the house that the parolees were living in went bankrupt and they were forced to find a place for them immediately, but he admits that the situation was poorly handled in a statement he gave to us which says:

It wasn't done the way we would have liked to. We normally would have worked with the community when placing the parolees in the neighborhood.

We wouldn't do this again, we were just in emergency mode and didn't want to put these people back out on the streets."

Neighbor Cordarrius agrees with the swift action of Michigan Works and their attempts to rehabilitate parolees.

He says "if they need someplace to live what are we supposed to do, throw them in the alley somewhere?

Let them live on the benches?

They need somplace to stay too."

For now the Capitol Area Michigan Works CEO says that he hopes the residents of the Genessee community will adjust to their new neighbors because there are no plans to move them anytime soon.