South Oakland Shelter

South Oakland Shelter, doing business as Lighthouse Mi, is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Pontiac, Michigan, that serves as a federal grant recipient delivering comprehensive homelessness services and youth shelter operations. The organization operates exclusively as a grant recipient (71% prime grants, 29% grant sub-awards) with no federal contracting footprint, receiving funding from HUD's Continuum of Care (CoC) program and related federal homelessness and youth services initiatives.

Lighthouse Mi's service portfolio centers on emergency shelter operations, permanent supportive housing for persons with disabilities, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, rental assistance, case management, and Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) administration. The organization delivers these services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness, runaway and homeless youth ages 24 and younger, and persons fleeing domestic violence across Oakland County, Michigan. Representative prime CoC grants include a $977,956 award (CFDA 14.267, obligated September 1, 2025, completing August 31, 2028) for permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing operations; a $1,484,744 Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program grant (CFDA 14.276, awarded December 1, 2024, completing May 31, 2027) supporting coordinated youth homelessness prevention and ending initiatives; and multiple annual CoC Project Grants ranging from $144,243 to $458,353 for ongoing shelter, housing relocation, and stabilization services.

Customer concentration is highly concentrated with HUD's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, which accounts for 57 awards (95% of award count and the dominant share of obligated dollars). Secondary relationships include the Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children, Youth and Families (14 awards as prime recipient under the Basic Center Program and Transitional Living Program for runaway and homeless youth), and the Corporation for National and Community Service (1 award). Grant sub-award activity flows through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (outreach, basic care center, and transitional living projects) and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (HOME-ARP supportive services and non-congregate shelter development). A sub-award from the Oakland County authorities (December 10, 2025) allocated $171,429 in HOME-ARP supportive services funding to Lighthouse Mi as the fiduciary grantee for the Oakland Continuum of Care, supporting case management and eligible McKinney-Vento supportive services.

Activity has grown from 7 awards in 2022 to 19 in both 2023 and 2024, with recent years showing 13 awards in 2025 and 3 in 2026 (through July 15). The organization has obligated $21.7 million across 85 total awards since 2012, with eight awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months—recompete-eligible grants include the annual CoC awards (typically obligated November through July with twelve-month performance periods) completing through mid-2027. Lighthouse Mi's federal grant footprint is exclusively homelessness and youth services; the organization does not hold federal contracts, GWACs, or cooperative agreements, and does not compete in the federal contracting marketplace.