In a heartwarming development that has captured national attention, Michigan State men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo has taken an extraordinary step to address homelessness among Michigan’s youth.
Izzo has personally invested $5.6 million to convert a large residential property in Lansing into a state-of-the-art shelter for homeless youth.
The project, titled “Izzo House of Hope,” aims to provide not only temporary housing, but also emotional support, job readiness training, mental health services, and education assistance.
This generous act comes after a recent string of troubling reports highlighting the rise in youth homelessness across Michigan, particularly in urban areas like Detroit and Lansing. Izzo, long known for his leadership on the court, was reportedly moved to act after meeting a former foster youth who had aged out of the system and found himself living on the streets just blocks away from campus
“Basketball has given me everything,” Izzo said in a press statement. “But it means nothing if I don’t use that platform to give back. These kids need a team too — someone in their corner, believing in them. This is my way of showing them they matter.”
The shelter, which is scheduled to open in the fall, will have capacity for 60 residents aged 16 to 24. It includes dorm-style bedrooms, a community kitchen, counseling rooms, a study lounge, and a gym. A team of full-time social workers, life coaches, and volunteers — many of them MSU alumni — will provide around-the-clock support. Izzo has also committed to personally mentoring several of the young men and women who will live there.
The community response has been overwhelmingly positive. Local officials praised Izzo’s commitment to addressing a long-ignored issue with both financial resources and personal involvement. “This isn’t just charity — it’s leadership,” said Lansing mayor Andy Schor. “Tom Izzo is showing us all what it means to care, to act, and to lead.”
Izzo’s investment in the lives of Michigan’s most vulnerable youth cements his legacy far beyond the basketball court. As one of his players noted, “Coach always tells us to leave it all on the floor. I guess now he’s doing the same in life.”
