KALAMAZOO, MI -- As the city of Kalamazoo works to bring an end to an occupation of Bronson Park, forcing homeless people camped there to leave, the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission is ready to accept those who need a place to stay.

After weeks of negotiations between city staff and protesters at the park, the city of Kalamazoo has told members of the encampment, many of them homeless, to leave Bronson Park by 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Nearly 100 tents were counted at Brosnon Park on Monday, Sept. 17. Kalamazoo Gospel Mission President and CEO Rev. Michael Brown said he is confident the gospel mission could house an influx of people if needed Tuesday night, as long as they are flexible.

The Kalamazoo Gospel Mission housed 198 people Monday night, and has a capacity of 244, Brown said. Additionally, the mission can accommodate another 30 people if they use sleeping pads on the ground of classrooms, he said.

"We would open them up if needed," Brown said about the extra sleeping spaces. "We would have room for them, yeah."

People set on sleeping in tents can set up outside the gospel mission through Oct. 5, Brown said.

Case managers will talk to people staying at the mission, to try to help people dress issues that contribute to them being homeless, he said.

"Because we want to help people, we don't want to provide them a place to just be," he said.

Brown, in a Sept. 17 open letter to the community forwarded to the Kalamazoo Gazette, wrote that some of the people who have been trespassed from the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission in the past will be allowed to come back. Those trespassed for violence or other serious issues can request to have their case revisited and may be allowed to stay, he said.

He said a number of claims of mistreatment against the gospel mission are false.

"Realizing that some have expressed experiences of mistreatment, these types of situations are not reflective of my heart or the spirit of the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission. Please know that it is never the desire of the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission to mistreat any of our guests or add to their already stressful situation," he wrote.

The Kalamazoo Gospel Mission is not solely responsible for ending homelessness in Kalamazoo, Brown wrote.

"KGM is here to help those people who want help in overcoming their present homeless condition. It is not our responsibility to, nor are we obligated to work with those people who do not want our help," he wrote.

Statements that KGM does not serve members of the LGBTQ or Muslim community have never been true, though anyone is free to refuse its services, he said.

"The Kalamazoo Gospel Mission is and will remain a Christian organization based on Biblical principal of sharing the love of Christ while assisting people to overcome the challenges that have caused them to be homeless. Persons who do not wish to receive the services of KGM have every right to refuse those services. We will continue to pray for them and stand ready to help should they ask for it in the future," Brown wrote.

Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller declined to comment on what his department's role could be as protesters are being asked to move from the park, referring questions to city officials.

"The city is working very hard to help or alleviate issues and deal with the situation, and have been for quite a while," Fuller said. "I'm not gonna weigh in on what the city's working on."

The sheriff said the jail has plenty of capacity to house groups of people arrested if needed.

Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Karianne Thomas did not return a message left on Tuesday morning seeking comment. A lieutenant answering phones at KDPS Tuesday referred questions to the city of Kalamazoo.

On the evening of Sept. 17, KDPS shared a news release that was posted by the city of Kalamazoo.