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Candidates describe differing immediate responses to abrupt refugee funding cuts and emergency shelter needs
Summary
When federal refugee funding was briefly halted, candidates described rapid county coordination with nonprofits and campus and facility options. They also discussed broader gaps in emergency family shelter and steps to aid people facing winter exposure.
After a temporary federal funding cutoff for newly arrived refugees, candidates said Winnebago County officials moved quickly to identify shelter and service options while coordinating with nonprofits.
Dan John Damel said county staff sent an early-morning directive to department heads and immediately explored options including University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh dorm space, Parkview, and the Sunnyview Expo Center. "I'm not about to have, refugees be on the street in the middle of winter in Wisconsin," Damel said, and described offering to World Relief to run a 90-day transition plan for families if nonprofits needed county assistance.
John Motts said he believed some federal funding had been restored and emphasized collaboration with nonprofit providers, noting a recent meeting at Oshkosh Corp. that demonstrated many organizations offering services. "We need to work with all of them because I don't think we're leveraging their services correctly," he said.
Gordon Hintz urged the county to formalize relationships with organizations that provide housing and workforce connections and cautioned that refugee arrivals are a significant source of community population growth and workforce supply in Oshkosh. He said the county must be prepared for policy shifts at the federal level.
All three candidates acknowledged there is currently no dedicated emergency family shelter in Winnebago County and described different short-term approaches. Damel recounted the county’s prior cold-weather voucher partnership with the Salvation Army and said targeted outreach to identify those in need was critical to avoid over-advertising such resources. Motts and Hintz both urged continued collaboration with nonprofits, municipalities and landlords to secure housing and services.
Candidates described the county’s role as a safety net for people who arrive legally and lack immediate resources, and all said they would continue to work with local nonprofit partners to prevent families from being left without shelter during extreme weather.
