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Residents and service providers urge Fond du Lac council to expand housing and support services
Summary
Multiple people with lived experience and service providers addressed the council during public comment, calling for increased affordable housing, mental-health and addiction services and clearer coordination between city and county roles.
Dozens of residents and representatives of service providers told the Fond du Lac City Council on Feb. 12 that homelessness in the community requires faster, coordinated action and more resources.
Speakers described barriers to exiting homelessness, including mental-health and substance-use disorders, high housing costs and limited local supports. “Mental health issues, substance abuse, high housing costs, and insufficient support services are what are making it difficult to escape the cycle of homelessness,” a statement read on behalf of Brandy, a person experiencing homelessness, said through a proxy.
Several speakers said procedural and policy hurdles make it difficult for people to participate in civic processes. Jacob Glenell, identified as a recent member of the local homeless population, said attending the council meeting would have required him to forfeit a shelter bed: “Attending this meeting would mean sacrificing a bed to sleep in and a shelter which keeps me off of the street,” he said.
Advocates and service providers urged the council to create more pathways to permanent housing and to meet directly with people who are experiencing homelessness. A longtime advocate who works with local groups including Hope on the Block and the Opportunity Center said council members need to “go out to them and have conversations with them, hearing their stories instead of all of us speaking for them.”
Speakers also recommended stronger local coordination. One commenter asked why opioid-related funds held by the city could not be redirected in part to homelessness initiatives. Another urged the city to assign a designated staff person to coordinate housing efforts and to pursue community development approaches such as small, volunteer-built housing projects.
Council members did not take immediate action during the meeting but acknowledged the comments and noted the issue will proceed through the council’s Committee of the Whole for further review.
The remarks underscore broad community concern and point to several policy options the council could consider, including targeted funding allocations, an appointed housing coordinator, partnerships with nonprofit providers and developer incentives for affordable housing.
