City reports first-month shelter census and progress; staff work with Bridge Street Mission on proposed long-term facility

City outreach coordinator Tracy Durante reported to the Public Health and Safety Committee on Monday that the newly opened shelter served 110 unduplicated guests in its first month and that staff are coordinating with community partners and Marathon County on longer-term shelter plans, including a proposal from Bridge Street Mission to develop an 8,200-square-foot facility.

The committee placed Durante’s outreach report on file after substantive discussion about case coordination, data-sharing and plans for a long-term facility. Staff described ongoing task-force work on a case-management model and said they plan to present a contracting proposal related to Bridge Street Mission within about one month so the council can act.

Why it matters: The shelter provides emergency housing and case coordination for people experiencing homelessness. The Bridge Street Mission proposal, if contracted and built, could shift the city away from operating the emergency shelter and into a partnership with a community provider for longer-term services.

What the shelter data show

Tracy Durante, outreach coordinator, told the committee, “we in our first month of operation, we saw a 110 unduplicated guests in our shelter. About 25% of those are women, and about 16% of those are actively employed.” Durante said two individuals were housed in May and another was housed in June; the shelter’s daily census ranged from a low of 30 to a high of 58.

Durante also reported the shelter recorded 1,030 volunteer hours in May and that local businesses donated meals during May and into June. She said staff are using a by-name release-of-information (ROI) process so case discussions can refer to individuals by name when partners convene to coordinate services.

Coordination, HMIS and task-force work

Committee members discussed system access for case management. Durante said access to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is available to continuum-of-care members but not universally; the ROI helps convene providers who are not HMIS users. The city’s joint task force with Marathon County and a United Way-led parallel task force are discussing a care-team approach and weekly case meetings similar to a Pathways Home model used in La Crosse County.

Bridge Street Mission proposal and next steps

Staff described a responsive proposal from Bridge Street Mission to convert about 8,200 square feet of unfinished space into shelter facilities with separate areas for men and women. Bridge Street Mission has committed to private fundraising to build out the space. The mayor and staff have met with Bridge Street Mission’s board and Marathon County leadership, including Craig Vincent, and staff said the next step is to define contract terms and present them to council — possibly via a special meeting or committee of the whole within about a month.

A staff member said, “I would love to get out of the shelter business by the end of the year,” noting that timelines depend on construction and contracting. Committee members indicated willingness to schedule special meetings if necessary to expedite a decision.

Decisions and actions

The committee placed the outreach report on file and asked staff to prepare contract information related to the Bridge Street Mission proposal for council consideration. No final contract or funding appropriation was approved at the June 16 meeting.

Speakers quoted or cited

- Tracy Durante, outreach coordinator — provided shelter census, housing outcomes and volunteer-hour totals. - Mayor (referenced) and Craig Vincent (county official) — referenced in staff discussions about Bridge Street Mission.

Ending

Staff will prepare contract terms and materials regarding the Bridge Street Mission proposal and bring them to the council or a specially scheduled meeting for decision. The shelter remains operational while partners refine a longer-term plan.