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Wausau mayor, police chief report shelter serving 40–58 nightly; council invited to volunteer June 23
Summary
City leaders said the temporary Wausau shelter has seen nightly counts of 40 to 58 and asked councilors to experience operations firsthand by volunteering June 23; officials highlighted that roughly one-third of guests are female and about 20 are employed full time.
Mayor (unnamed) asked Chief Barnes to report on the city-run shelter during the May 20 Common Council meeting and invited council members to a volunteer night on Monday, June 23, to observe operations and help run the site.
Chief Barnes said the city was on the 27th night of running the shelter and that nightly occupancy has ranged from a low of 40 to a high of 58. He said approximately one-third of shelter residents are female and that the shelter has served “probably in the 90s of unduplicated individuals.”
Barnes noted the shelter population includes about 20 people who work full time and described that as evidence some homelessness is driven by economic factors rather than solely by addiction or mental health. “The fact that we have 58 people who will come and want to have a safe place to stay says that we're providing a safe place to stay,” Barnes said.
The mayor and Chief Barnes asked council members and the mayor to consider volunteering for one night of shelter operations; officials said each night requires roughly eight to 12 volunteers. The mayor said the volunteer night is intended as a team-building exercise and a way to help councilors understand operational and policy trade-offs before potential future policy decisions.
The council did not take formal action on shelter policy during the meeting; the mayor said staff and the task force with Marathon County will return to council with recommendations when appropriate.
