Wausau and Marathon County task force outlines gaps, opens interim shelter while seeking long-term plan

Wausau and Marathon County officials on Monday presented the Joint Marathon County–City of Wausau Homelessness Task Force report, described an interim, county-backed shelter now operating in downtown Wausau and recommended a coordinated, measurable plan to reduce repeated homelessness across the county.

The task force — chaired by Ron Covelli, who presented the report — laid out how local law enforcement, nonprofits and health providers have responded to a growing unhoused population and listed gaps in shelter, transitional housing and behavioral health services that the task force said must be addressed as part of a multisector plan.

The task force’s report matters because the city and county have both committed short-term funding and operational support to keep shelter capacity in place while they seek a long-term provider; the panel recommended a county–city work plan to produce a coordinated roadmap by the first quarter of 2026 with the stated aim of achieving a “functional zero” outcome for repeat homelessness.

Task force chair Ron Covelli said, “Homelessness is a very complex issue with many layers,” and asked the governing bodies to treat the problem as a regional system requiring coordinated services and shared responsibility. Matt Barnes, chief of the Wausau Police Department, reviewed the local history that led to today’s operating model: enforcement of revised park and ramp ordinances, the creation of a community outreach position in 2022 and the city’s use of ARPA funds to shore up 365-day shelter capacity in 2024–25.

Barnes described the city’s encampment removal procedure and told the joint meeting that the city follows a posting-and-notice process before clearing camps: “it is a 14 day process of posting encampments, giving notice, property of value is stored … and after that period of time … the entity comes in with the assistance of law enforcement and we clean up the space.”

The report summarized provider capacity and service gaps. Presenters from North Central Healthcare and North Central Community Action Program emphasized shortages on the treatment side and in housing for people with disabilities, people with criminal records or eviction histories, and transitional housing for women. North Central Healthcare’s senior director of behavioral health services, Vicki Tilka, and Diane Sunholz of North Central CAP said the behavioral health workforce shortage and Medicaid reimbursement limits constrain local capacity and slow access to services.

Faith- and community-based providers reported substantial private investment in services: Bridge Street Mission said day-center and meal services serve dozens daily and that planned facility expansions will increase capacity; nonprofit leaders said local charities and volunteers contribute more than $1.5 million annually to homeless services in Wausau, though not all organizations responded to the survey.

As an immediate step, the city opened a gap-filling shelter, the WMC shelter, on May 1 in the basement of Frish United Methodist Church, 903 Third Avenue. The shelter was described as staffed by city employees and volunteers, operating nightly with check-in at 6 p.m. and departure at 8 a.m. Task force presenters reported the shelter’s first 18 nights have served 85 unduplicated individuals; nightly occupancy ranged from about 30 on low nights to about 50 on the highest night. Of that population the task force reported roughly 30 percent were female and about 16 percent were gainfully employed.

County and city leaders told the joint meeting that Marathon County committed matching dollars to help fund interim shelter services; the task force and staff produced an initial RFP that received no responsive proposals, then issued a second RFP that closes at the end of May and will be reviewed by the Board of Public Works in June. Officials said the interim shelter will operate through Dec. 31 while they evaluate proposals and pursue a stable, long-term shelter contract.

The task force identified several gaps it recommends the county and city address in the next phase: more short- and long-term affordable units for people on fixed incomes; accessible units for people with disabilities; transitional housing for women and families; neutral (non-faith-based) transitional housing options; coordinated landlord outreach and a landlord risk-mitigation fund; better coordination of case management across providers; and expansion of behavioral-health treatment capacity.

County officials and several supervisors at the meeting emphasized another unresolved question raised during discussion: whether municipalities outside Marathon County that persistently transport unhoused people into Wausau should contribute to costs or be subject to formal agreements. Presenters said there is no local mechanism to recoup costs when nonresident individuals are transported here, and they noted an attorney-general opinion requested by Eau Claire is being watched for guidance on interjurisdictional responsibilities.

Officials asked staff to return with a coordinated plan. The task force recommended directing the county administrator to work with Wausau city staff and to engage surrounding municipalities on resource sharing; the report proposed producing a coordinated, actionable long-term plan to reach a measurable goal of functional zero homelessness by the end of the first quarter of 2026.

Several county supervisors and city alderpersons praised volunteers, private donors and the police department’s rapid operational work to open the WMC shelter, and presenters listed businesses and organizations that have supplied meals, appliances and other in-kind support. Presenters repeatedly cautioned that workforce shortages in behavioral health and risks to Medicaid funding are constraints on expanding services.

The joint meeting concluded with formal adjournment votes for the Wausau Common Council (motion by Hanke, second by Veil; unanimous) and the Marathon County Board of Supervisors (motion by Rosenberg, second by DeBreu; unanimous). Officials said they will report back as RFP results and the coordinated plan progress.