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Advocates warn Kenosha County of rising unsheltered population and call for expanded winter sheltering
Summary
A local organizer reported at least 60 people sleeping outdoors in recent counts and urged the county to plan for expanded winter sheltering as current warming-shelter hours are limited by funding cuts.
Marita Huff spoke during the Human Services Committee public-comment period to describe rising unsheltered homelessness in Kenosha County and urged county action ahead of winter.
"We found at least 60 people outside, at the point in time count, and these are not people that choose to be outside... These are people that can't find a place to live," Huff said on the record. She described individual cases, including a group of three people living on a picnic table behind a church and one woman with limited mobility who cannot reliably access restroom facilities.
Huff said apartment rents have risen sharply in some cases and that a local warming shelter (identified in the record as run by a local center) is currently open only three days a week because of cuts to federal funding. She said groups called Supporters of Shelter are trying to identify options and urged county coordination with providers; she noted county staff and officials would be kept informed.
Committee members acknowledged the comments during the citizen-comments period; no committee action was taken during the meeting. Huff urged the county to consider winter planning for the unsheltered population and to work with providers to increase shelter availability and referrals to services.
