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Wausau shelter opens May 1; coordinators report 85 guests, notable community support and services
Summary
City outreach staff and Catholic Charities reported the shelter opened May 1, has served 85 unduplicated individuals (35% women, 16% employed), and benefitted from community donations and volunteers; Catholic Charities provided additional quarterly statistics and summer service plans.
City outreach staff told the Public Health and Safety Committee May 19 that a temporary shelter opened May 1 and has served 85 unduplicated individuals since opening. Tracy Durante, the city’s outreach coordinator, said 35 percent of guests are women and 16 percent are employed. Volunteers and community donations have supported operations, and staff reported the shelter has had few removals; one person was asked to leave for a night.
Durante said the shelter’s configuration allowing separation of women has been appreciated by female guests and has increased a sense of safety. Volunteers and local organizations have supplied meals and donated items, and Durante publicly thanked a list of donors and partners that helped the launch.
Committee members asked about neighborhood impacts. The police chief confirmed the city had received concerns from nearby organizations such as the YMCA; the department reassigned and reprioritized patrols and said regular communication with the YMCA has helped address problems. Deputy Chief Baten visited the shelter and engaged with guests, which staff said had a positive effect on guest behavior and neighborhood relations.
Catholic Charities’ Gary Feltes presented operational data drawn from the statewide coordinated entry system (Clarity) for April and additional service information. Feltes reported Good Shepherd Shelter had 89 (monthly total), a daily census averaging 28.6 guests, and average daily turnaways of 1.7 for April. He clarified that Good Shepherd reserves beds for working individuals but that if a reservation holder does not show by 7:00 a.m. staff may offer the bed to other guests. Feltes also noted that starting May 1 the city’s operating mode changes for the warm months (the shelter is not operating night sheltering in the same way during warm months and will shift in winter).
Catholic Charities said it will offer summer services including drop-off laundry and shower access Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the program will provide four showers with time limits when demand is high. Committee members and staff discussed the possibility of council member tours or volunteer nights, and staff encouraged individual visits rather than large group tours to preserve guest privacy.
The committee thanked outreach staff and community partners and placed the outreach update on file.
