Joint task force outlines gaps, opens interim shelter as county, city fund short-term services

A joint Marathon County–City of Wausau Homelessness Task Force presented findings Monday evening and recommended a coordinated county‑city plan to reduce recurring homelessness, while the Wausau Police Department is running an interim shelter through Dec. 31.

The task force’s chair, Ron Covelli, told the joint meeting “Homelessness is a very complex issue with many layers.” The group’s report, delivered to the Wausau Common Council and the Marathon County Board of Supervisors, summarized local history, service capacity, gaps in treatment and housing, and short‑term actions to maintain shelter options while officials seek a permanent operator.

The committee identified a mix of short‑ and long‑term needs: stable 365‑day shelter, more transitional and accessible units for people on fixed incomes or with disabilities, non‑faith‑based transitional housing, and additional mental‑health and substance‑use disorder treatment capacity. The task force recommended the county administrator work with Wausau city staff to develop a coordinated, actionable plan aiming for a measurable “functional zero” target and to engage surrounding municipalities about resource sharing and contributions.

Matt Barnes, chief of the Wausau Police Department and a task force member, reviewed a local timeline of responses and enforcement changes that accompanied the growth in visible unhoused encampments. Barnes said that despite past ordinances and outreach work, shelter capacity declined after the Salvation Army shifted to a families‑only model in 2024. He described the city and county using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to stabilize interim shelter services for 2025 and 2026.

Barnes described the interim WMC shelter that opened May 1: “On May 1, we opened the WMC shelter, which is the Wausau Marathon County Shelter…located at 903 Third Avenue. It’s the Frisch United Methodist Church of Wausau. It’s their basement.” The shelter is staffed by city employees in three eight‑hour shifts and volunteers; guests may arrive at 6 p.m. and are expected to leave by 8 a.m. the next morning.

Through the shelter’s first 18 nights, staff recorded 85 unduplicated users, nightly occupancy ranging from about 30 to 50 people, about 30% female and roughly 16% employed. Officials said the city and county are covering the interim operating costs while they run a second request for proposals (RFP) for a long‑term operator; the first RFP drew no proposals and the second closes at the end of the month.

Task force members outlined service provider capacity in Wausau: faith‑based organizations (Bridge Street Mission, Salvation Army, Gospel TLC, Hager House) provide meal services, day centers and transitional beds; Catholic Charities historically ran a Good Shepherd warming shelter and reserves some capacity for November–April; nonprofits and county programs run Section 8 tenant‑based rental assistance, permanent supportive housing and prevention programming. North Central Healthcare provides community treatment, outpatient services, a medically monitored 28‑day residential program and crisis stabilization units; it also highlighted workforce and Medicaid reimbursement constraints.

Vicki Tilka of North Central Healthcare said, “If there is a successful program to address the unhoused population, it does need to contain an effective treatment program and adequate providers.” Task force members warned that Marathon County’s per‑capita supply of licensed clinicians is below statewide averages and that any federal Medicaid reductions would materially affect local treatment capacity.

The task force listed near‑term operational ideas: a landlord risk‑mitigation fund, landlord training and rapid‑response repair contractors, employer engagement and facilitated community conversations to connect businesses and service providers. Bill Conway, a county board member on the task force, emphasized that keeping people housed is often harder than placing them initially and recommended work with landlords and employers to sustain tenancies.

The group set a timeline for further work: an intermediate recommendation within 45 days about engaging surrounding municipalities, and a directive for the county administrator and city staff to produce a coordinated long‑term plan by the end of first quarter 2026. Officials said that any such plan will require additional resources and cross‑sector engagement.

Council members and county supervisors praised the task force and the rapid creation of the interim shelter; several elected officials urged continuing oversight, steady public communication and attention to transportation, youth services and school district contacts. Administrators noted legal and policy questions remain about municipalities moving people across jurisdictions and about how other counties might share costs.

The report and the interim shelter represent immediate operational steps and a broader policy recommendation: develop a system‑level, coordinated delivery model for homelessness response, with specific gap analysis and measurable targets due in early 2026.

Ending: The joint meeting adjourned after the presentation; both bodies thanked the task force, shelter volunteers and partner organizations for the initial work and called for continued collaboration on the plan.