Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness Shelter topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City reports shelter census of 40–58 nightly; mayor invites council to volunteer at Wausau shelter
Summary
Wausau officials said the city-run winter shelter has served about 90 unduplicated individuals and nightly occupancy between 40 and 58; the mayor invited council members to volunteer June 23 to learn shelter operations.
Mayor and Chief Barnes told the Common Council on May 27 that the city’s winter shelter operations have reached their 27th night of municipal responsibility and are serving dozens of people nightly.
Chief Barnes said the shelter’s nightly low has been about 40 people and its high about 58; unduplicated users to date are “probably in the nineties.” He said roughly one-third of nightly residents are female and about 20 shelter users work full time. The chief emphasized that some shelter use reflects economic hardship rather than only mental-health or substance-use issues.
The mayor said the joint city–county homeless task force recently presented recommendations at a public event and asked Chief Barnes to comment on shelter operations. Barnes described conversations with shelter residents and said those conversations have informed his thinking about potential policy responses.
To give council members first‑hand experience of shelter operations, the mayor invited alderpersons to volunteer one night; the target date is Monday, June 23. He said each night requires eight to 12 volunteers to operate and asked interested council members to email him so staff can coordinate and, if needed, formally post the gathering to avoid quorum rules.
No formal policy decisions were made at the meeting. The mayor said the volunteer opportunity is intended as a team-building and educational exercise that will better inform future policy discussions about the city’s role in addressing homelessness.
