Good Shepherd shelter opens; Wausau outreach staff report lower unduplicated shelter counts and transition plans

City outreach staff presented an update on homeless sheltering and community outreach, saying the Catholic Charities Good Shepherd Shelter opened Nov. 1 and that the city’s shelter numbers consequently fell for November.

Tracy, the outreach presenter, said: “we still to date have had 327 unduplicated individuals visit our shelter since May 1,” and that roughly 31 percent of those individuals were female last month. She thanked volunteers and community partners — noting more than 1,000 volunteer hours at the shelter in November — and credited Bridge Street Mission and other partners for extending hours during a recent cold weekend.

Staff described an ongoing transition: Bridge Street Mission (Craig Vincent) is expanding operations and is building out an estimated 8,000 square feet to accommodate a transfer of services. Tracy said Catholic Charities’ Good Shepherd Shelter will operate through April–early May, minimizing any gap between the changeover and ensuring at least one shelter remains available.

Committee members asked about capacity and process: Tracy said the police‑operated shelter was not at capacity during the recent weekend and that the combined bed capacity between the two shelters should be sufficient for winter. The committee discussed compliance steps for any new shelter facility and were told no ordinance extensions are expected; staff will report back as Bridge Street Mission’s buildout progresses.