Residents urge Kenosha County to declare emergency and expand warming centers as shelters fill

Speakers during the public‑comment period at the Kenosha County Board meeting on March 3 pressed county leaders for faster, clearer planning to protect people sleeping outdoors during prolonged cold weather.

Marita Huff of District 9 described her church, Emmanuel United Methodist, opening ‘‘five different times this winter’’ as an emergency warming center and said that during one storm ‘‘KHDS sheltered 75 people in motel rooms’’ including ‘‘27 children.’’ She told the board the county’s $30,000 share of motel vouchers, plus an additional $5,000, was used up by mid‑February and urged committees to require regular public reporting on the costs and to adopt an emergency‑weather declaration that would allow zoning flexibility to use suitable buildings as warming centers.

‘‘We don't need more people getting frostbite and amputations and dying of exposure,’’ Huff said, urging officials to publish a list of warming centers with reliable hours and to coordinate county and city leaders.

Several other speakers gave matching accounts. Mary Zorn said one woman ‘‘spent 25 consecutive nights sleeping on the floor’’ and reported that Shalom Center’s Hope Hub houses 10 people now and that ‘‘28’’ people sought shelter the previous night. Aaron Price and Leo Mathis, both of whom said they are currently unhoused, described the difficulty of surviving long cold spells and called for more permanent shelter and services.

Speakers pointed to responses in other communities — hospital or municipal openings during severe weather — and asked the board to consider similar local measures that pair volunteers and agency staff to provide centralized care. No board action on an emergency declaration occurred during the meeting; the comments were delivered during the public‑comment period for the board’s consideration.

What happens next: citizen speakers asked relevant committees (Human Services and Finance were named in separate communications at the meeting) to evaluate costs and operational plans. The board did not take a formal vote on a weather declaration in this session; committee referrals and budget items related to behavioral health and reentry staffing were read aloud later in the meeting.