Homeless have place to sleep in winter
By Robert Cloud
Two years before Foundations For Living opened its warming shelter, a homeless man nearly froze to death.
“What brought homelessness to our attention was hearing about a man who was living in a storage unit during the winter,” said Wilma Akright, the shelter’s executive director. “He almost died one night and was taken to the Emergency Room.”
Akright said Foundations For Living decided it needed to provide a place where people could sleep and be protected from the elements.
On Nov. 8, 2015, the nonprofit group opened a warming shelter on Churchill Street, in Waupaca.
The facility can provide overnight shelter for up to eight guests per night.
“We usually have about five guests,” said Jan Blohm, who oversees client services at the shelter. “We have not had to turn anybody away.”
The shelter is open only during the winter months, Nov. 1 through April 30.
Due to zoning restrictions, guests are only allowed to stay there from 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
Akright said about three-fourths of those who stay at the shelter are men.
Blohm noted women stay one or two nights, while men stay weeks or months.
“Women find it easier to find a place to stay temporarily,” Akright said.
Akright described three major ways local people often cope with being homeless.
Many live in their cars for as long as they can bear the inclement weather.
“This is common with young men who have minimum wage jobs,” Aklright said.
A second form of coping is “sofa surfing.”
Some area homeless people stay with friends or relatives for short periods of time.
Akright said many of those who are “sofa surfing” have children.
Fifty-three children in Waupaca schools registered as homeless at the beginning of this year, Akright said.
The third way people deal with being homeless is to sleep in the doorways of stores or in old, abandoned buildings.
Addiction, mental health
Akright sees several causes that contribute to homelessness.
Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a problem for some of those who come to the shelter.
“We’ve always had our doors open to AA groups and Fresh Hope,” Blohm said.
The shelter also works with Waupaca County Drug Court to provide shelter to some of its clients.
The first graduate of drug court stayed at the shelter, then worked as a volunteeer for Foundations For Living.
One of the classes offered by Foundations For Living is called Changes, which helps people make healthier lifestyle choices.
Mental illness and cognitive disabilities also push people into homelessness.
“You can’t forcibly get people help,” Akright said.
Foundations For Living works with the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, CAP Services, probation and parole, churches, local police and the sheriff’s office.
The shelter provides referrals for financial or recovery assistance, as well as receives referrals for people who need shelter.
Poverty
Akright attributed some homelessness to low wages.
“They have jobs, they’re making minimum wage and there is no way, even with two people living together, that they can afford $500 rent a month,” Akright said.
Foundations For Living partners with the Salvation Army to provide crisis intervention.
Families can receive one-time financial assistance for emergencies such as auto repairs, gas, partial rent payment, groceries or utilities.
“As a hub for the Salvation Army, we can provide a lot of help that we couldn’t as just a local nonprofit,” Akright said.
“Normally, we have people coming here every day,” Blohm said. “Because we have so many people, we have limits on how much assistance we can offer.”
Some church and civic groups donate shopping cards for groceries or gas.
Helping tenants
Some of the homeless have been evicted from their apartments due to not paying their rent or failing to keep them clean.
“We’re working with local landlords who are willing to give tenants a second or third chance,” Blohm said.
The tenants must sign a dual contract with the landlord and Foundations For Living.
“They pay weekly, agree to keep the house clean and agree to weekly inspections,” Akright said. “There’s rules and they can be kicked out.”
Blohm said about five landlords and 12 families have participated in the program.
Moving forward
Currently, the warming shelter is adding a shower, kitchenette, laundry room and closets.
“We will feed our guests, have them take a shower, give them clean clothes to sleep in and wash their laundry,” Blohm said. “They can leave here in the morning and feel better about themselves.”
Blohm said working at the warming shelter is not an easy job.
“Compassion is what drives you to keep coming in each day or each week,” Blohm said.
“What we give them the most is hope,” Akright said.