GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Volunteers counted eight homeless people living on the streets of Brown County early today (Thursday).
Inside New Community Shelter, in Green Bay, 24 backpacks were filled with supplies.
“If we encounter anyone on the street, we want to make sure that we’re providing them with some, just basic, essentials. There’s soap, there’s hat, gloves, scarf,” said Michelle Frampton, Brown County Homeless and Housing Coalition director.
“We want people to trust us and let people know that we’re there and connect them to any resource that they might need.”
As volunteers arrived, they filled out paperwork and were split into teams of two to four people.
With a backpack in hand, volunteers like Cheryl Detrick headed outside.
“We’re out tonight looking behind closed buildings. In places where folks might be… against a building where it might be warm.”
She works for an organization called Newcap. One of its specialties includes providing affordable housing.
She tells FOX 11 this is her 3rd year participating in the homeless count.
“We have to do it. It’s mandated by the Housing and Urban Development Department for all homeless programs.”
Detrick says there are some common misconceptions about homelessness.
“I think the biggest misconception is that people have done something wrong, that they’ve done something to deserve it or they just don’t want to work and in my experience, the vast majority of cases, that is not the truth.”
As the group continued its search, Detrick talks about a reason that could lead to homelessness.
“We want homelessness to end. We know in our community our biggest issue is a lack of affordable housing. There’s just not enough of it. There isn’t enough for people who have a decent paying job and can afford rents let alone for people who are marginal.”
The areas searched included Green Bay, De Pere, Ashwaubenon, Bellevue, Howard, Suamico, and Pulaski.
Of the eight homeless people found living on the streets of Brown County, Frampton says one person was taken to a homeless shelter.
The count happens twice a year. The next one is in July.
