APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – The goal of a set of bills passed by the Wisconsin legislature to address issues of homelessness across the state is pretty straightforward.
“Move people from dependence on government to independent,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Steineke says, “We’re trying to keep people from being homeless in the first place, and then if they do become homeless we’re providing them with the resources and training they need to become independent again.”
The funding bills help homeless shelters and other programs, granting $500,000 a year for the next two years. But what exactly is that money intended to do?
“It’s the first of it’s kind in more than a decade with an increase in funding for these kinds of services…We’re giving grants to shelters that are in desperate need of updating and expanding based on the demand that we’re seeing for their services,” Steineke tells the WTAQ Morning News with Matt and Earl, “It’s not like these individuals can just pull themselves up by their bootstraps. In many cases, they’re dealing with pretty significant mental and addiction issues. That just makes it very difficult once they find themselves homeless to really repair that issue without some assistance.”
The assistance allows those individuals to seek help in whatever capacity may be necessary for them to regain independence. There is some concern over the spending on the bills, but Steineke argues that it’s a solid conservative plan.
“Every homeless individual already costs the state about $30,000 a year. This package of bills spends about $250 per individual to try to get them back on their feet,” Steineke says, “Money has already been set aside for those bills, it’s just passing the policies so we can get the money out the door. The bill that passed and got signed into law this week is part of a much broader comprehensive effort to attack homelessness on every end of the spectrum.”
But the assistance isn’t just beneficial to the homeless shelters and individuals seeing the direct impact. When people are able to get a job and find their way off the street, it can have an economic influence a well.
“When you talk to employers in the state, especially with our low unemployment rate, they need as many bodies as they can. So it behooves us to get as many people ready for the workforce as we can,” Steineke says.
It’s estimated that there are more than 20,000 homeless people in the state in any given year. But many people, even some lawmakers, aren’t aware of just how widespread the issue is in Wisconsin.
“There is such a misunderstanding of how big the problem is. Some senators who are opposed to this believe there are no homeless in their districts, which is just fundamentally not true. There are homelessness issues in virtually every corner of the state,” Steineke says.
The first of eight bills was signed into law by Governor Tony Evers this week. It provides the aforementioned $1 million in aid. All eight bills would spend a combined $3.7 million to combat the growing homelessness problem in Wisconsin.
