FOX VALLEY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — With bitter cold still blanketing Northeast Wisconsin, shelters in the Fox Valley are taking extra steps to ensure they can help as many people in need as possible.
Day by Day Shelter in Oshkosh has served 50 people every night since it opened three years ago. That’s full capacity. But according to Executive Director Molly Yatso-Butz, when it comes to severe weather, it takes emergency action.
“We do have a policy that for our community, homeless individuals in our community, we can open 15 additional beds,” she said.
Those beds have been full since last Thursday. The shelter plans to run them until the weather warms up later this week. Yatso-Butz said they’re working alongside community partners to help provide that care.
“Salvation Army is providing overflow. So, once we hit our capacity of 15, they will take the people who then aren’t able to come here, and then the county is providing motel vouchers for women and children as well,” she explained.
Head north to Pillars in Appleton and you’ll see a similar sight: Shelters hitting capacity as the temperatures drop.
“We operate two shelters every day, and those shelters accommodate 135 people minimally,” said Executive Director Lisa Strandberg. “We’ve been able to expand and accommodate an extra 15 to 20 through this cold weather.”
The biannual point-in-time count is Wednesday. That is the headcount for the homeless population in the area, both in shelters and out in the elements. Strandberg told us that number could be impacted by the severe cold.
“We know that we’ve got some extra folks sheltered during these extreme temperatures, so we expect to actually see perhaps a lower count than in years past,” she said.
And with the increased demand, shelters are asking for donations of cleaning and hygiene supplies to keep up. You can find the full list below:
- All-purpose cleaning spray
- Laundry soap
- Fabric softener
- Liquid bleach
- Dryer sheets
- Warm gloves/mittens
- Hand/toe warmers
- Coffee pods
- Instant oatmeal packets
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