PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — 1,750. That’s how many people Pillars in Appleton helped in 2025.
The nonprofit specializes in providing support to the homeless community.
“It takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of commitment from our staff in order to serve 1,750 people a year. They are truly amazing,” said Pillars Executive Director Lisa Strandberg.
She said 1,750 is roughly the same number of people the nonprofit served in 2024. But that’s not to say there hasn’t been an increase in homelessness. Strandberg said there’s still a huge need for support.
“We spend about $5.5 million a year, need about 700 volunteers a year, to really deliver the services that we do,” Strandberg explained. “Homelessness is on the rise in our communities because housing is in short supply.”
She continued, “We see unsheltered homelessness on the rise. We see our programs bottlenecking. Sometimes it’s hard to get people in and out of our programs because of that shortage of housing.”
Pillars received a donation of 10 rental properties last year. Strandberg said that’s the best way forward.
Housing is the solution to homelessness. Increased housing development, landlords willing to work with people with a less than spotless record, really finding those creative solutions to get people housed. That’s the answer.
Alongside growing its housing portfolio, Pillars is working to engage with more community partners and expand its team over the next year.
“It really takes the whole community working together in order to address issues of homelessness,” Strandberg told us.
Pillars currently operates two shelters in Appleton. Each is open 365 days a year. Together, the shelters accommodate around 135 people.
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