GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Some downtown Green Bay businesses say they’ve seen an increase in crime and other problems since a temporary homeless shelter opened up.
In October, St. John’s Homeless Shelter opened a second site to accommodate social distancing protocols.
The temporary shelter is only for men and is on the second floor of the Bay Lake City Center Building on North Adams Street. The permanent site is about a one-mile drive to the south.
Madrid Tapas Restaurant and Wine Bar reports its lost thousands of dollars in damage and stolen property in the past year.
“I haven’t totaled it because I don’t want to be any angry about it,” said Amanda Patterson, owner of Madrid Tapas.
Patterson tells FOX 11 she doesn’t believe homeless people are completely responsible, but she says problems have increased since St. John’s opened its temporary shelter one block away.
“Coming in and harassing customers, coming in screaming at us because of their situations or saying that we’ve stolen something from them. We don’t even put things out anymore because of all the vandalism, the theft.”
Patterson says she’s tried to help the homeless she’s encountered at her business, but she’s trying to create firm boundaries after continued issues.
“To have somebody when they come in and they’re distressed and help them, calm them down, give them food, send them on their way and you think that you’ve helped somebody and then to go out there and find out they’ve caused $3,000 worth of damage and they smile at you and walked out of your front door, that hurts.”
Alderperson Brian Johnson tells FOX 11 he’s had several businesses contact him about problems.
“The property owners that I’ve spoken to haven’t indicated that they knew anything about this until some of the problems arose. In fact, even as a member of the city council, I didn’t know about this until I started receiving complaints from some of the business owners.”
Johnson thinks that is likely because the city granted a temporary use permit for the shelter, which doesn’t require city council approval.
The temporary permit allows for 90 days of use, with another 90 days of renewal.
“There is a solution that exists, but we need every voice at the table,” said Johnson.
“Our response has been to try to make ourselves extremely available to have conversations, to meet with staff, to meet with leadership to keep these lines of communication open,” said Alexia Wood, executive director of St. John’s Homeless Shelter.
Wood tells FOX 11 the homeless needs during the pandemic wouldn’t have been met in Green Bay without the second site.
“If you don’t do it right, you’d be sitting with a health crisis and we’d be talking a very different story right now.”
The lease for the temporary site runs until April 30th and the current plan is to then operate out of just the permanent location next winter.
Green Bay Police say 63 calls for service for the shelter address have been made since November of last year.
Police say they hold the homeless accountable, but also try to connect them to necessary resources so they do not reoffend.
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