GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – To begin the shelter season, both men and women seeking shelter with St. John’s Ministries were housed at the men’s shelter at 411 St. John Street.
But on Monday, the non-profit was able to reopen its shelter exclusively for women, located on East Walnut Street.
“We’re committed to making sure that this women’s shelter and the men’s shelter are open throughout the remainder of the shelter season,” said St. John’s Ministries Executive Director Jesse Brunette.
Staffing shortages prevented St. John’s Ministries from opening the women’s shelter at the beginning of November. At one point, about 25% of shifts were unfilled.
Numbers have improved to a level where they can safely staff both shelters, though St. John’s says its difficult to say exactly how many positions are still available.
“Because a lot of people that apply for these shifts, some could work a day or two, some could work multiple shifts,” said Brunette.
St. John’s Ministries tells FOX 11 that last week, an average of roughly 127 people were staying at the men’s shelter each night.
An average of 35 of those people were women.
“I’m homeless, and I’m out here struggling just like everyone else,” said Cathy House. “Economy went up, life went down, here we are.”
For House, being able to seek shelter at the women’s location provides a sense of comfort.
“I would rather be here than there, because we’ve got women who understand women,” added House.
From Nov. 1 to Dec. 3, St. John’s Ministries has sheltered an average of 73 men and 32 women. That’s up from the same time period last year, where they averaged 62 men and 27 women.
“We were already trending to making this decision,” said Brunette. “But that extremely high number of guests really made it really important to us to open this facility.”
The shelter season runs through April 30th.
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