Milwaukee warming shelters working to meet demand ahead of anticipated worsening weather
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Warming shelters throughout the city of Milwaukee are at or near capacity every night, according to the people that run them.
Right now, about 175 people are accessing those shelters on an average night, but that need is expected to increase as the weather gets even colder.
To illustrate the need for these resources: men lined up Wednesday afternoon outside Guest House of Milwaukee more than three hours before that warming shelter would open its doors.
With conditions expected to worsen in the coming days, community advocates are working to expand capacity across the city.
Stephen Bauer is the CEO of Guest House of Milwaukee. He told us, "In many cases, it could be life or death."
Which is why Bauer says services like his at Guest House are critical.
Right now, 22 beds are available for men every night on a walk-in basis, no matter the conditions.
Bauer said, "We've been full for warming every night since we opened December 1st."
He told us an area-wide housing crisis has increased the demand for long-term housing and long-term shelters. And several emergency warming shelters, Guest House among them, can help provide some stability in the short-term.
"We have a number of guys that come for warming that come every night. So it's nice that we get to establish a relationship with them and they get to know Guest House."
Because of such high demand, Guest House is working with the city of Milwaukee to try and expand by an extra 25-30 beds.
Rafael Acevedo is the Grant Compliance Manager for the city of Milwaukee. He said, "We have been pretty close, at capacity or pretty close to capacity at some of our locations."
Acevedo told us an average of 150-175 people have been staying at various locations each night, but it's been a mild winter so far and those numbers could shoot up at any moment.
He said the city's homeless outreach workers are out every night looking for people to help. "They've built a relationship with them and a trust to say, 'Hey, this is not a good idea for you to stay out here tonight.'"
Right now, warming shelters are not part of the city budget, so Acevedo needs to find alternative funding every year.
He's been able to fund the majority of this winter's efforts through federal grants and a $25,000 grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
But, Acevedo said, "We're trying to get more philanthropic and private sector partners to get involved in this initiative to support it."
And time is a factor. Stephen Bauer said there has been an increase in families experiencing homelessness, and an ongoing need for more space and more funding. "The need is big. And the need is only getting bigger."