Homeless outreach hindering housing efforts, Milwaukee BID says

MILWAUKEE - The number of tents in Milwaukee's MacArthur Square is growing. Milwaukee's downtown business district said one nonprofit is partly to blame for the growing homeless population.

Milwaukee's Downtown Business Improvement District and the Street Angels say they have the same goal: Eradicating homelessness in Milwaukee. However, they disagree on how to get there and where resources should go.

FOX6 found dozens of tents and a BBQ going at MacArthur Square Monday afternoon, Oct. 10. Some of the tents came from the Street Angels.

"These are the tents we hand out," said Eva Welch, executive co-director. "They’re very small, one-man, barely one-man tents."

The Street Angels' buses are stocked with supplies. They hand them all out all across Milwaukee County three nights a week. They say they help on-average 200 people a night.

"People still need to survive outdoors, and in Wisconsin, sometimes, that means a tent and a blanket."

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Milwaukee's downtown Business Improvement District believes that is having unintended consequences, like keeping people from turning towards long-term solutions. The BID's CEO talked with FOX6 about it over the phone, Beth Weirick.

"Individuals that may say, ‘Sure, I’m interested in housing,’ and then the next day they say, ‘No, I have a tent now and my friends are bringing me food three times a week, so I’m good.’"

Weirick said Monday their partners with the city's Housing First program were working on drafting a letter, urging community leaders to devote resources to shelters and housing instead of organizations like the Street Angels.

"If we’re going to spend money on resources, let’s spend money on the resources to really, truly end homelessness," said Weirick. 

Welch said the Street Angels also work to connect people with housing, but there isn't enough to go around. She said until more housing is available, they'll do what they can to make sleeping outside as comfortable as possible.

"Tents don’t cause or enable homelessness," said Welch. "What they do provide is a little bit of dignity, a little bit of protection, and a little bit of warmth."

It's unclear how many groups are involved in writing the letter urging resources not to go to the Street Angels. 

FOX6 News reached out to Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson's office. A spokesperson said he was unaware of any letter and said questions should be directed to Steve Mahan, the city's top official on homeless issues. FOX6 News sent him a list of questions about this but has not received a response. 

Full Statement from Beth Weirick, Milwaukee Downtown BID #21 CEO: 

"Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 recognizes the challenges and complexities in finding housing
solutions for our unsheltered population. Programs that focus on housing as a first step toward
stabilization have proven effective in making an impact – not only in our community, but cities
nationwide.

While there are organizations that are well intended in providing basic needs such as tents and food, there are unintended consequences to their actions. Community resources should be focused on long-term solutions to end homelessness – solutions that provide our unsheltered citizens with dignity, permanent housing, and wraparound services.

Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 remains committed to working with Milwaukee County Housing
Division in addressing an individual’s entire well-being. Currently, our organization funds a full-time Downtown Homeless Outreach Coordinator and a full-time Public Service Ambassador Outreach Coordinator to assist Milwaukee County Housing Division in their mission.

Raising awareness on the success of Housing First and the resources that exist through Milwaukee County Housing Division are a priority for our organization. We encourage the citizens of Milwaukee to lead with a larger vision and we advocate for the investment of resources into providing permanent shelter and wraparound services."