Housing Milwaukee County's homeless, leaders respond to growing need
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County Housing Services said a big push is underway to get people housing – especially as the weather gets colder.
"Every year this time of year we get in emergency mode," said Eric Collins-Dyke, Housing Services deputy administrator.
"Almost everyone wants a warm safe and dry permanent place to live," James Mathy, Housing Services' administrator, said.
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There are still quite a few tents at the Holt Avenue Park and Ride, but at park and ride lots and beyond, Housing Services leaders said they are seeing more people without shelter.
"We’re looking at anywhere between 180 to 190 on the street give or take," Collins-Dyke said.
Encampment at Holt Avenue park and ride
"A lot of municipalities we’ve talked to across the country have definitely seen an increase," Mathy said.
That come after a big decrease. Collins-Dyke said the number of people in need of housing fell to 17 or 18 at points over the past two years. Mathy said the lowest counts come in January, adding that the number of people unsheltered this summer was higher than it was in 2022.
"For two consecutive years, we had the lowest unsheltered count in the country per capita," said Mathy. "That wasn’t by accident."
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Mathy said federal funding during the COVID-19 pandemic made a world of difference before it dried up.
"It was certainly that gap in funding that set a lot of communities back across the country," said Mathy.
Now, the Housing Services administrator said recent funding through the American Rescue Plan has allowed them to hire new housing navigators this fall. Those navigators can help with things like apartment applications and showings.
"That will dramatically help, especially with the park and ride situations," said Mathy.
Encampment at Holt Avenue park and ride
"Every single person at both of those park and rides is assigned to one of our housing navigators," Collins-Dyke said.
Collins-Dyke said a new coordinator will help find landlords who will work with people in need of housing. With that work, leaders said they are optimistic.
"We need more landlords," said Collins-Dyke. "We hope we can get back to those low numbers."
Housing Services said the ultimate goal is to invest in prevention, like rental assistance, to keep people from experiencing homelessness in the first place. Housing Services also said it is investing in the new housing navigator positions to keep them around for years to come.