MILWAUKEE– From now until March 31st, six organizations are partnering with the city of Milwaukee to be warming centers as temperatures drop this winter.
Centers include Milwaukee County’s Hillview, Greater Galilee Baptist Church, St. Ben’s, Repairers of the Breach, The Milwaukee Rescue Mission, and Guest House Milwaukee.
Guest House Milwaukee CEO Stephen Bauer told WTMJ they and the other centers are providing beds for the people on the streets who need them most.
“We’re providing 22 beds a night. On a first come, first serve basis. They can come in, get a meal, and have a warm place to sleep for the overnight hours.” Bauer said.
In addition to being a warming center, Guest House Milwaukee also provides emergency shelters for up to 90 days, special housing and shelter programs for veterans, semi-permanent and permanent apartment programs, case management support, and mental health resources.
“Our end goal is to get people in the right physical health, mental health, emotional health, and spiritual health to be successful in keeping long-term housing, get stable jobs, educational programs, and mental health counseling as needed,” Bauer said.
Bauer said Guest House Milwaukee is the largest housing organization in Milwaukee, and even though he’s happy to help people, he wishes they didn’t have to be here.
“We wish everybody had a safe and warm home and a stable home to live in, but that’s just not our reality not now,” Bauer said. “I just think people don’t understand or fully see the level of housing insecurity that’s still in Milwaukee county… I would encourage others to learn more about it.”
He encouraged others to come and visit their shelter and others.
“Go visit other shelters, volunteer, donate, support [in] whatever way folks feel comfortable,” Bauer said. “Everyone deserves a warm place to sleep at night.”
The Milwaukee Rescue Mission, another partnering shelter, extends its hours to make sure people have a warm place to stay in the winter.
President and CEO Patrick Vanderbaugh told WTMJ, “We’re providing shelter to hundreds of homeless men, women, and children every single night of the year.”
The Milwaukee Rescue Mission has three different shelters that house varying amounts of people: a single men’s shelter that can host over 170 people a night, a single mother’s shelter that can host over 80 a night, and a single women’s shelter that can host about 20 people a night.
Vanderbaugh said they are the largest homeless shelter in Wisconsin, and they have goals to address systemic issues while providing shelter.
“We’ve got some great residential programs for people who are struggling with addiction. We are working more on mental health resources for people in need,” Vanderbaugh said. “Our goal is to transform brokenness and gain the resources they need so they can leave our shelters and provide for themselves.”
Through their residential programs, people can stay in the Milwaukee Rescue Mission’s shelters for more than a year.
Vanderbaugh said, “We’re committed to giving them the time that they need to really address some of these issues.”
All of these organizations are hoping to make some sort of a difference in this cold winter season.
