Later this month, volunteers in the Northwoods will join a statewide effort to find out how many people here are homeless.
The Northern Wisconsin Initiative To Stop Homelessness Continuum of Care's Lori Hallas says they will be checking persons in shelters, under bridges or other locations...
"....we have teams that will be going out in the areas of Crandon, Antigo, Eagle River, Minocqua and Rhinelander, just to see if there's anyone on the street..."
N*Wish is comprised of various state government and public housing agencies, non-profit and faith-based organizations along with other groups.
The Point-In-Time count is designed to get a reading on the number of people needing shelter. Volunteer Lori Hallas says they check shelters and people on the steet, staying in places that might be open 24 hours. She says there are people needing more shelter than is already provided...
".....the area shelters are full for the most part all the time. We have transitional housing in the area that is always full as well. To find somebody on the street with this kind of weather is not very likely...."
She says all the information gathered is reported to the state, then is reported to federal officials where funding often come from.
Hallas is part of the Northern Wisconsin Initiative to Stop Homelessness Continuum of Care. They will be surveying Rhinelander, Minocqua, Eagle River, Crandon and Antigo on January 28. Earlier that day, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. they will host a booth for people to understand more about homelessness. The public is invited to stop by the Northern Advantage Job Center in downtown Rhinelander for refreshments.
