Preparing to increase days in shelter from 60 – 90 and for more Department of Corrections clients.
Here’s Steve Schooler’s note to those who serve meals in the shelter.
First, for all of you that helped to promote or attended the People’s Chorus Concert this past Monday … thank you! More than 800 attended the event and our gross receipts were more than $11,000! This was quite a night.
Second, I wanted to advise you that we will be seeing an increase in numbers of guests for the next couple of months. For reasons we do not know or understand, we have recently had a significant increase in the number of guests arriving from the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections, i.e. returning prisoners. We do not know why this sudden increase, but of course, they are welcome and will be served.
In addition, we have decided through the end of October, to increase the number of nights a guest can stay from 60 to 90. Our policy is that a guest can stay 60 nights from November 1 through October 31 of the following year with weather exceptions and extensions for good cause such as working with outreach to seek housing and employment.
At this point, in part to attempt to alleviate some of the crowding at City-County Building, we have decided to increase the number for the next tow months from 60 to 90. As of November 1, at this point everyone’s nights will go to 0 and they will be entitled to another 60.
What this means for you is the number of anticipated guests will increase. Through the end of August, we anticipate 90, maybe a few less on the weekends, particularly the last weekend in August.
Beginning September 1, we may not see an immediate jump but certainly within a few days, maybe serving 100 or a few more guests.So, please prepare meals accordingly and let me know if you have questions or concerns.
So, I guess the admission that they are going to add days for those at the CCB means reports that people can go to shelter are wrong?
I was looking for the shelter rules (you have to request them in writing to get them) and I found this email that reminds me to ask, what happens in March or April next year when people run out of days?
1) Based on the Shelter Nights List that we maintain (info drawn from Servicepoint database) it is true that approximately 150 will be near or well in excess of their 60-day annual limit by 3/10/13 for the Porchlight Homeless Men’s Shelter. There are many guests who are already well above 60 nights due to weather exceptions. Others will be at or near that limit by March 10, assuming that they stay every night between now and March 10.
2) Regarding the March 10th date and weather exceptions, that rumor is totally unsubstantiated and wrong. We have never suspended the weather exception policy. There is no calendar date associated with weather exceptions. It is based purely on the projected low temperature and the presence/forecast for rain. Weather exceptions occur predominantly in the winter but are not restricted to a date range.
Also, I’ve noticed that the March 10th date is being tossed around a lot lately. There is nothing special or meaningful about March 10th from our perspective. We do not start or stop any program/service/policy on that day. The only thing that we ever say about the month of March is that we will probably close Shelter 3 at some point that month. Exactly when we close it is a function of the weather; when it becomes consistently warm enough that we’re no longer providing weather exceptions then we announce the upcoming closure of that shelter. This is also part of our understanding with the owners of the Shelter 3 space, First United Methodist Church (FUMC). Our agreement with them is that Shelter 3 will close no later than March 31st each year, possibly sooner. The need for Shelter 3 has historically diminished when we stop granting weather exceptions. Guests who are out of time cannot use the shelter any more and so the overall demand for space diminishes. Also, if we close Shelter 3 and the weather suddenly takes a turn for the worse we will request that FUMC allow us to reopen it. Shelter 3 has never been open year-round.
If the City-County Building thing all works out this fall – what happens in the spring? 150 people will need a place to sleep . . . once again, unless something radically changes over the summer.
