OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Through the course of the pandemic, housing insecurity has become a reality that many never thought they would face. Winnebago County Executive Jon Doemel says the pandemic shed light on the housing gaps that exist in the county.
"There’s people that don’t even have a house that are on the streets all the way to people that are couch surfing," Doemel said. "If you’re sleeping on a couch that doesn’t belong to you, you’re homeless.”
On Wednesday, Governor Evers announced that Winnebago County would receive a $10.3 million grant to address homelessness and housing instability. The grant is a part of the governor's Neighborhood Investment Fund grant program that is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.
The grant will fund a variety of projects that will improve accessibility to shelter. One of the projects that the funding will support is a new 50 bed facility for the Day by Day Warming Shelter in Oshkosh. Executive director Molly Yatzo-Butz says the shelter has seen a surge in visitors throughout the pandemic.
“Since our opening on October 15th through January 31st we served 122 unique individuals. 55 of those were new to being homeless," Yatzo-Butz said.
The shelter currently operates just six months a year from mid-October to mid-April. Having a year-round facility will allow the shelter to serve residents as long as they need to find stability.
“We have a lot of guests right now who are employed and once April 16th hits they really worry about whether they’re going to be able to keep their employment with not having a bed to sleep in,” Yatzo-Butz said.
The new shelter will be located at the intersection of Ceape Avenue and Broad Street. The construction will cost approximately $3.5 million and this grant will secure a portion of the funding needed to complete the project. Having this new facility will not only allow the shelter to serve more people but also to expand its services.
"We have more of a space to be able to have a computer lab. So now we can work on resumes and give our guests the tools to better themselves, find jobs and ultimately get out of the shelter," said board member Jason Havlik.
Some of the funding will also go toward the Oshkosh Kids Foundation to build 32 “tiny homes” to serve as temporary housing for those in need. The 400 square foot homes will be built along Packer Avenue and will house families for anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. This funding secured the project which will cost about $4.5 million. The organization hopes to break ground in April.
“Our goal is the families will most likely stay with us for 18 months and they will have tenants-based rental assistance for another 6 months,” said executive director Julie Dumke.
Since the start of the pandemic, The Oshkosh Kids Foundation has helped 277 children facing homelessness find temporary housing. This project will provide shelter for families as they work to get back on their feet.
“There’s approximately 175 homeless children that are documented in the community," said board chair Will Deppiesse. "This project, if we assume 2 children per home, that’s about a third of the documented homeless population of children in our community.”
