“Doc,” as he is called by others in this tent camp, has been homeless for six months.
They call him “Doc.” Although he’s only 32, he and his wife have been homeless for almost six months following the death of a business partner that led to the loss of his home. They spent two months in a tent outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse but have just moved to a location some have deemed as “Walkerville”—a concrete slab underneath the interstate. “To me, it’s just a tent city,” he said.
Doc is asking the city to do more when it comes to his current situation. “The city just doesn’t care,” he said.
Although the homeless population has decreased over the past few years, data from the city shows the current homeless population in Milwaukee totaling between 900-1,000 individuals. And new “tent cities” downtown, such as the “Walkerville” location at North 6th and West Clybourn streets, have increased the visibility of the issue.
This has led some city leaders to push for more resources and coordination when it comes to addressing this issue. Last week, Alderman Bob Donovan sent a letter to the president of Marquette University proposing the possibility of opening up a vacant hotel as a temporary homeless shelter. After the University denied the proposal, Ald. Donovan, chair of the Public Safety and Health Committee, called for a special meeting Wednesday to discuss the issue across the city.
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“I would hope that at the end of this meeting, we would have a better understanding of how serious the problem is, and what steps need to be taken to as much as possible eliminate the problem in the city,” said Ald. Donovan. “And if not eliminate it, at least take one hell of a big dent in this situation.”
More than 50 individuals packed the room at a subcommittee meeting at city hall Wednesday that discussed homelessness in Milwaukee.
The meeting included both public and private entities, as the Milwaukee Fire and Police Departments were present, along with the Impact Inc. and Housing First Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Police Department estimates that that there are around 1,000 homeless people living in Milwaukee, although the city says that about 700 are in shelters currently. They say that most homeless encampments are located downtown near homeless shelters, where there is easy access to food and public restrooms. MPD District 1 Captain Diana Rowe said that in most cases, she sees mental health issues as the underlying cause of homelessness.
“We’ve seen a decline, but a recent spike in 2018,” she said when discussing current numbers. “There’s definitely an increase in the visual appearance of homelessness.”
MPD officers have been known to hand out food or warm clothes to homeless individuals on the street. Homeless individuals at the “Walkerville” encampment said that officers even occasionally come by to check on them.
Jarvis West, a community health worker at iCare, was present at the meeting as well. He has been working with the homeless for years. He said he has seen the homeless situation worsen as the weather becomes colder, mentioning that many homeless people are in and out of hospitals quickly because they can’t get proper medical attention because of their situation.
“Some people prefer to go to jail, just to stay out of the cold,” he said. He also added that he wants the city to find more funding to help this issue. “It will save the city money. People going in and out of the hospital is way more money than rent or to live somewhere.”
Milwaukee has seen a decrease in the amount of chronic homeless, or homeless individuals who have been homeless for at least a year, in the city. Milwaukee County Housing First has focused its resources on this issue. The program’s approach has been widely praised, as the program helps the homeless find permanent, independent housing. Housing First officials say there are about 100 Section 8 vouchers in the streets right now. Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers help pay rent for individuals who can’t afford it.
There are also other options available for the homeless when it does get cold out. Emily Kenney, the coordinated entry program coordinator at Impact Inc., helps run seven outdoor heating rooms for the homeless in Milwaukee from December to March. These heating rooms are usually open from 6 p.m.-7 a.m. Some of them are open every night, while others are only open when the temperature reaches 32 degrees or below. Kenney says these rooms can yield anywhere from 30-100 unique visitors every night. However, she says the program could use more money, as she estimates that one room, including staffing, costs around $50,000 to operate over a season.
“I’m glad that there's more awareness and I’m happy that we can provide education about what is being done,” she said. “I think that one of the most important questions whenever there’s a community issue, is what is currently being done, and what are the barriers to make it better, and I feel like that is happening today.”
