News

Green Bay mayor spends night at St. John homeless shelter

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

	Shelter seeks donations ALLOUEZ -- The Diocese of Green Bay is asking people to help support St. John the Evangelist Homeless Shelter in Green Bay by providing financial support. Monetary donations will help pay for heat, electricity, supplies and professional staff. Checks may be issued to "St. John the Evangelist Parish" 413 St. John St. In the memo field of the check, please note "St. John homeless shelter."
	Related articles this week: • Programs to benefit shelter visitors     Victory in Life, Adullam House seek to offer assistance     to guests at St. John Evangelist Homeless Shelter     Sidebar: Volunteers needed Past articles: from November 16, 2007 issue: • Shelter gets preliminary approval • Shelter seeks volunteers, donations • Editorial -- Give them shelter     Church, society have moral obligation to provide shelter     to all homeless from November 9, 2007 issue: • Front-page photo: Shack-a-Thon at St. Norbert College • Homeless shelter opens     Diocese supports plans to open shelter at local church • Hunger, homelessness in spotlight     National Hunger, Homelessness Awareness Week     is Nov. 11-17 from October 26, 2007 issue: • On Nov. 1, where will Green Bay homeless go?     City plan for most marginalized may not happen,     but church hospitality center ready from September 28, 2007 issue: • Alternative to COTS homeless shelter in works     Green Bay's New Community Shelter in mix,     advises patience from August 31, 2007 issue: • Green Bay nixes winter shelter at church     COTS offered a place to sleep to people     who couldn't go to city's other shelters • Bridging the Gap by Bishop David Zubik --     A scraped knee and beyond     Emergency shelter in downtown     is all about caring for each other

GREEN BAY -- The St. John the Evangelist Shelter received approval from the city of Green Bay on Nov. 15 to operate an emergency shelter for the homeless through April 15.

Mayor Jim Schmitt signed the zoning variance, and two days later volunteered at the shelter himself, to get a sense of the operations and those the shelter serves.

"I wanted to spend the 15 hours (6 p.m. to 9 a.m.) there as a volunteer and as the mayor," said the mayor, who is Catholic. "It was important to have a deeper understanding of who was there and the direction the diocese was taking to this newly adopted ordinance."

The common council voted, 10-2, to grant a zoning variance to the shelter - which is housed in the former gymnasium on the parish grounds at 411 St. John St. on the city's east side. Certain restrictions were imposed upon the shelter, which is operated by the parish with support from the Green Bay Diocese.

The restrictions imposed by the city include:

• The hiring of a security guard during the hours of operation - 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.;
  
  
• A 25-bed limit on the shelter;
  
  
• An operational plan that requires approval of the police department and case workers;
  
  
• Requiring monthly proof to the city that the shelter's board is seeking a more permanent location outside the city limits.

Deacon Tim Reilly, diocesan director of administration, met with the Navarino Neighborhood Association on Nov. 12 and said the plan is to continue monthly, if not more frequent, meetings with the association, which borders the St. John Parish complex.

At the Nov. 12 meeting, a resident suggested that additional lighting be placed in the St. John parking lot. Deacon Reilly said that more lighting was added the next day.

Mayor Schmitt spent the night at the St. John Shelter on Saturday, Nov. 17. He said the 15-hour stint answered some of the questions both he and the city had about the need for such an emergency shelter.

The mayor said the shelter was near capacity at 22 and that most of the people who stayed that night were from the Green Bay area, not from places like Racine and Chicago, as had been rumored.

"I asked where they (the shelter's overnight guests) were before, the places where they had slept outside," Mayor Schmitt said. "I know the city well and when they described the building they slept in or a corner next to a certain place - I knew they weren't making it up. They truly were without homes."

The mayor worked as a regular volunteer, handing out toiletries, clothes and clean pillows to people staying at the shelter. He talked with several, including homeless veterans, over coffee.

He said he is still convinced that this form of emergency shelter is not the best long-term solution, but believes that Brown County needs to do more to link resources with people who are chronically homeless.

However, the mayor also expressed gratitude to the parish community of St. John and to the Diocese of Green Bay.

"I'm thankful for the St. John community for bringing this issue to the forefront," he said. "It's something that needs to be addressed."

Mayor Schmitt also noted that shelter volunteers and staff were doing everything the city council could have wanted as far as intake and in-depth interviewing of clients, as well as directing them to the proper social services.

St. John the Evangelist Shelter is a ministry of St. John Parish. It has a board of trustees (whose first meeting was scheduled for Nov. 20), consisting of parish members from St. John, staff of the diocese and people from other area churches and social service agencies.

Mary Marks, social services and community outreach director for St. Vincent de Paul, is executive director of the shelter; her services are provided from St. Vincent de Paul. Additionally, according to Deacon Reilly, the diocese has hired nine people to staff the shelter, most on a part-time basis.

David Schneider is the on-site manager. Tom Froelich serves as the liaison between Deacon Reilly's office and the shelter.

Deacon Reilly said that the board's challenge is three-fold:

• "to ensure that we provide excellent care and support and comfort to the homeless at the shelter;"
  
  
• "to work very proactively with the neighbors to ensure that the life of neighborhood is not diminished in any way by the presence of the shelter;" and
  
  
• "to look toward 2008 and see how our homeless brothers and sisters who are ineligible (for intake) at the other shelters will be taken care of, so we don't have to be doing this at the last minute" (next winter).