Despite Supreme Court ruling on homelessness, Green Bay’s strategy will remain the same

GREEN BAY-- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 28 that people without homes can be fined and arrested for sleeping or camping in public spaces. It’s now up to municipal governments to determine whether this will be enforced locally.

“We're not happy with that ruling, because it makes it easier for governments to criminalize homelessness,” said Noel Halvorsen, chair of the Brown County Homeless and Housing Coalition . “…it makes it easier for some communities to say, ‘We don't want to deal with this, and so, we're just going to arrest them.’”

The Green Bay Police Department will continue with its current strategy of working alongside local government, shelters and community members to address homelessness. Their strategy involves “a lot more than just enforcing ordinances,” according to Chris Davis, Green Bay police chief.

The police department has convened a stakeholder’s group of local shelters and neighborhood associations that meets once a month with the goal of improving communications among those who are unhoused, their caseworkers, law enforcement and local shelters, Davis said.

The group was created to ensure the first response to an individual sleeping or camping in a public space isn’t a citation, he said. The goal is to connect them with resources and shelter.

However, an individual who is “service resistant” poses challenges, and in some cases, citations have been issued if the individual was given multiple warnings, Davis said.

“You're never going to arrest your way out of homelessness,” Davis said. “What that does not mean, however, is that you just forget about accountability altogether. We all have to be held accountable to community standards, whatever that accountability looks like.”

The area where most people set up tents is in and around St. John’s Park, 418 St. John St in Green Bay, and the police department works closely with the St. John’s Evangelist Homeless Shelter, 411 St. John St., according to Davis.

“If the city of Green Bay or other municipalities really take a hard stance on fining or possibly jailing people violating ordinances, then we'll have to shift our services to accommodate the numbers of people who may be seeking shelter because of that,” said Jesse Brunette, executive director of St. John’s Ministries Green Bay, which operates two seasonal shelters for men and women.

While every individual’s situation is unique, affordable housing, addiction and mental health challenges are all contributing factors to the rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Green Bay, Brunette said.

In a report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum , released in May, local agencies in Wisconsin reported 4,861 homeless individuals, up 1.8% from the previous year. Earlier this year, a homelessness expert called Brown County's numbers "startling." Eighty-six people were reported unsheltered in Brown County in a January count, almost double the 48 in 2023.

The increase is driven by economic hardships, layoffs and higher housing costs in aftermath of the pandemic, the report stated.

Now, whenever an affordable unit becomes available, multiple applicants compete for the same space. It’s more difficult for those experiencing homelessness because if they have a lower credit score or previous evictions, they’re a less competitive applicant, Brunette said.

In response, the Greater Green Bay Community Housing Initiative Task Force , has partnered with the Corporation for Supportive Housing and other local groups, including law enforcement, to create the “Greater Green Bay Blueprint,” a plan aiming to prevent and end homelessness in Green Bay.

“Wages and funding for supportive services have really stayed largely stagnant. Wages do not keep up with inflation, or the general cost of living, and we're all feeling the housing crisis at some level,” said Lydia Van Thiel, director of the Greater Green Bay Blueprint .

High costs of construction, materials and labor are major issues impacting the ability to build affordable housing in Green Bay. The lack of housing makes it more difficult for those experiencing homelessness to find a safe place to live. People now stay homeless for longer periods of time, Van Thiel said.

The Green Bay Blueprint helps connect people to housing as quickly as possible, and with supportive services to help them achieve long term housing stability. Once they’re in housing, it becomes easier to access the care they need, like mental health care, Van Thiel said.

“I really hope that we that it can bring support around this larger issue of lack of housing,” Van Thiel said. “It's not just people that are experiencing homelessness or are on the brink of homelessness that feel this. The housing crisis is impacting everyone at every level of income.”

New Point in Time Count

On July 24-25, Newcap, a local nonprofit that addresses homelessness, and the Brown County Homeless and Housing Coalition will be conducting its Point in Time Count , where they count the number of people living without shelter.

Last July, volunteers counted 125 people living without shelter in Brown County. The deadline to register to be a volunteer for this July's count is July 17.

Volunteers will receive training and be paired with experienced staff members to assist in the overnight count.

Alyssa N. Salcedo is a reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. She can be reached at asalcedo@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Despite Supreme Court ruling on homelessness, Green Bay’s strategy will remain the same