Homelessness in Merrill: It can happen to anyone
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Homelessness in our area can effect individuals and families who never thought the word homeless would ever apply to them. That’s the thing about becoming homeless. It isn’t something most people plan for, expect, or even see coming in many cases.
Where would you go?
What if the house or apartment you were renting was suddenly sold and you were given a notice to vacate, not because of anything you did or didn’t do, but because the new owners have a different plan for the property? And then, you couldn’t find affordable housing in the area to move into. Where would you go?
What if you got hurt or sick for an extended period of time, or lost your job, and didn’t have income to pay your rent or mortgage, or not enough income to pay all your bills and had to choose between other necessities or paying the rent or mortgage … so that eventually you lost your home due to an eviction or foreclosure? Where would you go?
What if your family situation changed, due to a divorce or separation, an argument, a death, or some other unforeseen circumstance, and you suddenly had to find somewhere else to live. Where would you go?
These are just a few of the reasons people have found themselves homeless … with no place to live … sometimes with little or no warning.
“MAC Home has always believed that homelessness can happen to anyone and that’s why we exist, to give people a hand up in their time of need,” said Theresa Anthoney, Executive Director at the MAC Home, 407 W. Main Street in Merrill.
An increase in local homelessness
Both the MAC Home and St. Vincent de Paul Outreach Office have seen an increase in homelessness in the Merrill area. St. Vincent de Paul works hand-in-hand with the MAC Home and HAVEN, the local shelter for those dealing with domestic violence situations.
“Recently we have noticed an increase in the homeless population in this area,” Anthoney said. “MAC Home has received many calls from people that have to move due to their rental homes being sold and they cannot find affordable housing. We try to assist people before they have to come to us, but we are always here to take people in.”
“The one thing I am noticing about our homeless is that those in shelters or lodging are staying much longer than ever before due to the lack of affordable housing in our area,” said Sue Norenberg, Outreach Manager at St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP).
So far in 2021, in just 10 months, the MAC Home has provided 922 safe nights of shelter to 51 individuals, Anthony said. “This includes men, women, and children in both our warming center and our transitional living area.”
Providing shelter and lodging
Anthoney explains the difference between the MAC Home warming center and the transitional living area, both located in the same facility, two options for the homeless in our area seeking shelter and lodging.
“Our warming center has a full kitchen area for clients to cook in, and our cupboards are fully stocked. We also have shower facilities and laundry facilities for clients to use. The warming center is for adults only. Our warming center opens at 7:00 p.m., and we do intake until 9:00 p.m. If someone needs shelter after 9:00 p.m., they must have a police escort. Clients leave our warming center at 8:00 a.m. ”
“Our transitional living is for adults and children. It has four rooms, with three beds in each room. The transitional living also has a full kitchen, laundry facilities, two bathrooms, living room area, and dining room,” she said. “When staying in transitional living, you must have goals set and meet with the Executive Director weekly to assess those goals. There is a 90-day limit when staying in transitional living.”
But what happens if the MAC Home is full?
“Since Jan. 1, 2021, our agency has helped with lodging (providing shelter at a motel) for a total of 57 homeless adults and 17 homeless children at a cost of $17,056,” Norenberg said. These costs were incurred when St. Vincent de Paul was unable to get them into any of the area homeless shelters because they were full or due to other specific circumstances.
Local stories show homelessness has no demographic
Most people, when they hear the word “homeless” conjure up an image in their mind of what that looks like. But regardless of what that image looks like in each reader’s mind, readers would probably be surprised to see what many of the homeless really look like.
“We help many individuals and families from all walks of life,” Anthoney said.
“Recently, we had a client that stayed with us who was working full time but became homeless due to a family dispute.
While staying at MAC Home, our client was able to work and save money, as all of our services are free of charge, to then get into an apartment of their own. Unfortunately, while staying at MAC Home, our client suffered the death of her son.”
“Our staff was available 24 hours a day to our client to help her with resources.”
Ultimately, “This client was able to get an apartment,” Anthoney said. “When she left MAC Home, we were gifted with handmade afghans and scarves that the client made while staying with us.”
In just the past nine months, Norenberg said SVDP has also seen a wide cross-section of clients which further demonstrates homelessness can happen to anyone, given the right set of circumstances.
“We provided help with a month of lodging so a young, single working gal could obtain an apartment with her own money,” she said.
“SVDP helped several family units with lodging this past summer when their apartment building had a major fire and they needed to be in lodging for a period of time.”
“A young man just out of jail needed one night lodging before he could catch his bus back to his home in Milwaukee,” Norenberg said, offering another example.
“We helped one elderly gentleman with a few days lodging until his Social Security check came in so he could get into his new apartment,” she said. And in another instance, “A family of five moved from Florida up to Wisconsin to live with family. The situation didn’t work out and lodging was needed for a short period of time until they got into local subsided housing.”
To reach the St. Vincent de Paul Outreach Center for more information, whether you need help or can offer help, call 715.539.2666. To reach the MAC Home, which is staffed 24/7, call 715.722.1200.