Last week, a local organization was determining the number of people considered unhoused around the lakeshore.
Lakeshore Community Action Program, or CAP, participated in the Point-in-Time Count, a nationwide initiative to count the number of people who were not staying in shelters and sleeping in areas not intended for human habitation, which is conducted twice per year.
Lakeshore CAP Director Colleen Homb explained on WOMT’s Be My Guest program that the count is added to a national report to determine how much money Congress will allocate for housing programs.
Unfortunately, Homb says the number of unhoused people substantially increased last year.
“Manitowoc and Sheboygan tend to have a larger number of people who are homeless (compared to Door and Kewaunee counties),” she noted. “The number has increased, I believe it almost doubled. And we were one of the areas that had one of the highest, meaning percentagewise, across the state for increases in homelessness.”
According to the United Way of Sheboygan County, which collaborates with Lakeshore CAP, 109 individuals were identified as experiencing homelessness, an increase from 67 in July 2023.
Homb said volunteers were looking in different areas to either find people staying in their cars or around places where someone would not normally sleep.
But it’s more than just counting.
If a volunteer feels safe, they will approach the person and ask about their situation.
“We learn a little bit about them,” she explained. “We offer them some resources. We have backpacks that have a number of things in them to provide to the people in need.”
They also invited those unhoused to a community outreach event to give them resources.
