City to purchase year-round shelter

STEVENS POINT — In a unanimous vote, the Common Council moved to advance a grant to Partnering Together Portage County to purchase a year-round homeless shelter.
Partnering Together Portage County is a coalition made up of local organizations, individuals, and the city aiming to help the homeless.
During the Dec. 2 special council meeting, Mayor Mike Wiza discusses the homeless population in the downtown area being prevalent in the location due to the services provided in the area. “Franciscans is downtown. The library is downtown with warming areas. Public spaces are downtown to hangout. The warming center at night is downtown. We’ve been working on that and addressing the needs of the population while addressing the concerns of the downtown business owners, residents, and users.”
Marc Christianson has been working with Partnering Together Portage County for two years to find solutions to helping the homeless population, leading to the discovery of the proposed building. Wiza stated facilities have been looked at for the last nine months, with 2854 Church Street ultimately being the decision for a future homeless shelter.
Community feedback was supportive and positive of the proposed year-round shelter. Dustin Buse of District 10, the area in which the proposed shelter would be in, will meet with Mayor Wiza and District 10 residents prior to the next council vote on Dec. 15.