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Homeless community could stay at empty St. Francis convent during coronavirus pandemic, mayor says

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MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee's homeless residents who are showing symptoms of COVID-19 could soon be staying inside an empty building at the Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, Mayor Tom Barrett said on a Zoom meeting Sunday afternoon.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has reached out to the city's Health Department to offer the seminary's Clare Hall as a resource to help fight the coronavirus, the mayor said. The hall has been empty since earlier this year.

Both groups have also been working with the City of St. Francis to make the partnership possible.

The new space could be ready as soon as later this week, Barrett said.

The mayor said the facility is ideal because it is immediately adjacent to Lake Michigan and there are few homes in the area. It would offer 90 beds across two wings.

One wing would be focused on people who are symptomatic for COVID-19, while one would be focused on at-risk populations.

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