MILWAUKEE — As local homeless outreach groups sound the alarm about what appears to be an increase in need, Milwaukee County's housing navigators are working to connect with individuals and maintain the county's place as a national leader in addressing homelessness.
"We were put in a tough spot and we were evicted from our house and didn't really have anywhere to go," a man named P.J. told TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins at the Holt Avenue Park N' Ride on Thursday.
P.J. and his son, Logan, have been living in an R.V. in that parking lot for about five months.
"We are actually here when it was negative 8 degrees and you know our heat went off and stuff like that," said P.J.
That's until housing navigators stepped in to connect P.J. and Logan to a new apartment. They are helping to make sure rent and utilities are handled.
"Being homeless, there's nothing good about it. But, when there is applicable, available programs through the county that actually make sense, you utilize them and look where we're at now," he said.
Steve Hill, Felishia McCall and several other housing navigators invited TMJ4 News along as they made their rounds Thursday.
"We are liaising with private landlords, property managers, helping them get their applications fees in, anything that's going to be required so that they're able to move on with respect and dignity," said Hill.
That work is being done as McCall says they're also seeing a rise in need so far this year.
"I can say that there is an influx of homelessness," McCall said.
Despite the influx, the county maintains its status as a national leader in addressing homelessness.
The county's Department of Health and Human Services counted zero chronically homeless individuals for two years in a row in 2022 and 2023. That is defined as a person who is not sheltered, without services for 12 months or more.
In 2023, The county recorded 96 Homeless individuals living unsheltered for less than a year who did receive services.
Compared to similarly sized communities, Milwaukee's numbers are the lowest.
While these statistics might offer perspective, people TMJ4 News spoke with in the community say they don't erase the day-to-day reality of street homelessness. One woman, who said she had been homeless for about a year, told TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins that she sleeps wherever she can lay her head sometimes because shelters are often full.
All the more reason housing navigators continue to fight to end homelessness by connecting people with homes, jobs, health care, and ultimately with independence.
"Now we're taking care of and we can concentrate more on our family and going where we need to go," said P.J.
To read more about the increased demand for local homeless outreach groups, click HERE.
If you're experiencing a housing crisis, you can call 211 for assistance.
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