If you’ve traveled the busy thoroughfare behind City Center in downtown Appleton, you’ve no doubt seen the people standing in between the Appleton Public Library and Valley Transit hub. Sometimes dozens of people are there, often because they have no other place to go.
I’ve heard residents complain about them, calling them “unsightly” and claiming they are intimidated by them. They say they fear having their children walk by. But I’ve also heard people complain when these people are in the library, or in local businesses, or in parks. But, again, these people usually have no other options. They don’t have homes, so they spend their days on the streets. So if you don’t like them on the streets, where would you have them go?
Local nonprofit groups like the Housing Partnership and Warming Shelter of the Fox Valley are working to create a new Day Shelter where people could spend time, connect with services, and avoid trouble.
Learn more about these groups, their work, and Project RUSH by clicking here, here, or here.
