Homeless coalition kicks off fundraising for family transitional housing

By Chris Spangler

The Homeless Coalition of Fort Atkinson is undertaking a $200,000 capital campaign to establish temporary transitional housing for families working to get back on their feet.

Meeting Monday night at the Dwight Foster Public Library, the coalition announced that the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation has approved funding for the project through a grant opportunity. Once the coalition has raised at least $50,000, and met a few contingencies regarding budgets and timelines, the foundation will provide additional funds through a challenge grant of $100,000 in support of the project. 

“We have a goal of providing transitional housing,” the Rev. Mindy Valentine Davis said. “It’s different than a homeless shelter. A transitional house is getting someone into a house or an apartment, someplace long enough where they can get financially back on their feet again, and then going back out to get their own house or apartment.

“What we have realized is that we have a place in the county for single men and we have a place in the county for single women and single women with children, but we do not have a place in the county for families,” she added, referring to God Touch Ministry in Jefferson and Haus of Peace in Watertown, respectively. “Because we saw that vacuum, we decided that would be our focus for transitional housing: to provide transitional housing to families that are at risk.”

Mother Davis is pastor of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Fort Atkinson and, with Becky Tuttle, serves as co-president of the homeless coalition. Also speaking Monday was coalition Executive Director Sheri Bronstad.

They reported that the School District of Fort Atkinson knows of more than 30 local families suffering from homelessness.

“There are varying definitions of homelessness,” Davis said. “Not every one of those homeless families is living under a bridge somewhere, but they are homeless nonetheless.”

She said the $200,000 capital campaign will help secure a house in which to place a family for a certain amount of time so they can get back on their feet. Once they do, they will move on to their own home or apartment so another homeless family can move in.

“We want to provide that place between homelessness and being self-sustaining,” Davis noted.

She announced that the housing effort will be able to start soon, because Fort HealthCare owns some houses that will be moved in the future.

“If we can find a lot and we can get the funding, they will give us one of those houses,” Davis explained. “We will move it onto a new foundation, give it new mechanicals and then do improvements needed in the house.” 

Tuttle noted that it costs about $50,000 to $60,000 to move a house, pour a foundation, update mechanicals and make any other necessary improvements. 

Fort HealthCare has offered a three-bedroom house in the hospital’s neighborhood that the homeless coalition may use rent-free and eventually own outright upon moving it to its own lot. 

There also are two other houses that might be available in a similar agreement after the first of the year.

Any rent collected by the coalition would be held in trust for the families to use as first and last months’ rent when they move out, Davis said, adding that many families only need three or four months’ rent to get back on their feet.

“We are hoping to place a family by between Dec. 1 and 15,” Tuttle said, “and maybe families in two more houses after the first of the year.”

The school district will recommend a few families to interview. Among the criteria is that they must have a job or are looking for one through an employment agency, and they must already be working with some of the coalition’s partners, such as the Community Action Coalition (CAC) and Jefferson County Human Services.

“One of our biggest goals is finding a lot,” Mother Davis pointed out. “In order to move the house, you have to have someplace to move the house to. So we need to raise that money to get the lot … although if someone wanted to donate a lot, we would not say no to that.”

She said that the community foundation’s challenge grant will help make the coalition’s dream a reality.

“Between that (community foundation) support and support we’re getting from Fort HealthCare — and because I know this town is filled with generous people — I am certain that we will be able to raise that ($200,000) to provide transitional housing.

“We are so grateful to our partners that are helping with this,” she added.

Donate to cause

Tax-deductible donations to the capital campaign may be sent to the Homeless Coalition of Fort Atkinson at P.O. Box 785, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538.

Again, all contributions will be matched by the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation.

In-kind donations

Also Monday, in-kind donations were offered by Bill Roberts, president of St. Vincent de Paul and onsite coordinator of the Second Harvest 

food bank. 

“A lot of the people who come through Second Harvest are living out of their cars, having no permanent address, staying with relatives and friends,” he noted. 

“If you need furnishings, we’re there to help. That’s part of our mission.”
Roberts said that the St. Vincent de Paul Store has furniture and household items available, and its newly added Building Materials Division — the former Cornerstone of Hope store — can help provide building supplies, paint and hardware. 

“We help homeless families short term throughout our ministry, so we’re here to help too,” he said.

“It really takes a village, working together, and that’s one of the reasons we try to coordinate as much as  possible,” Mother Davis said. “Working together, we can do it …”

Background

It was in December 2018 that a 53-year-old homeless man, Keith Lueloff, was found dead at the Lions Park pavilion along Janesville Avenue in Fort Atkinson.

Police had spoken to him earlier in the evening, reminding him that he could not stay in the park after it closed at 10 p.m. At about 11 p.m., a patrol officer found Lueloff still there, not breathing and without a pulse. He was wearing a fleece shirt and a winter jacket.

The death prompted the founding of the Homeless Coalition of Fort Atkinson.

“A group of people got together and said ‘one person dying in the cold is one person too many,’ and the Fort Atkinson Homeless Coalition was born,” Davis said.

“We are not in our infancy, but we’re taking toddler steps,” the pastor continued. “Somebody reminded me a long time ago that toddler steps aren’t hesitant. They are great big steps, and so we are making great big toddler steps forward to try to make a difference to our homeless populations and people who are really at risk of homelessness.”

Davis said that coalition members are connectors, first and foremost, linking homeless persons with other agencies that can give sustained support. 

“That is sustained support to get someone into a place where they can be housed, where they can build up some money and hopefully get to a place of their own,” she explained. “That is something we, as the homeless coalition, cannot provide.”

What the coalition does provide is a temporary shelter at First United Methodist Church when the windchill drops below 15 degrees or there is violent/inclement weather. Registration with the police department is required.

“Now that has some of its own baggage because there are those who suffer from homelessness that are not comfortable with the police department,”  Davis acknowledged. “ But, … they register with the police department and before anybody can go and sleep, they are searched to make sure there are no drugs, alcohol or weapons in order to ensure the safety of our volunteers.”

Other services

Homeless people with substance abuse addictions are connected with Jefferson County Human Services, the Community Action Coalition and other resources, such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. 

“We almost triage and then get people to sustain support,” Davis said. 

Bronstad, who has served as the coalition’s executive director since December 2020, has a background in community counseling, running alternative schools and working with at-risk youth and families that were homeless.

“So this kind of fits who I am and what I like to do,” she said.

Among her duties are responding to emergency requests; assisting with gas and food cards, taxi vouchers, groceries and rentals; helping with job and rental applications; and overseeing the night shelter.

“We develop connections with organizations and services throughout the county, and then I also help connect clients to those appropriate resources,” she said. “A lot of clients don’t know where to go; they have no idea.”

Ongoing goals of the nonprofit organization include obtaining a transitional housing property, expanding case management services and, hopefully, someday being able to open a day shelter, she said.

More remarks

Dave Parsons, an addict in recovery who has received assistance from the homeless coalition and God Touch Ministry, praised the organizations.

He noted that Bronstad has been helping him with budgeting and he greatly appreciates all of the support.

John Anhalt, founder of God Touch Ministry, said that its relationship with the homeless coalition is making a difference.

“Any time somebody calls, we try to help them. Sometimes we can’t give the exact help they want, but we always point them to sustaining services, to who we believe can help them.,” Anhalt said. “And if we can give them food, a gas card and other resources, we do.”

It also was noted Monday that at dusk on Dec. 22, coalition members will gather at Jones Park to recognize National Homeless Memorial Day.

It is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, and the public is invited.