City to hire consultant to deal help manage homeless

Shelters in La Crosse conflict with each other

The two shelters in La Crosse have fairly different philosophies when it comes to housing the homeless.

Caroline Gregerson with the La Crosse Homeless Coalition, explained that to the Human Rights Commission Wednesday night.

“The warming shelter was open because people who are using on a given night, are not getting into the Salvation Army,” she said. “The problem is, that people that are eligible for the Salvation Amry are using the warming shelter, and are taking a spot, possibly from a user that evening.”

Gregerson adds that the arrival of a consultant – Erin Healy from New York – on how to best deal with the problem more effectively.

Some commission members suggested dumpsters or porta-potties in places where those groups frequent.