“Tent city” in La Crosse gets a look by human rights commission

Area near Riverside Park, been
“home” for homeless over 20 years

At a meeting today, La Crosse’s human rights commission will tackle issues related to the unofficial homeless hamlet of “Tent City.” 

It’s been a constant in the city for at least two decades, typically located just north of the La Crosse River near Riverside Park.

Obviously, it isn’t the ideal solution for the city’s homeless – sometimes dozens in the summer months – and it’s also frustrating for some in the city.

Shutting it down can cause problems, too. Ideally, there’d just be permanent housing for all of those people, says chair of the homeless coalition, Kim Cable

“Housing is kind of that key to helping people move on and into a more self-sufficient direction,” Cable said. “We do find that, when we introduce housing into somebody’s life, other things start to change. They start to get connected with other resources in the community, their mental health issues start to get treated, we start to see a reduction in drug and alcohol consumption.”

She’s not willing to accept that some people are better off sleeping out in the open.

“It’s a basic need,” Cable said. “Everybody has a right to housing.”