What to do with homeless now that “Tent City” is shut down?

Complaints and insurance issue
at Wesley Methodist forced move

The recent shut down of “Tent City”, a place homeless people in La Crosse used to stay, was recently moved from Wesley United Methodist Church due to insurance concerns and neighbor complaints.

The question remains, however, ‘What more can be done to help the homeless population in La Crosse?’

That issue was tackled Wednesday night by the La Crosse Human Rights Commission in the wake of those homeless at the church forced to leave.

“I know the people around that area also weren’t too happy to have those people living there,” Committee member Will Van Roosenbeek said, “so I think we keep this on our radar and keep asking the question, ‘What’s being done?'”

One solution might be loosening the drug and alcohol restrictions at places like the Salvation Army, Jason Gilman, director of planning and development, said.

“If you allow people to get through that without having these strict rules, sometimes they get better on their own,” Gilman said.

The Salvation Army, however, comes with restrictions.

“Where we have the difficulties, locally, is actually providing shelter to women and children (at the Salvation Army),” Kim Cable with Couleecap said, adding the capacity there is rather limited.

Gilman says some have suggested loosening the restrictions on drugs and alcohol, so people struggling with addiction could be admitted into the shelters.

Van Roosenbeck added that pressure must be applied on the city to find a solution.