As I See It
Frustration mounting over homelessness in La Crosse
Few issues have been as vexing to try to solve as La Crosse’s homelessness problem. The city has tried just about everything to reduce the population of unsheltered people, from putting them up in a hotel to letting them camp in city parks. By all accounts, the problem has gotten worse. Police say because of a city ban on camping overnight in parks, the homeless are showing up in parts of the city not previously seen. They are literally running out of places to go. Most recently, they have taken to camping along the La Crosse marsh trails along the La Crosse River, but people living nearby want them gone from there too. The city council has not made up its mind on that yet, and a previously adopted plan to force the homeless to pack up and move every twelve hours not only has not solved the problem, but may be rescinded by the city. It seems the city is taking two steps back for every step forward. They couldn’t even decide what to do about camping on the marsh trails, putting the issue off for yet another future vote. Of course La Crosse is not alone in struggling with the homeless, and many local groups are trying to help. But still the problem persists, and now we have to start wondering whether there is anything the city can do to either find shelter for the homeless, or find them a place where they can stay.
Kevin
August 1, 2024 at 6:59 am
Honestly – we cannot buy our way out of this problem. Most of these folks don’t have jobs and homes because of ‘pre-existing’ conditions. Things like mental instability, addictions, call it what you will.
We cannot simply just put them in a hotel we rent with taxpayer or donated funds. They require supervision, that will require a salary, and per all the rhetoric on the left and just simply good practice, it will need to be a living wage for that supervision. With the sheer numbers of people that are homeless, there will need to be more than one person and perhaps more than one location.
If we are going to let these people ‘reside’ in the cities green spaces, paid for by taxpayers, they are NOT CAMPING, they are residing, squatting, living, occupying, but they are NOT CAMPING, get that through your head, then there will need to be rules! This isn’t a weekend away at the state park, national park, or local park. It is a long term living arrangement, barring a change in economic or mental condition. As such, if a couple of green spaces, call them city parks or whatever, are designated as places they are going to ‘reside’, not camp. Then prepare that space. We will need to provide the same supervision that would be provided for in a long term group home. Make them clean up after themselves, they need to be quasi-self sufficient. Make them clean up themselves (take a shower, brush their teeth, you know hygiene stuff). They will need someplace to throw their refuse, someplace to go to the bathroom, some place to clean up. That will require modifications to the green spaces that are chosen. No one will like it, but short of that, what are you going to do, at least in the short term. You whiz-bang folks in city government threw down the gauntlet, then you did not address the full situation, you drug the city residents into this, you did not properly prepare anyone…..and when i say whiz bangs, i am focusing on our mayor and a few of the city council members that seem to think good things and money just seem to fall out of the sky on top of their heads.
This is a democrat/libertarian perspective, ‘we just go to do it’, and ‘you are going to do it’, and we will make you do it! Ask Rick Solem to get off his big fat backside and go clean up after the folks, while he is at it, Scott Robert Shaw, you take the mayor over to the marsh trails and start cleaning up, we will join you once we see you put skin in the game! Quit signing us up for crap prior to asking us. Take responsibility and be accountable for your ideas, for once!
Walden
August 1, 2024 at 7:04 pm
WIZM: “…we have to start wondering whether there is anything the City can do…”
I’m not sure who “we” is, but its great you’re catching on. Anyone with common sense surmised long ago “solving homelessness” however defined, is a fools errand.
Meanwhile, drug use and trafficking, prostitution, petty theft, harassment of citizens, health code violations, vandalism, etc. are unchecked. The downtown district is filthy, dystopian and unsafe. The City’s budget is getting blown out over all the “affordable housing” projects being funded and the multi-million $ support for these vagrants.
However, too much money is at stake. There are probably as many jobs at stake “helping” (read enabling) the homeless as there are homeless people…Catholic Charities, multiple City of La Crosse Depts, various County Depts, the Y, School District, Gundersen Health, CouleeCap, Salvation Army, and more “non-profits” are all on the payroll and will not give up their fiefdoms without a fight. Instead they are now complaining the State of Wisconsin should further increase their funding to “solve homelessness.” The people of La Crosse are getting what they deserve voting for the failed leadership that is running the City into the ground. The entire homeless industrial complex needs to be dismantled and a firm final message delivered to the homeless “get help or get out.”
Roy
August 1, 2024 at 7:43 am
The Tribune had a story 7/31 (Guess WIZM didn’t cover this) about several shelter options for these vagrants that will be discussed at a public hearing August 8th. Among the shelter options are a motel on French Island, Fire station #10, Northside police station, Erickson Park and Wittenberg Park. The City is back to parks and motels as a solution.
This is all part of the “Pathways Home” welfare plan that the County and City are putting together, one of the largest welfare plans ever seen in La Crosse. Millions of dollars are involved.
The City-County government continues to enable these squatters and refuses to consider what the Supreme Court has ruled they can do. Evict the squatters and put them on a recovery path that will work to their benefit. Addicts will continue to take what you give them until you say “No More”. That tough-love action puts them on the road to recovery, not enabling.
Tom
August 1, 2024 at 8:32 am
Bring back the County Farm. That worked.
Mikehochertz
August 1, 2024 at 11:44 am
The issue that keeps rearing its ugly head is that city provides all sorts of funding (motels, park clean up, and now PATHSWAY home) without the personal accountability from the recipients.
The tax paying public that works everyday is accountable to our family, our employer, our electric company, our mortgage company, our back or credit company for our car etc.
If we want to improve our home or upgrade our car we need to maintain good credit, save money, or work overtime to allow us to do that . We are accountable for our actions.
The city of La Crosse is using other peoples money (taxes)to give to the homeless people that have no accountability their own housing needs. I hear on this radio station from hosts that interview people and they say it is affordable housing and we need to build housing for the homeless. There is no accountability for the homeless.
Even habitat for humanity asks for the home recipient to provide labor to assist with build the home. Some type of work for benefits is a must in my opinion.
Come On Man
August 1, 2024 at 3:42 pm
I have read several articles about this situation and still have not seen anything from the City of La Crosse Homeless Coordinator.
He has been on the city payroll for several years and yet no new path forward on what to do with these people.
He has become the “Joe Biden” of homeless coordination. Hidden from sight by the city officials for some unknown reason.
Put the homeless camp in Erickson Park behind the Harry Spence grade school? What could possibly go wrong with that idea?
Why don’t we give the homeless a choice. Pick a facility for them to stay at as long as they get drug or alcohol tested daily along with help from the local hospitals for mental health issues and their health problems. If they don’t want a place to stay and have to follow those rules that is their choice, and they will receive a one-way bus ticket out of town.
Sounds like tough love but no one else has come up with a solution at this point.
Mr. Washburn
August 1, 2024 at 8:47 pm
Maybe it’s time for a recall of the mayor and the firing of so many bureaucrats this city employs. They are failing across the board. It’s disgusting what they have done to our city. Reynolds was so unqualified for the job.
Linda
August 4, 2024 at 11:40 am
Amen!
Linda Hartung
August 4, 2024 at 11:42 am
Amen to that.
Libertarian Guy
August 2, 2024 at 4:41 pm
I have been pointing out the folly of local government efforts to end homelessness for months and was part of the successful effort to stop the city from turning the formal Maple Grove Motel into a homeless encampment. Homelessness is a social problem that government cannot solve. Has government solved poverty? Has government stopped drug use? Has government ended hunger? And exactly where have government efforts to end homelessness across the country been effective? None of these social problems can be solved by government no matter how much money is spent and no matter what the good intentions because homelessness, like poverty and drug use, is tied to personal choices. These are choices that people still have the freedom to make. As a Libertarian, I believe efforts to help the homelessness should be made on a voluntary basis. That is, if you want to give money to Salvation Army, please do so. If you want to make meals for homeless, please do so. If you want to ring Bell for Salvation Army, please do so. If you want to volunteer your time helping the homeless, please do so. The giving of your time, talent, and treasure is a Christian principal. Having the government do it for you by force, is not Christian. Government should not be confiscating money from taxpayers to make themselves feel good, especially since such expenditures yield no results and in some cases make the problem worse.
Bob N.
August 3, 2024 at 8:49 am
The administrations currently running both the City of La Crosse and La Crosse County are dominated by liberals. Liberals like big government to regulate and steer every facet of our existence.
I do believe that many times they mean well but are often outsmarted by addicts who will do anything to support their fatal habit. Others in government see the homeless problem as a way of adding government employees and growing the bureaucracy that already supports a 62 million dollar a year County Health Department, a situation that a fellow commenter often refers to as “The Homeless Industrial Complex.” Another commenter rightly points out that since the La Crosse Mayor hired the Homeless Coordinator the vagrant numbers have grown.
The majority of those squatting on public and private lands are drug users whose families long ago gave up on them. Among them are vagrants who have destroyed relationships and have moved around, one step away from eviction and arrest. It’s a tough bunch and need to be dealt with firmly for the protection of citizens who live here and play by the rules.
A new encampment has sprung up along Rose St. on La Crosse’s North side, right across the street from several businesses on the Black River.
Now, liberals in the City and County are planning a huge expansion of welfare they call “Pathways Home.” To house, feed, support and counsel 150-200 people (Homeless numbers government estimate) will cost millions of dollars a year in new money. If you want some input on this happening, August 8th is the date for the next City meeting on the subject. Several new La Crosse homeless camp sites will be considered, many in your neighborhood. Liberals in government feel it’s their task to “Put these people somewhere”. That “Somewhere” may be in your neighborhood. Even after past experiments at EconoLodge and Houska Park that were grand failures, your government is about to repeat it’s past mistakes, except this time it’s even bigger.
LG
August 3, 2024 at 8:55 pm
Well said. Excellent summary. Agree with everything you said. Glad to know you are aware of what’s happening with city Council on April 8.
FYI, there is a new Facebook page called La Crosse southside neighbors preservation group. This private Facebook group is just getting started and can be viewed by invitation only. I encourage you and anybody else who reads this to request access to the lacrosse southside neighbors preservation group available on Facebook. And if you proceed with the suggestion, I encourage you to post.