GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Saint John’s Ministries is opening a new homeless shelter for women in Green Bay.
The facility is on the corner of Walnut and South Quincy Streets.
A daytime resource center has been open there since July, and the shelter will open Nov. 1.
City officials and St. John’s representatives are proud to cut the ribbon at the new women’s shelter on Monday.
Executive Director Alexia Wood says the number of women needing shelter has increased. In 2012, St. John’s averaged four women a night. This past year, they averaged 37 women.
“There are many women in our community who are experiencing homelessness, living in unstable conditions and facing and experiencing trauma. We want to be there to assist those women in becoming self-sufficient again.”
This shelter will include 55 beds for women, with no capacity limits in the winter months.
“We recognize that if we enacted a capacity, say, of 84 then that 85th individual that came seeking shelter, if we say no, there is no place else to turn — they’re on our streets in really harsh winter elements,” says Wood.
The shelter is of no cost to women and food is provided.
“There are many in our community — individuals, churches, businesses that will come together. They will prepare the meals offsite, then they bring it in and serve it,” says Wood.
Mayor Eric Genrich says it is more critical than ever to have organizations like St. John’s.
“It’s unfortunate that we need these sorts of services, especially to the scale that we are finding these days.”
Wood tells FOX 11 their long term goal is to move the women towards housing and reduce the need for shelters in the community.
“Our deep desire is to get at and address systemic change to address some of the root causes of poverty and homelessness and to see our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, housed,” says Wood.
The facility has undergone about $1 million worth of renovations.
