Milwaukee’s homeless providers are operating beyond capacity, racing to keep unhoused residents safe from extreme cold.
Urgency remains high with temperatures and wind chills expected to drop below zero degrees on Friday and remain around the single digits through the weekend. Groups across the city are working together to increase resources to help prevent weather-related injuries and deaths.
At Repairers of the Breach, 1335 W. Vliet St., Pastor James West said demand for services has surged as people seek refuge from the cold.
“We’ve been very, very busy,” West said. “We’re seeing new faces, and that’s a good thing. It means people know we’re here and that we’re open.”
The center operates as an emergency warming room and daytime shelter open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
But when temperatures dip below zero, the organization stays open continuously to avoid sending people back into life-threatening conditions. West said that will continue.
“When it gets below zero, it’s too cold for some of our people to navigate,” he said. “We’re not going to close.”
On a busy day, the shelter serves about 150 people during the day and night. That number varies but capacity has been exceeded regularly, with staff finding space wherever possible and coordinating with other shelters when needed.
“We have people coming to us in this kind of weather with no hats. You can’t make it long out there without one,” West said. “We don’t want anyone to die because of pride or because they felt unwanted.”
Official coordinating to create additional space
Nick Tomaro, emergency preparedness and environmental health director at the Milwaukee Health Department, said additional measures are triggered during extreme cold, part of a broader, seasonal emergency response.
“On cold weather emergency days, we really do everything we can to coordinate both extended hours and additional sites,” Tomaro said. “That’s what we’re focused on right now, confirming hours with the sites we run and with partners like St. Ben’s and Repairers of the Breach.”
He said the most dangerous period for exposure is going to be from Thursday night through midday Saturday, when temperatures and wind chills will make it unsafe to be outside for even short periods of time.
Some warming locations are expanding beyond their usual overnight focus in response.
In addition to regular overnight hours, extended hours will be as follows:
Guest House, 1216 N. 13th St. – Open Friday 1/23 all day; Saturday 1/24 until noon; Sunday 1/25 until noon.
Unity Lutheran Church, 1025 E. Oklahoma Ave. – Open Friday 1/23 all day; Saturday 1/24 until noon.; Sunday 1/25 until noon.
Repairers of the Breach, 1335 W. Vliet – Open Friday 1/23 all day and Saturday 1/24 all day; closed Sunday
St. Ben’s Parish, 930 W. State St. – Open 24/7 today through Monday 1/26
St. Vincent De Paul, 931 W. Madison St. – 414-649-9555 – Open Friday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6:15 pm
Milwaukee Rescue Mission, 830 N. 19th St. – Spaces open in regular shelter and overflow warming.
More help needed
Sister MacCanon Brown of the MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary, said shelters and outreach programs citywide are under severe strain. She’s concerned about those who are most vulnerable.
“This weather is life-threatening,” Brown said. “It is not uncommon for people in various stages of homelessness, and even housed people, to die in this cold.”
While her organization does not operate as an overnight shelter, it functions as a daytime crisis center, connecting people with medical care, social services and survival resources.
Brown said staff and volunteers distribute hundreds of winter items, including coats, gloves, boots, scarves, long underwear and hand warmers. Space heaters are also provided to people living in unheated or underheated homes.
The organization is currently serving about 400 people through its crisis response system.
She said despite the collective efforts of shelters, outreach teams, and emergency warming centers, Milwaukee’s safety net is not big enough.
“Despite the good work of many groups, it is woefully inadequate,” she said. “We will no doubt have people who do not survive this cold season.”
Both city officials and service providers emphasized that surviving extreme cold requires an all-hands effort, from shelters and hospitals to outreach teams and concerned residents.
“If you see someone outside that you’re concerned about, take it seriously,” Tomaro said. “Reach out to the outreach team, call the non-emergency number for police or EMS, or check on neighbors, seniors, or people with medical conditions. On days like Friday, it’s hard for people to be outside at all.”
West asks people to not take any chances by trying to brave the cold.
“When that weather gets below zero, don’t even try it,” West said. “Just come inside. Get the warmth. It’s not worth it. It’s too dangerous.”
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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