The intent of Lakeshore CAP or Community Action Program is to eliminate poverty.
Director Colleen Homb spoke Wednesday on WOMT’s Be My Guest program about the homeless problem in the lakeshore area.
Homb explained that CAP had a program called WERA, an acronym for Wisconsin Energy Assistance, which boiled down to covid funding through the federal government.
“We really saw an impact on reduction in homeless numbers when that program was up and running,” she told host Rick Sawyer. “The funding has since ended so we are starting to see a little bit of the pick up in the number of people who are facing evictions, or out on the streets, living in their cars that sort of thing. I suspect that is, unfortunately, going to get back to the numbers that we had pre-pandemic.”
And, the director said there was an average of about 80 households in their service area on a waiting list for homelessness services.
Homb says Hope House in Manitowoc can help families with children, childless couples, or women without children.
She noted that the Hope House Director told her, “they have had so many families with children in need of their shelter that they haven’t been able to get to the list of the singles and childless adults who are also in need.”
Oftentimes, she said those people in need are being referred to other agencies, including Lakeshore CAP.
