Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
The third time was the charm for local nonprofit group Shawano Area Matthew 25, which won approval from the Shawano Common Council on Wednesday to operate an emergency homeless shelter at 213 E. Green Bay St.
SAM 25 will lease the vacant building from Shawano Municipal Utilities at no cost, but will be responsible for utilities and maintaining the property.
That arrangement will continue until SMU determines some other use for the building, including a possible expansion of its offices. However, City Administrator Brian Knapp said that might not happen for another five to 10 years.
SAM 25 first tried to get a conditional use permit for the shelter from the council in May, but city officials decided they needed more information.
When the group returned last month, the request was delayed after it was discovered that previous public hearings on the matter had not been properly noticed.
The Shawano Plan Commission held a new public hearing Wednesday just prior to the Common Council convening.
Muffy Culhane, president of the board of SAM 25, said the group’s mission is to help those in poverty improve their circumstances and become self-sufficient.
“We all need help at some time in our lives, and we are a community that helps each other during those difficult times,” she said.
The commission heard from nearly a dozen SAM 25 board members and other supporters who outlined the shelter’s policies and procedures, and addressed what they said were misconceptions about the homeless and the clientele the facility would serve.
“There is a perception that homelessness looks like what it does on TV,” said Rev. Susan Phillips, pastor of First Presbyterian Church. “People who dumpster-dive and people who live in boxes under bridges and such.”
Phillips said the homeless are more likely to be living out of their cars or moving around to sleep on the couches of friends or family members.
“It’s homelessness that’s more invisible to us than you see on television,” she said.
Phillips also sought to dispel the notion that crime would increase because of the shelter.
“People who experience homelessness are much more likely to be victims of crime than to commit a crime, because they are vulnerable, because they have no place to go,” she said. “We need a place in this community which is safe, which is secure.”
The commission also heard from two people who oppose the location, both of whom have nearby businesses.
Deb Noffke, owner of Radio Shack, 221 E. Green Bay St., said the shelter is not a compatible use under a city zoning code intended to preserve and protect property values.
Jean Darling, owner of Total Fitness, 212 E. Green Bay St., said she applauds SAM 25 for its efforts, but questioned whether the shelter should be located on one of Shawano’s main thoroughfares.
The plan commission unanimously recommended approval of the conditional use permit, with the understanding that the shelter’s operations would be reviewed in May.
The group plans to run the shelter from November through April.
SAM 25’s 28-page policy manual states guests can be evicted for the use of drugs or alcohol. Each resident also will undergo two background checks using online sources.
However, there was some concern at the council meeting whether those checks would be sufficient.
Police Chief Mark Kohl said those checks wouldn’t necessarily turn up people who were wanted on warrants. More thorough checks can only be done by law enforcement, he said.
The group was encouraged to work with the Police Department to resolve that issue.
“I’m thankful that we now have the opportunity to move forward with the shelter,” Culhane said after the council unanimously approved the conditional use permit. “I realize that we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m just thankful.”
Culhane said the group hopes to have the shelter open by November, “or as soon as we possibly can before the weather turns too beastly cold.”