Gosh! Can you imagine?
Finding a homeless camp near a large metropolitian area?
With the economy in meltdown mode and the poor bearing the brunt of the skyrocketing living costs?
And the "temporary winter shelter" now closed?
And empty, condemned buildings nearby?
Gee, whodathunk?
Here's a novel thought; maybe if you've got children living in this condemned warehouse, somethings seriously wrong with a public policy that forces children onto the street instead of in a home.
C'mon people, get with it. We have the ability to change this, if we could just get our priorities changed a bit...
Green Bay Police Discover Homeless Camps
By Sarah Thomsen
After a spike in complaints about panhandling and people living along the Fox River Trail in downtown Green Bay, community police officers start searching and discovered "clothes, blankets, lot of cardboard, lot of beer cans... This is where they been staying and living," Officer Mike Francis said.
And it's not one but several places officers found where they believe homeless people are spending their nights.
"Someone's got their food here," Captain Bill Galvin said while touring a warehouse. "I mean, someone's been living here."
The temporary, seasonal homeless shelter at St. John the Evangelist Parish downtown closed at the end of April.
Now Green Bay police are discovering where they think many of the people who may have used that shelter are living now.
Tucked under trees along some new development lining the Fox River and recreational trail downtown, community police officers discover a shelter. Police don't know how long it was there.
A little farther down the shore, in some trees officers find a makeshift bathroom and remnants of another person's temporary home.
"Sleeping bags in there, bandanas," Francis notes.
Officers started the search after complaints the last few weeks about panhandling and camping along the trail.
"People are complaining, and we want to handle it before it gets worse," police Lieutenant Jim Runge said.
But it's the sight at an old warehouse police stumbled upon that alarms them even more. The warehouse, condemned several years ago by the city, is now what police believe homeless people in Green Bay are using as their shelter.
Since officers were there less than a month ago, doors and windows have been kicked in, creating new entries. Someone dragged in furniture. They find jars of food, a toothpaste box, even shoes scattered around the building -- a building that is falling apart and very dangerous.
"I wouldn't doubt a good storm or heavy snowfall come this winter and more of this place is going to be lying down in pieces," Captain Galvin said.
What's worse, police think both adults and kids are either hanging out or living in the warehouse. They say that's a dangerous combination.
"We don't know who's here, we don't know who we're looking for. Two, the kids could be at risk from other adults living here. Those other adults could be at risk from other adults that come in here to live; they can be territorial," Galvin said.
So far police have only been finding these shelters -- very few people actually in them. But if and when they do, police say they are trying to get them into safer shelters.
"If we have to get them some help to find them a place, we're going to do the best we can," Officer Francis said.
