'Finding places for people:' City of Milwaukee launches Homelessness Awareness Week

NOW: ’Finding places for people:’ City of Milwaukee launches Homelessness Awareness Week
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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- With colder weather settling in, the City of Milwaukee is launching Homelessness Awareness Week touting successes that have been made -- but also focusing on ways to help get more people off the streets. 

City officials say homelessness has decreased by 43-percent since 2015. 

The number of homeless people out on the streets on any given night went from about 1,350 to nearly 900. 

Experts from a network of more than 100 organizations called the "Continuum of Care" that gets funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, talked about the initiatives they are doing to end homelessness. 

Earlier this week, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County announced they would donate $75,000 to help transition the homeless people living in what's known as "tent city" located under I-794 near Marquette University. 

This comes after the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced they will be evicted by the end of the month because they will begin work on a green space project. 

Officials said they do have enough temporary housing for everyone living in tent city. 

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett responded to the city's plan leading up to the Oct. 31 eviction day. 

"I'm right now focusing with our partners on finding places for people. I think as the month goes on we'll see how many people still need to find places and then obviously announce what the plan is at that point," said Mayor Barrett. 

Right now, there are nearly 8,000 shelter beds in Milwaukee County, and nearly 200 warming room beds in the winter months. 


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