WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Mayor’s Welcoming and Inclusivity Committee held discussions on Wednesday regarding homelessness and its impacts on making the community a welcoming place.
Pam Anderson of the Housing and Homelessness coalition of Marathon County led the discussion. She says when people thing welcoming they may not think housing, but the two are intertwined.
“People come here looking for jobs because they hear we have jobs, and we do. But when they get here they [may not have] their own transportation,” she says. That can start a snowball effect that may lead to them being homeless for one reason or another.
Anderson says that can include limited bus service, especially if they get a job in a neighboring community. The high cost of taxi fares can also play a factor. “One-way is, on average, $11. Think of what that can do to your hourly wage.”
The lack of affordable housing can also be a barrier
“Many times the prices of the apartments are outside of what they can actually afford,” she adds.
Anderson adds that there is a meeting scheduled Friday morning with developers interested in putting up affordable housing units, some of whom have been interested in the Wausau market for a long time.
“I know them from my past careers, and I’ve mentioned it to them. [Their response has been] ‘we would be happy to come up and explain exactly what the process would be.’ But, they need to know that the city and the county are involved and at the table with these conversations also.”
She says it’s too soon to tell when those projects could get underway but Friday’s meeting could provide a better picture of that timeline.
The discussion was brought on by public reaction to the recently passed loitering ordinance, which Anderson says may have been a good thing because it accelerated some of these discussions that may have otherwise not been held for several months or years.
Wednesday’s meeting also featured a discussion on the recruitment of a member of the Hmong community to join the committee, one group that’s currently not represented. Marathon County Board member and Weston Trustee Yee Leng Xiong was brought in to consult the group and stressed that it’s important that the group have a voice on the board.
During his discussion, Xiong said last year’s accusations by City Alderperson Mary Thao of bullying during a closed-session discussion, which led to her abstaining from further closed-session discussions, could be keeping some from coming forward to be part of the city organized group.
RELATED: Thao claims racism, bullying on City Council
Mayor Robert Mielke became defensive at times, saying that some of Thao’s accusations included things that never happened in the closed session. He added that he and others have tried on numerous occasions to reach out to Thao to calm the waters but have not heard back.
After the meeting, Mielke said his only comment would be that he is committed to having Hmong representation on the committee, a statement that was echoed during the meeting by others including current Chair Tom Neal who said it’s important to have as much representation as possible from all groups currently residing in Wausau.
Neal was to turn over the Chairperson’s duties Wednesday evening but that agenda item was tabled. The group is tentatively scheduled to meet again in January.
