Wisconsin rural legislation enforcement brings homeless to close by cities

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On Oct. 27, a Durand police officer responded to a suspicious particular person name. He made contact with a lady who had dedicated no crimes however had nowhere to remain on a chilly evening. 

She instructed the officer she was from Fargo, North Dakota, and ready for a experience, however couldn’t clarify how she arrived in Durand.

When that experience didn’t present, the officer requested if she had a bank card, which native lodges require homeless people to place down when utilizing a motel voucher to remain in a single day. She mentioned she didn’t and didn’t know what to do. 

There are not any homeless shelters in Durand or Pepin County.

The officer then recommended she go to Sojourner Home, a shelter in Eau Claire about 40 minutes away. She agreed to be transported in handcuffs, in accordance with what the officer mentioned was division coverage. He referred to as a number of different shelters in communities exterior of Durand, all of which have been full for the evening. Sojourner Home didn’t reply, however he supplied the girl a experience there anyway. She requested if the shelter was open.

“It’s laborious to say. As soon as I get you up there, they may not also have a mattress so that you can go,” the officer instructed her, in keeping with physique cam footage obtained by Wisconsin Watch. “When you rise up there, ask them for sources — see what else is obtainable to you up there.” 

The officer dropped her off and left with out contacting the shelter employees or Eau Claire metropolis officers. 

In accordance with Eau Claire County Company Counsel Sharon McIlquham and Metropolis Lawyer Stephen Nick, the shelter was full, and Eau Claire metropolis police later took the girl to a hospital. She then had a run-in with UW-Eau Claire police for indecent publicity. 

“They nonetheless discovered themselves homeless in an unfamiliar neighborhood and dedicated crimes — needed to get medical consideration,” Nick instructed Wisconsin Watch, referring to a number of individuals who have been dropped off in Eau Claire. “So not final result for them or our neighborhood.” 

However what began as a battle between native companies is now a authorized query being posed to Wisconsin Lawyer Common Josh Kaul: Ought to police departments in Wisconsin be allowed to move somebody experiencing homelessness out of their jurisdiction?

Nick mentioned the issue has persevered for years in Eau Claire and extends far past the three examples cited in his January letter to the legal professional basic, asking his workplace to weigh in on the legality of those drop-offs.

“That is the primary time we’ve obtained a communication alongside these strains, actually since I’ve been legal professional basic,” Kaul instructed reporters at WQOW. “However I can say extra broadly, a few of the points raised are ones that I believe are true across the state.”

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers mentioned the drop-offs show a necessity for extra rural sources.

The letter pointed to cases of homeless people from neighboring counties being dropped off in Eau Claire by different companies together with the Menomonie Police Division and the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Workplace. McIlquham and Nick referred to as it “a apply pushed by a scarcity of excellent choices,” however mentioned the drop-offs are “illegal at worst and unprofessional at finest.” 

“Not one of the people we referenced really obtained care, and that’s the most typical final result from these type of transports,” Nick mentioned. 

Durand Police Chief Stanley Ridgeway mentioned if his division is barred from finishing up these sorts of transports, the town’s human providers division must pay different companies or organizations to move these in want of shelter. He added that rural communities like Durand lack rideshare providers, public transportation or homeless shelters. 

“Ultimately, it should enhance our value,” Ridgeway mentioned. “Our arms can be tied.” 

A statewide downside

The scenario isn’t distinctive to Eau Claire. Police chiefs in Waukesha, Inexperienced Bay and Appleton instructed Wisconsin Watch they’ve handled an identical downside. 

“For so long as I can bear in mind, now we have struggled with folks from exterior the Fox Valley coming to this space to make the most of this invaluable useful resource,” Appleton Police Chief Polly Olson mentioned. “We all know they … could also be given rides by different, exterior legislation enforcement, or they discover out by way of phrase of mouth in regards to the shelters and sources on this space.”

Inexperienced Bay Police Chief Chris Davis instructed Wisconsin Watch these drop-offs occur sometimes, however he has requested companies exterior the county to not transport folks as a result of it strains native sources and makes it tough for the homeless to return to their metropolis of origin.  

Drop-offs are additionally prevalent in Waukesha, with unhoused people coming from surrounding areas like Delafield, Hartland, Chenequa, Pewaukee and New Berlin. However Chief Daniel Thompson mentioned the difficulty is sophisticated as a result of the town is a hub for sources akin to hospitals, psychological well being clinics, trauma facilities, charitable organizations and shelters.

He mentioned it is sensible that individuals experiencing homelessness in smaller, rural jurisdictions would come to Waukesha for providers as a result of their very own communities typically don’t have any.

But it surely’s an issue when different municipalities drop their homeless off in Waukesha just because they don’t need to cope with them. That is significantly an issue at Waukesha Memorial Hospital, Thompson mentioned.

In December, Wisconsin Watch reported that the state’s estimated homeless inhabitants has been rising since 2021, following nationwide traits. It rose from 4,861 on a single evening in 2023 to five,037 in 2024. In rural Wisconsin, the rise was 9%, in keeping with the annual homeless depend. 

Regardless of accounting for over 60% of the state’s homeless inhabitants in 2023, each Wisconsin county in addition to Milwaukee, Dane and Racine collectively contained simply 23% of the state’s long-term housing with on-site supportive providers, which consultants say is the easiest way to deal with persistent homelessness.

‘Solely as a result of now we have such poor choices’

Police departments in Durand and Menomonie shortly responded to the letter despatched to the legal professional basic, emphasizing the transports have been voluntary. Police footage from each departments confirms the officers didn’t coerce the people, however did counsel the vacation spot. Neither particular person knew the place Eau Claire was. 

“They’re not trying to come right here, they’re being requested in the event that they need to come right here,” Nick mentioned. “When that’s being executed by a uniformed police officer — that adjustments the circumstances fairly a bit when it comes to how voluntary that’s.”

Within the letter, McIlquham and Nick cited one other instance wherein they are saying a lady who was a frequent supply of contact for St. Croix County sheriff’s officers was dropped off at a gasoline station in Eau Claire with out receiving any providers. Eau Claire EMS, the county sheriff’s workplace and the town police division later responded to a number of complaints relating to the person, who didn’t have ties to Eau Claire. 

St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson described the incident to WEAU as a “courtesy experience.” He didn’t reply to Wisconsin Watch’s interview request. 

“I really feel dangerous for Eau Claire that the amenities that now we have out there to us are of their jurisdiction, so generally they need to cope with the aftermath,” mentioned Ridgeway, the Durand police chief. “But it surely occurs rather a lot. That’s the place the providers are.”

Ridgeway instructed Wisconsin Watch the Durand Police Division will proceed this apply so long as the legal professional basic permits it, including that his division isn’t answerable for crimes these people might commit in Eau Claire. Requested how these people get again to the place they got here from, Ridgeway mentioned that’s “out of our management.”

“These amenities obtain funding from the federal authorities, state authorities, grants, donations — they’re not simply receiving funding from Eau Claire County residents or metropolis of Eau Claire residents,” Ridgeway mentioned. “This can be a service for all of western Wisconsin, and we’re going to reap the benefits of that service every time we will.” 

He defended the choice to drop a lady off in entrance of a shelter that was both full or not open.

“You won’t tonight have a spot, however they will let you know what time they open tomorrow so that you may be in line to get providers,” Ridgeway mentioned. “We’ll proceed to name and attempt to get a mattress verified as being out there, but when an individual needs to be dropped off there, we’ll accomplish that.”

In a March 11 press launch, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse mentioned it’s going through a possible resolution to scale back Sojourner Home’s operations from year-round to only six months, citing a lack of funding and a scarcity of volunteers.

On one evening in January, Dale Karls of the Western Dairyland Financial Alternative Council instructed WEAU, Sojourner Home, which has a traditional capability of 53, opened overflow areas and housed 77 folks.

Nick mentioned he doesn’t doubt the officers have been attempting to assist these folks, “however the message must get out that they weren’t helped.” There’s been a rising want for homeless providers for the reason that pandemic as short-term providers and funding have been rolled again, he mentioned. 

Within the state’s 2023-25 biennial finances, the Republican-controlled Legislature rejected Evers’ suggestions to spend $24 million on emergency shelter and housing grants, in addition to homeless case administration providers and rental help for unhoused veterans.

The Legislature additionally nixed $250 million Evers proposed for inexpensive workforce housing and residential rehabilitation grants.

This 12 months, Evers advisable one other $24 million for homeless prevention applications within the 2025-27 state finances. Republican lawmakers who management the highly effective finances committee vowed to throw out the governor’s finances and begin from scratch this spring.

“The problem right here is the disinvestment by the state and wanted sources regionally,” Nick mentioned. “It’s a legislation enforcement subject, however solely as a result of now we have such poor choices.” 

A California metropolis has outlawed the apply

In 2024, the town of Santa Cruz, California, outlawed the apply of transporting homeless folks into the town with out authorization. Mayor Fred Keeley instructed Wisconsin Watch the native ordinance has pressured surrounding communities to ramp up their very own sources for the homeless. 

The drop-off ban was sparked by an incident final summer time when Hanford police drove a homeless lady with a incapacity almost 200 miles to Santa Cruz — a metropolis related in dimension to Eau Claire — and left her exterior a neighborhood shelter. 

“I do know that for many years, different cities in our county carry folks and dump them within the metropolis of Santa Cruz,” Keeley mentioned. “No person ought to do that to us as a result of we might by no means do it to you with no prior dialog.” 

Keeley mentioned these drop-offs nearly by no means clear up somebody’s housing downside and as an alternative shift the accountability to a different metropolis. Santa Cruz is sympathetic to smaller municipalities with restricted sources which might be keen to coordinate with the town to rearrange a transport, Keeley mentioned, however that particular person ought to have some neighborhood ties. 

Keeley mentioned the town’s investments in everlasting supportive housing and different applications have decreased the town’s avenue homelessness by greater than 50% within the final two years. 

Now, a invoice has been launched within the California Legislature that will ban native legislation enforcement companies from transporting homeless people to a different jurisdiction with out first coordinating shelter or long-term housing for them. Keeley mentioned he’s glad the difficulty is being taken up on the state degree.

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