Recent studies show Wisconsin has seen its unhoused population increase in the last few years.
According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum and numbers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, it was reported 4,861 people were without a home in 2023, a 1.8% increase over the results from 2022. The number had been at 4,237 in 2021.
The unsheltered population in Wisconsin increased by 150 people between 2022 and 2023.
News 9 reached out to multiple organizations to find out how many are considered unhoused in Marathon County, but no representatives were available for an interview Friday.
The Neighbors' Place executive director Donna Ambrose says organizations like theirs plan to continue to be part of the evolving needs of those without a home in the area.
"We're always mindful of...what people's living situation is, the tools they have, that's something we're going to be looking at in our programming going forward: what tools do you have at home to prepare foods, as not everybody has those resources," Ambrose said.
Marathon County does multiple checks on its unsheltered population every year, and the next one is set to take place sometime this spring.
For more information on the Wisconsin Policy Forum's report, click here.
