In Antigo, William’s House of Hope, a new homeless shelter, has just secured a physical location.
Before this year, there was no homeless shelter in Antigo.
Without resources, people in the community who didn’t have stable housing were on their own.
In January, William “Billy” DeHart, a local man, passed away on a frigidly cold night in one of the local parks.
People banded together to create William’s House of Hope so that that would never happen again to another homeless community member in Antigo or Langlade County.
Nicole Barron is the President of William’s House of Hope.
She said that the organization now has a physical shelter location in downtown Antigo, next to Two Angels Family Restaurant.
“It's humbling. It's, I mean, the fact that we received our 501(c)(3) status, was it? February 7th . And we are at the end of May. And we have already secured a building,” she said.
“It's been surreal to stand in the middle of the room and just know that all this hard work and long nights is starting to pay off, and we're starting to see the physical results of it,” said Barron.
The goal is to have the shelter open to clients by mid-October.
At its maximum capacity, they’ll be able to serve 30 people.
They’ll also offer wraparound services to help break down whatever barriers keep people from self sufficiency.
Even though the shelter isn’t open to clients yet, they’ve already worked with dozens of people.
Barron says they have a huge need for volunteers, in particular case managers.
Case managers help clients on their journey towards self sufficiency, sometimes calling landlords or making referrals to other agencies.
“It's really a blessing. And it's so overwhelming, how the community has really pulled together. And we are all noticing and trying to help in some way. We're all we all have our hands in it. And it's very heartwarming to see that the community does care,” said Barron.
Barron says she’s heard a lot of positive feedback from community members who are thankful for the work they’re doing in Antigo.
They’re holding a fundraising community event called Shelter Fest on June 14th at the Heinzen Pavillion.
It’ll be a big celebration, complete with a bouncy castle, games, prizes, food, desserts, and more.
“We wanted to also give back in some form, but then also raise funds and get everyone out and about,” she explained.
Barron encourages the community to follow their Facebook for updates.
