Kenosha Cold Weather Emergency Plan Petition

Church and Society is sponsoring the petition created by the Supporters of Shelter(SOS) community group in Kenosha.  The petition and signatures will be presented to the Mayor and Common Council on April 20th and the County Executive and County Board of Supervisors the following week.  The petition will be circulating throughout Kenosha County for signatures of support to recommend that Kenosha County develop and have a Cold Weather Emergency Plan.  Currently, Kenosha County is one of the few counties in the State of Wisconsin that does not have such a plan.  The plan would outline where citizens of the county can access resources in extreme weather.  

One area where Kenosha County is not meeting the needs of its citizens is for shelter.  At the last Point in Time count, there were 105 identified persons needing shelter.  Over 20 of those persons were children.  Shalom Center’s new Hope Hub is only able  to accommodate 13 of those persons.  KHDS (Kenosha Human Development Services) released 100% of its’ budget for emergency motel vouchers during the cold days of January and has nothing left for the rest of the year.  Immanuel UMC opened their Fellowship Hall and accommodated up to 40 persons in their building during the cold spell with the assistance of many volunteer individuals.   There are members of First Church who volunteer at the Shalom Center’s Hope Hub and at Immanuel UMC.  

If you are willing to sign a petition to support these efforts, there are sign up sheets at the Welcome Desk and at one of the tables in the Great Room on Sunday mornings staffed by Church and Society members.  There is also a FAQ Sheet regarding the petition available.