Leaders in Green Bay who work with the homeless population attribute a variety of reasons as to why someone may become homeless. Job loss, mental illness and addiction are some of the issues they say they see, but one that has continued to grow includes affordable housing in the area.
"There's such a lack of affordable housing. Safe affordable housing, there's people who can get an apartment, but it's not necessarily the cream of the crop." said Terri Refsguard, the Executive Director at the New Community Shelter.
There are some programs that help that help lower income families with finding affordable housing, but those programs are full and the waiting lists are at capacity.
"Those new more upper-end apartment style homes, especially developing in downtown are great for a certain segment of the population. That's a need in the community maybe for someone who wants to live in downtown, but don't want the responsibilities of home ownership, but then there's the working poor. The young moms and fathers out there that are trying to care for their children and they're living paycheck to paycheck and trying to make ends meet." said Robyn Hallet, the Housing Administer with the Green Bay/Brown County Housing Authority.
There are some new projects in the works. The Broadway Lofts and the Friar House Flats have applied for low income tax credits. Both projects should learn if they've been approved for the credits in March, according to the Green Bay Housing Authority.
