GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — In response to ongoing complaints by residents and business owners, the Ashwaubenon Public Works and Protection Committee recommended this month an ordinance to ban encampments on all Village property.
Encampments are already prohibited in Ashwaubenon’s parks.
Village Manager Joel Gregozeski said the new proposal is a “proactive measure” to keep all public sites clean and accessible for their intended use.
“The intent of it is to make sure that we’re maintaining our public spaces in a healthy, safe manner, they’re accessible for the broader community’s use, for their intended use,” explained Gregozeski.
Over the past few years, community members have consistently called the Village with complaints of encampments posing safety and sanitation concerns.
If adopted, the ordinance would allow Village Public Safety officers to remove individuals and their belongings from public sites, including street rights-of-way, parking lots and conservancy areas.
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“Homelessness is not an Ashwaubenon issue,” emphasized Gregozeski. “It’s a regional issue...What we’re doing in Ashwaubenon is not intended to solve the issue.”
Meika Burnikel, Executive Director and CEO of Golden House, noted that displacing people from an encampment may make it difficult for service providers to reach them.
“It can be an easy solution to say, ‘Let’s move people to shelter.’ Well, there may not be beds. There may not be staff, and many shelters are dealing with funding cuts right now,” said Burnikel.
She went on to say that displacing individuals from one site will lead them to another site, whether or not that is in Village limits.
“They’re going to find another area, so then it becomes another oridinace in another part of the city,” Burnikel stated. “We need to come up with solutions.”
Gregozeski agrees that a regional-wide solutions approach is needed.
“We’re not looking to enact this ordinance to punish individuals,” he shared.
He stated that Ashwaubenon Public Safety officers will aim to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with local resources and support.
The Village Board will consider adoption of the ordinance at its next regular meeting October 28.
