1
00:00:00,534 --> 00:00:01,068
Two years ago

2
00:00:01,134 --> 00:00:02,169
we checked in with

3
00:00:02,236 --> 00:00:03,871
the mayor of La Crosse

4
00:00:03,937 --> 00:00:05,606
who was painfully confronting

5
00:00:05,672 --> 00:00:06,807
surging numbers of

6
00:00:06,874 --> 00:00:09,176
people experiencing homelessness

7
00:00:09,243 --> 00:00:11,512
and living in encampments.

8
00:00:11,578 --> 00:00:12,980
In response to the problem

9
00:00:13,046 --> 00:00:14,114
the city, county

10
00:00:14,181 --> 00:00:15,883
and local organizations

11
00:00:15,949 --> 00:00:16,984
banded together

12
00:00:17,050 --> 00:00:18,285
in a concerted effort

13
00:00:18,352 --> 00:00:20,554
to get people into housing.

14
00:00:20,621 --> 00:00:21,421
The five-year

15
00:00:21,488 --> 00:00:22,956
Pathways Home Plan

16
00:00:23,023 --> 00:00:24,691
launched in 2024

17
00:00:25,125 --> 00:00:27,127
when 300 people were counted

18
00:00:27,194 --> 00:00:29,296
as unhoused in La Crosse.

19
00:00:29,363 --> 00:00:31,765
Today, that number is under 200.

20
00:00:31,832 --> 00:00:33,967
Yeah, so really our goal is

21
00:00:34,034 --> 00:00:35,202
developing a wide range

22
00:00:35,269 --> 00:00:35,903
of housing

23
00:00:35,969 --> 00:00:36,803
and a wide range

24
00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:38,672
of support services.

25
00:00:38,739 --> 00:00:40,040
Part of our challenge is a lot

26
00:00:40,107 --> 00:00:41,742
of our really good programs

27
00:00:41,808 --> 00:00:43,110
helping folks with mental health

28
00:00:43,177 --> 00:00:44,344
substance use

29
00:00:44,411 --> 00:00:46,280
housing stability issues

30
00:00:46,346 --> 00:00:48,048
require a level of stability

31
00:00:48,115 --> 00:00:48,682
that often

32
00:00:48,749 --> 00:00:49,616
the unhoused population

33
00:00:49,683 --> 00:00:50,918
doesn't have.

34
00:00:50,984 --> 00:00:52,519
So we've really extended

35
00:00:52,586 --> 00:00:54,521
our outreach into the community.

36
00:00:54,588 --> 00:00:55,522
People don't have to come

37
00:00:55,589 --> 00:00:56,456
into our building or

38
00:00:56,523 --> 00:00:57,891
into an agency.

39
00:00:57,958 --> 00:00:59,693
We are out almost daily

40
00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:00,994
in terms of both general

41
00:01:01,061 --> 00:01:02,162
and targeted outreach

42
00:01:02,229 --> 00:01:03,797
because it really takes

43
00:01:03,864 --> 00:01:06,200
building trust and connection

44
00:01:06,266 --> 00:01:08,268
to help people get involved

45
00:01:08,335 --> 00:01:09,269
in the right programs

46
00:01:09,336 --> 00:01:10,370
that lead them to the

47
00:01:10,437 --> 00:01:12,573
appropriate housing.