League of Women Voters brings Whitewater area experts together
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
For many, it seems like an unfathomable problem. But it is real, and could be exacerbated in the coming months as efforts to dig out of the pandemic and resume regular life take hold.
A cross-section of people living in and near Whitewater are grappling with — or are on the verge of — homelessness, and the number of impacted persons could rise as eviction moratoriums are lifted and utility shutoffs begin occurring.
The plight of homeless families has been an ongoing concern for several city staffers and representatives within the Whitewater Unified School District. Organizers from local nonprofits, including the Bethel House, also have been rolling up their sleeves to find meaningful solutions.
“It’s been an ongoing, everyday battle,” said Lanora Heim, who serves as WUSD’s homeless liaison to help ensure students in transient situations still receive an education. “I think we have a lot more homelessness in this community than people realize.”
Homeless figures within WUSD’s footprint — which includes Whitewater and all or portions of surrounding townships — fluctuated in pre-pandemic years. Six years ago, 31 of the district’s students were considered homeless; today, the figure is nearly double.
The League of Women Voters-Whitewater Area on April 15 devoted their entire monthly forum to the topic of homelessness.
The symposium provided a platform for Heim to share her views and expertise alongside other local representatives, including Kristy Weinberg, executive director of Bethel House, and Cathy Anderson, the city’s economic development director.
The issues surrounding homelessness are oftentimes complex and can increase in magnitude for a variety of reasons, including the disruption COVID-19 has caused.
“We have been hearing about some pretty severe situations,” Weinberg said.
More recently, Weinberg said, some of the people are seeking assistance for the first time. Others could benefit from the services Bethel House and similar organizations offer, but are unaware of its existence.
“They might be terribly embarrassed, or they might not even know there’s something like this out there,” Weinberg said. “We’re hearing a lot of stories like that.”
One of Whitewater’s challenges, Anderson said, is a lack of affordable housing, particularly related to single-family.
To that end, the city is making an overture to address the issue by extending the life of one of its tax-incremental districts by one year, which is a permissible provision under state statute, and use the funds to increase affordable single-family housing.
One of the city’s outward overtures, Anderson said, is the conversion of a historic home at 206 E. Cravath St. The 1860s-era dwelling originally was used as a single-family home, but more recently was subdivided for student housing prior to the city’s purchase of it.
“We’re excited that we’re able to flip it back and return it as a single-family home,” Anderson said.
For all of the challenges of homelessness, experts at the recent symposium said there has been one positive — generosity within the community through monetary, physical or service donations.
“Whitewater has so many people who are kind and good-hearted and just want to help,” Weinberg said.
