City, state leaders say more emergency shelters needed in Milwaukee following recent disasters

Recent disasters in Milwaukee have highlighted the need for more emergency shelters in the city. 

A deadly apartment fire in the spring left about 100 people displaced, some of them staying at a Red Cross of Wisconsin shelter about 7 miles from the apartment building in Milwaukee. Many people who were displaced when a historic rainfall led to widespread flooding in the area also turned to the agency for help. On Sunday, two weeks after the flooding began, 50 people slept at a Red Cross shelter set up at a school.

There are 14 Red Cross of Wisconsin shelter locations in Milwaukee, according to American Red Cross of Wisconsin CEO Catherine Rabenstine. But there are only two sites on the city’s north side. Rabenstine said that area is “where most apartment fires occur, and where flooding recently hit the hardest.”

Rabenstine said those two locations are also both “temporary shelter locations.” 

“So they’re all organizations that do other things, and they can house us for only so long,” Rabenstine said. 

The shelters provide meals, water, first aid services, emotional support and information about community resources following a disaster. Case workers with the agency can help people figure out a long-term plan. 

“The American Red Cross of Wisconsin is proud to provide that shelter, but too often, the space we find is far from the neighborhood where the disaster happened,” Rabenstine said during a press conference Monday.

The Red Cross of Wisconsin had two shelters open for flood victims right after the Aug. 9 and 10 storm — including one at the Washington Park Senior Center. Those people were recently moved to Marshall High School in Milwaukee. Class resumes at that school next week, and Rabenstine said they’ll have to relocate those people to another building. 

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said spaces like senior centers can not always meet the demand.

“We need more safe and accessible shelter locations throughout the community so when emergencies like the floods that happen, we’re prepared,” Crowley said.

According to the Red Cross of Wisconsin, shelter spaces should be at least 4,000 to 5,000 square feet and have enough space for 50 people or more. They should have restrooms and access to a kitchen or a food preparation area. The space should also be available for up to four weeks.

Locations could be a school, church or community center. Rabenstine said there isn’t a set number of shelters they’d like to get to in the city.

“We’re not going to say no to spaces that really work because we could have three or four shelter needs at the same time,” she said. “We need to be ready at all times.” 

Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said there were a few apartment fires in the city that displaced about 60 to 75 people right after the deadly apartment fire in May. 

“We’ve had some humdingers, some like ridiculously large displacements,” Lipski said. “We were having trouble finding where’s the spot that can actually take those folks.” 

A task force with members of the fire department, American Red Cross of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management have been working to identify more shelter locations in the city. Monday’s press conference was one way to ask the public for help. 

“We’ve got dozens of people or hundreds of people that need somewhere to go,” Lipski said. “We’ve got to cultivate this crop of shelters and volunteers to staff the shelters, quite frankly.”

A recent statement from the Red Cross of Wisconsin said the agency is looking for more volunteers, especially for the Disaster Action Team.

“We can always use more volunteers,” Rabenstine said Monday.