Safe Shelter in Green Bay preparing to transition into substance use treatment facility. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — With dozens of beds once used to provide those without a home a comfortable place to sleep, Safe Shelter in Green Bay now wants to make an impact on what it views as a root problem to homelessness.
The location is set to become a 24/7 residential treatment shelter.
“What we found during the time that we’ve been in operation is that many of these individuals have some type of addiction,” said Pearl Webster, executive director of Safe Shelter.
Safe Shelter is working with an outside consultant, which they are not able to name publicly at this time, to help form their recovery program and provide training.
Once it is up and running, Safe Shelter will be able to serve 15 to 20 people at a time.
Other organizations, like the Jackie Nitschke Center, are also seeing an increased need for recovery services — particularly with women and the use of opioids.
“Historically, we really have stayed at 40% for the past three years of opioid use disorders for treatment, but the shift has really been with that female population increasing to 59% of our clients that are coming to us for opioid use disorder,” said Abby Brezinski, CEO of the Jackie Nitschke Center.
The Jackie Nitschke Center says it has plans to expand its services in the near future.
“So we’re looking at doubling our residential capacity within the near future and then adding onto that as the needs continue to grow,” said Brezinski.
Opioids are just one part of a troubling trend in overdose deaths in Wisconsin.
According to the state Department of Health Services, there were more than 1,700 fatal drug overdoses statewide in 2023. That’s an increase of 45% since 2018.
“We just felt we had a responsibility to get more at those groups, to help at that level of care to prevent the deaths, number one — but then to help individuals so they don’t have to experience, perhaps, homelessness or the evictions going on,” said Webster.
Safe Shelter hopes to open its doors to those seeking help in about three months.
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