A refugee relief group wants to help the homeless before the holidays
Talis ShelbourneThe Hanan Refugee Relief Group is offering residents the opportunity to put together donation bags for Milwaukee's homeless community this Saturday between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Salam Elementary School, 815 W. Layton Ave.
The goal is to put together 400 bags containing hats, hand warmers, gloves, socks, chili, peanut butter, toiletries and other items.
Those bags will then be distributed to Pathfinders, Street Angels and the Hope House of Milwaukee, all groups which work with Milwaukee's homeless population.
There over 800 homeless people at any given time in Milwaukee County, according to Milwaukee Continuum of Care data, and they have become increasingly visible as encampments have been put up downtown and nearby.
In 2017, the homeless community now known as Tent City sprang up around North 6th and West Clybourn streets underneath the I-794 overpass. That encampment has been cleared to make room for a Department of Transportation project.
RELATED:Milwaukee targets homeless encampments
In August of 2018, about 20 tents popped up in MacArthur Square, a plaza right outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse. The MacArthur Square encampment has since been cleared, but those living in Tent City have had a harder time finding placement.
RELATED:State DOT orders homeless to leave encampment under I-794 overpass in downtown Milwaukee by Oct. 31
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The three groups tasked with distributing the bags have been working for years to reduce the number of visible and less visible homeless people in the city.
The Hanan Refugee Relief Group, a North Carolina-based organization, has a Milwaukee chapter dedicated to providing housing, employment and healthcare resources in the city.
The group put together this Amazon wishlist, so people can purchase needed items. The relief group is asking Milwaukee residents who want to participate in the bagging effort to sign up using this Google form.
Contact Talis Shelbourne at (414) 223-5261 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and Facebook at @talisseer.
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