Chippewa Valley Street Ministry Journal
May 7, 2026
May 7, 2026
It's May, and the weather is warming up. We're seeing an increase in the number of people that we're serving: it has been routine for us to serve 60-65 people per night, and often there are new faces as well as a variety of abilities: fully-able to some, being in wheelchairs or using walkers. The mental health challenges are apparent each time we go out. The most common items we provide are bus passes, hoodies, boxer briefs, socks, shoes, blankets, and backpacks. Our visitors are grateful for those items — available because of your support and donations — as well as the food, water & Gatorade that we're distributing.
A few of our guests are waiting for items and chatting with us.
The increased number of people brings the number of people up who can't get into the shelter due to capacity. We talk to people who have been in this situation and ask what they do, and many say that they try to "keep moving." Imagine being up during the day and then having to keep moving all night to avoid getting in trouble for loitering or camping. Most don't want to risk receiving a citation for camping in city limits, as the cost of that is $213 each time. For someone with no to low-income, an accumulation of tickets is then dinges on their legal record, and that becomes nearly impossible to pay off.
People are waiting for shelter. The shelter can take 52 guests,
and the rest have to figure out what to do to stay safe for the night.
and the rest have to figure out what to do to stay safe for the night.
The Street Ministry has made hundreds of visits to the local jail and prisons over the last 14 years. We work and visit with people who are incarcerated to prepare them for release or transitioning to prison. In general, incarcerated people become the community's forgotten population. There are often 200+ incarcerated men and women in the Eau Claire County Jail on any given day. Do we give them any thought as we drive by the jail on our way here and there? Being in jail adds another challenge to families, for housing, for jobs. We're not saying that jail is not warranted in some situations, but it can be life-altering to people connected to the jailed individual and the fall-out can affect those individuals in ways than just monetary: trauma, changes in relationships, changes in finances, changes in housing, etc.
Regarding jails and prisons, Wisconsin has some of the highest rates of incarceration in the world; please see the graphic below. In Wisconsin, there are approx 18 prisons (16 State and 2 Federal) incarcerating approximately 24,000 individuals. County jails house approximately 10,000 individuals. We urge you to read more information about Wisconsin incarceration info at https://www.prisonpolicy.
"In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women."
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Street Ministry. Please continue helping us support our work to care for our community's unhoused population.
Blessings,
CVSM Staff
