Grants from charitable funds within the Community Foundation continue to support organizations eradicating poverty and homelessness, such as Pillars’ single-room occupancy program that allows clients to share a home with affordable rent.

When it comes to homelessness in the Fox Valley, donors give generously to make sure residents have access to shelter.

According to the most recent Fox Cities LIFE Study data and Pillars, homelessness in our area remains steady although more people were served in area emergency shelters. Pillars provides shelter, support and solutions to address the housing needs in our community. Here are some year-end statistics:

• Pillars Adult Shelter served 460 individuals in 2019
• 21,908 bed nights provided by Pillars Adult Shelter
• 688 individuals, including 157 children were served at Pillars Adult & Family Shelter
• 27,705 bed nights provided by Pillars Adult & Family Shelter

In addition, according to new, most recently available data from the Fox Cities LIFE Study, the number of individuals served in emergency shelters in the Fox Valley in 2018 was higher than any of the previous six years (2012-2017). New data released also shows about twice as many low-income households in the Fox Cities area as there are affordable rental units. The Fox Cities has less of a rental affordability issue than Wisconsin or the U.S. overall. Winnebago County shows that 43% of the county’s renters are paying more than 30% of their income on housing, but the county has lower rental rates in comparison to Outagamie and Calumet counties.

Grants from charitable funds within the Community Foundation continue to support organizations eradicating poverty and homelessness, such as Pillars’ single-room occupancy program that allows clients to share a home with affordable rent. Counseling and other services are provided by Pillars, which is the result of a merger of the Fox Valley Warming Shelter, Homeless Connections and Housing Partnership of the Fox Cities. The Community Foundation supported the merger with a $9,600 grant from the Bright Idea Fund. 

Looking for more demographics information about our community? Check out the Fox Cities LIFE (Leading Indicators for Excellence) Study.