Kenosha---Despite an outpouring of support, a city council committee voted unanimously Monday night to recommend that a shelter of last resort for homeless people undergo a license revocation hearing.
"Your intentions are not in question," Ald. Anthony Kennedy told First Step CEO Tracy Krisor. "Your ability to meet those intentions are what's in question."
Said Ald. Patrick Juliana: "No offense--you outgrew that operation. You don't have the physical or financial wherewithal to run that anymore."
Krisor, near tears at one point, didn't disagree.
The shelter, located on 63rd St. just west of Kenosha Hospital, scrambled in recent weeks to restore its non-profit status which it inadvertently allowed to lapse. It's also had a hard time retaining members to fill its board of directors.
And complaints from neighbors about litter, loitering and bad behavior which they attribute to First Step clients haven't diminished, even though the agency recently changed its hours of operation to be open only at night.
Two residents of the area complained about break-ins. One neighbor said he found a woman in his basement with a set of knives laid out on a table.
But Krisor said she felt the agency had turned the corner on reigning in its clients.
Still, Krisor said she welcomed a proposed intervention by a local clergy group. CUSH has formed a committee to explore options. It's asking the city to delay any action against First Step for at least a year. Juliana urged CUSH representatives to meet with city administration to discuss the plan.
One of the biggest users of First Step services is local law enforcement. Officers routinely drop off people that they've run across who have no place to sleep at night. "If you guys shut down First Step there's going to be a bigger problem because all of the other places send them to us," said overnight First Step volunteer Robert Stigall.
Kenosha's only permanent shelter for the homeless, the Shalom Center and its affiliated INNS program of area churches, don't accept homeless people who are under the influence or have obvious mental problems.
First Step isn't even licensed as a homeless shelter. Technically, it's a 'refuge' center. The main difference is that guests aren't allowed to sleep on mattresses overnight---they may legally only dose off sitting in chairs.
First Step supporters said the city would be making a big mistake to shut down First Step without something comparable in place.
The full council will consider the license revocation hearing recommendation at its meeting on Monday. Such a hearing would not be a first for First Step. Two years ago a revocation hearing ended with a compromise that allowed First Step to remain open if it met certain conditions. Some of those requirements have not been met, Juliana charged.
The committee vote was preceded by a public hearing that lasted over three hours, with the majority of speakers voicing support for First Step.
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