Collaborative hopes to clear out “tent city,” house the homeless

May 31 is deadline to end camp that’s been around for decades.

Squatters have less than a month to clear out a camp known as “tent city” in La Crosse.

The camp has been in place in various forms for decades but the La Crosse Collaborative to End Homelessness hopes to clear it out.

It’s a goal that won’t be easy to achieve, agrees Kim Cable with Coulee Cap, but it will be worth the shot.

“We have shelter beds available in this community,” she said. “There is no reason that we should have a tent city.

“There are other communities across the nation where tent cities have popped up but that is in response to a lack of shelter space more than anything. We don’t have that problem here.”

Cable says resources at the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and others will be used to help the two dozen or so who currently call home the tent city that exists just north of Riverside Park.

Getting those people into shelters will also be a step toward getting them housing.

“We want people to have housing,” Cable said. “It’s very difficult to house people and meet them, when they’re scattered in the wind and we can’t get in touch with them.”

The city of La Crosse is also involved in the collaborative.

One of the biggest reasons behind the effort is because of the inherent danger there. There are flood risks, according to the city, along with dangers of disease and drug use. 

The group also plans to provide immediate shelter as well as social services to the whole population.