Chippewa Valley Street Ministry
Notes - April 10, 2025
Greetings from the Street Ministry. The number of people we're serving is on the rise, but curiously, we're not always seeing the same people consistently. We continue to serve young and old, young and elderly, and able-bodied and ability-challenged. One gentleman is in a wheelchair and propels himself backwards — a challenge to his safety but an efficient means of traversing the city.
As noted in our previous journal, the challenges of the recent cuts in governmental aid are noticeable in many programs that we partner with, and this is a cause for concern. Michelle Pride of Feed My People provided the following information relating to the cuts and effects of policy changes. Please take a look. The Street Ministry depends on food from Feed My People to provide food to our brothers and sisters on the street. Without this resource, we (and other programs) will struggle to provide the food portion of our services to people in need. We are living in uncertain times but we will be here to support those in need. We believe that it is our responsibility, collectively ours as a community, to work together to serve all those who are in need.
A young woman came to our table -- she appeared to be in her very early 20s -- who was hesitant to provide any information to us. This was understandable as she had no history with us and no reason to trust us. She did finally share that she is fairly new to being homeless and that she was scared. We discussed safety and some options of where to go during the day and night. We encouraged her to return and visit the next time we were going to be out and she replied that she had no intention of being homeless for very long. She did not want to stay to visit and we hope that she was able to fulfill her plans to get off the street. Women of all ages are at risk of being taken advantage of or hurt and this was a real concern for this woman.
Another woman that we've seen a few times welcomed the chance to sit and rest. She has numerous medical complications ranging from spinal problems to cardiac complications to both of her feet causing pain — all diagnoses that complicate, and are complicated, by being homeless. She talked about qualifying for limited services through a disability program but nothing that she felt would be helpful without housing. We encouraged her to call the local aging and disability office to be reassessed. She admits to being miserable surviving from day to day in her condition.
Tess and Steve assist a mobility-challenged friend.
He had fallen multiple times but declined hands-on assistance.
Our services are provided only because of generous donations from our support system. We are made up of unpaid volunteers that are dedicated to helping people in need. We are the only organization (that we are aware of) with the longevity we have of being in the elements, on the street, and with the people we serve. We are in need of financial donations to continue our work. We are aware that there are multiple organizations frequently asking for your help and donations — we try to focus on the people we serve and not always on the 'how' we serve, but we are now asking for your help. No donation is too small; anything helps and is appreciated. Donations can be made online at our website and Facebook page or mailed. As we are approaching our thirteenth year of service, please help us support some of our community's most vulnerable members.
www.chippewavalleystreetministry.org
www.facebook.com/chippewavalleystreetministry
Chippewa Valley Street Ministry
PO Box 51
Eau Claire, WI 54702
Our street ministry is based on being a "Ministry of Presence" with the people on the street. While there is considerable concern amongst our brothers and sisters regarding the possible limited services at the shelter and other benefits, we will continue walking with our friends during their journey — through the darkness to the light, through the sorrows to their joys. We will continue to encourage hope where there is little and continue to just be with our friends. We are obligated to protect the fragile, the innocent, and the least of them, our sisters and brothers, to be servants to all that we meet here in the street.
CVSM staff
Something to think about as we enter Easter ....
..By North American standards, Jesus could
be considered neither a successful person,
nor could he be considered morally respectable.
He identified with the prostitutes and drunkards,
the unemployed and the poor, not because he felt
sorry for them, but in order to reveal God's judgment
against social and religious structures that oppress
the weak. Jesus was born like the poor, he lived
with them, and on the cross he died like them.
James H. Cone - Theologian
While we are always accepting donations of gently used or new items that are clean and in good repair.
We are requesting financial donations to assist us in providing care to our brothers and sisters.
We purchase and provide bus passes at regular cost to assist in transportation needs.
Some people do obtain monthly passes, we fill in the gaps.
We purchase items that have not been donated that we need quickly or urgently.
We have operational costs to cover: storeroom rental fees, fuel, etc.
On occasion, we will provide monies for incarcerated individuals to pay for services: medical, canteen, and phone service.
Donations can be made online via PayPal at our website:
Chippewavalleystreetministry.org -----> click on 'How can I help' -----> Donate
Facebook.com/chippewavalleystreetministry ----> click on the 'Shop Now' button
Chippewa Valley Street Ministry notes:
March 19, 2025
We, like so many organizations and individuals in our community, have a lot on our minds. We are aiming to keep this non-political and share some news that has us concerned about the populations we serve. On the street, we see familiar faces that are tired and frustrated. There is little we can do to alleviate those feelings but we try to decrease some anxiety by supporting day-to-day needs. A hoodie or blanket might not seem like much to most of us but for someone who survives from one day to the next, those items provide more than the basic intent of warmth or protection from the wind: they may feel a sense of compassion, a sense of importance, a sense of being cared for. The act of providing a hoodie includes a time to have a conversation, for a person to share what they've done during the day, what frustrates them or gives them hope — and hope is an invaluable commodity for all of us.
Rather than repeat or rewrite entire articles, we've chosen to paraphrase the issues from our perspective and give you the links that will provide additional information.
Sojourner House: There is a real concern that the shelter will need to reduce its service hours. This information has created a significant level of anxiety for the people who currently shelter there. While the potential closure is not forecasted to occur until May, people are unsure as to what they will do without that service. We have been asked if we will still be available and we are assuring our visitors that we will continue to be in service. We are discussing and anticipating what additional needs we will have to support people should a closure occur. For more information regarding this concern, please click HERE.
Elimination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program: The street ministry regularly partners with Shepherd's Closet, a ministry of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, to provide leftover food to local schools in their pantries and food assistance programs for families. Representatives from Shepherd's Closet mirror the concerns of our local food bank, Feed My People, and share that the elimination of the LFPA program will harm many, many children and families due to the decreased access to supplemental nutritious foods. For more information regarding this situation, please see Feed My People press release. From a Shepherd's Closet volunteer:
"A majority of the food and supplies comes from Feed My People Food Bank. The schools place weekly orders with them and have a certain monthly budget that they use to fill in any gaps we have in the Pantry. The rest comes from donations from students, families, and staff of North and Memorial High School's. We have been taking leftover food from Ruby's Pantry and donations from the Street Ministry for the last 3 years. In March we took 2 car loads to both Memorial and North this week and one carload to South Middle school. These donations help extend the school's budget. Donations of any kind are appreciated."
North High School Information (as noted from Shepherd Closet representative)
"Feed My People requires us to track how many people receive pantry items, and how much goes out (by weight). Here are North's statistics from February. I believe this would be a good snapshot of our monthly average.
-Over 1300 pounds of food were served
-98 total households were served
-244 children were served
-219 adults were served
-7 senior adults were served"
Eau Claire Areas School District/Family Services:
Per Dani Graham, ECASD Coordinator, 280 students have been identified who have experienced homelessness within this school year - so far. Most significant this year has been that seven of the identified families stay in their vehicles, including a family of seven; this is the most the school district has ever identified in one school year and the school year is not over yet.
The district's Free & Reduced numbers are around 42% of the student population, and most of those students' family's incomes are low enough to qualify for free meals.
There are food pantries at all ECASD middle and high schools and they all partner with Feed My People to get food items for students and families but struggle to get any snack items and ready-to-eat food items for students who need those. To help with this issue, bins are located at each school to help collect those items:
The community is welcome and encouraged to drop off snacks and ready-to-eat items.
With the warmer weather, we are seeing more visitors and we are grateful for the opportunity to assist them in their needs. We are also grateful to you, our support system, for providing the means to be of service. We have begun transitioning from winter to summer gear — only to retreat back to some winter items as the weather can't seem to commit to warmer, safer weather quite yet.
People gather in a park.
The warmer weather is a welcome change.
We recently encountered a visitor who has us concerned about his safety and vulnerability. We did take some action behind the scenes but are unsure that he won't fall through the cracks of the systems that are in place. He appeared unsteady and erratic but none of us believed that he was under the influence of substances. Many of his peers recognized his vulnerability and were committed to keeping him safe. We'll try to keep track of him and contact other agencies if possible.
Steve is assisting a visitor who arrived without shoes and needed some hygiene support.
A woman who typically arrives just as we are leaving has shared some of her history. Because of concerns about domestic violence in her past, we assisted her by providing information about the domestic abuse shelter. One volunteer walked to the shelter with the woman to be screened for services.
While there is significant concern about how decisions at the federal level will affect the people we serve as well as the community as a whole, we remain steadfast in our mission to help those in need, particularly the unhoused. We appreciate your support and encourage you to continue reading our journals for news and ways to help support our brothers and sisters who are struggling. Please be alert to changes in services and policies that affect us individually and as a community.
Blessings to all,
CVSM staff
We've updated our needs list, please take a look!
We accept both new and gently used items that are clean and in good repair.
Thank you for your donations to CVSM!
Financial donations - we purchase city bus passes regularly to provide to the people we serve for transportation to work, appointments, and general use. These are costly to purchase in the quantity that we need. Tents are requested more often in warmer weather and if not donated, we purchase those. We also purchase items that are not donated and are limited in our stock.
Hoodies - these are needed year-round. We need hoodies in sizes L, XL, XXL, and larger
Sleeping bags & Blankets - if donating a used sleeping bag, please have functional zippers
Men's underwear - Always needed. New is preferred, boxers and/or boxer briefs. All sizes.
Please note the following information for donations:
Checks and/or gift cards can be mailed to:
CVSM
PO Box 51
Eau Claire, WI 54702
Electronic donations can be made at our Facebook page and our website:
facebook.com/chippewavalleystreetministry
chippewavalleystreetministry.org
For all other donations, our usual drop-off location is:
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
1120 Cedar Street
Eau Claire, WI 54703
**We recommend calling ahead to confirm
the office will be open to accept your donation**
Please contact us to schedule a drop-off if you need a specific time.
Contact us through email, Facebook, our website, or phone.
facebook.com/chippewavalleystreetministry
chippewavalleystreetministry.org
Phone: 715-204-9413
(text or call - please leave a voicemail!)
Chippewa Valley Street Ministry Journal
February 19, 2025
The daylight is sticking around longer but the cold temperatures didn't let up over the last few weeks. Several days were wickedly cold: subzero temps all day with wind gusts that made the temperatures even more dangerous. We were out on our usual days knowing that the people we serve often need us more during the cold days and nights more than any other time: their safety is of the utmost importance to us and we provide what we can to increase the safety of our friends. We were grateful for the amount of blankets, hoodies, sweatpants, hand warmers, and boots that we were able to provide. We gave out gloves, hats, coats, and many sets of thermal underwear, as well. It is an unfortunate fact that there are still people that are living in the elements.
Almost a full moon on a cold, clear afternoon.
The cold brings significant risk to the unhoused community.
One young woman shared that she and a few other people stay in a vehicle that is not running but it keeps the wind out. It is unclear to us why she and her friends do not stay at the shelter. While we gently suggest alternatives, it is ultimately their decision and we can only hope for their safety. She asked for a blanket, a hoodie, and sweatpants to layer over what she was wearing.
The sunshine and clear skies are deceiving: it was COLD and windy when we arrived to serve our brothers and sisters.
The risk of frostbite or hypothermia is a real threat at these temperatures, even in short periods.
We've been making regular visits to the local jail to visit with our brothers and sisters who are being detained. Some people don't have anyone to talk to or support them when they're on the street other than our volunteers. If our friends are detained, they lose that contact, as well, so we make efforts to visit when we can. If a jail is privatized, as is this county's, it can be costly to receive certain services for a person who has low-to-no income going in to serve their time. Medical care has a cost, phone service and email service have fees attached. There is an ordering service (Canteen) for other items such as underclothing, food not provided by the kitchen and other items, but this can be expensive. We have provided funding for some of these necessities but this is a practice that is costly to CVSM over time. Few people have had family members willing or able to assist with their needs.
Karen and Ella trying to protect their faces from the cold air.
We were unable to identify many of the people we served as their faces were covered from the frigid temps.
We hope that you haven't been affected but you likely know someone who has been sick recently; it seems there has been a lot of influenza and Covid going around. The people we serve have not been excluded, many have been miserable with coughs and fevers. One woman said she didn't feel well and asked for two blankets in addition to the blanket she was carrying. Once we provided them, she went across the street and laid on the cold sidewalk. We've talked with her since then and she feels better, but it was a stark reminder that the unhoused don't have beds or couches or recliners to rest in while they recover from illnesses, injuries or medical procedures.
Scott is talking with a guest and distributing requested items.
Everyone who visits us expresses heartfelt gratitude for the items, food, and beverages that they receive. While we're out there, we couldn't provide those items without you; the gratitude we hear must be shared with you. From the people we serve and benefit from the many donations you have provided, THANK YOU. You do not realize how many hands you've kept warm with the hand warmers that were provided, or the feet that were not frostbitten because of the thick, warm socks that were distributed. Every item makes a difference. Because of your generosity, we can purchase items that may not have been donated. It is vital to our service and to the well-being of the people we serve to keep the donations coming in.
Our friends and volunteers are looking forward to the forecast and the suggestion of warmer and safer weather. Please keep our community's unhoused and the street ministry in your thoughts. If you can help out and donate, thank you. Our needs list has been updated and attached for your review.
Thank you,
CVSM volunteers
Chippewa Valley Street Ministry notes, 1-22-2025
The cold has been the story over the last two Mondays. We served in sub-zero temperatures and provided coats, gloves, face masks, hand warmers, thermals, sweatpants, and more. While we've been out in the elements with our unhoused friends for 12 years, it still is mind-boggling to think that people stay outdoors when it is as cold as it was. As I write this, it is 16 degrees above zero, a whopping 33 degrees warmer than when we were out on Monday.
Some of our volunteers who served in the cold:
(L to R): Tim, Tess, Karen, Steve
One woman and her boyfriend arrived and requested sweatpants, hoodies, snow pants and thick socks. She shared that earlier in the day, her fingers had been exposed to the cold air and that they were now hurting. She asked if we had hand sanitizer, and we explained that we did not have any with us. She was disappointed and explained that she and her boyfriend burned the gel as a means of creating heat in their makeshift shelter and she was concerned that they were running out. She shared that she's been burned by it previously but felt the risk was worth the practice. They disappeared into the darkness after receiving the requested items. I think we'll all breathe a sigh of relief when we see them again and know that they survived that frigid night.
This temperature was at 6:13 pm and the readings
dropped throughout the night.
Some people are staying outdoors 24/7.
We regularly encounter some visitors who are not prepared to spend the night outdoors. If the temperature, not the windchill, is 15 degrees, the local shelter allows overflow so more people are able to get in for safety. When the temperature is 16 or above, there is a risk for some people to have to remain outdoors or find other options if the capacity at the shelter is met and they are not able to get in. Most nights we are asked by several people to provide blankets and/or sleeping bags just in case they are unable to get into the shelter. Some people prefer to not stand and wait in line only to be turned away, they'd rather venture off and find a different place to shelter. That decision occasionally results in a camping ticket depending on where the person settles for the night. A bigger risk is that of frostbite, a condition we've seen most winters over the years, and hypothermia.
These are pictures from several years ago but show the devastation frostbite can have on people's fingers.
Thank you to everyone for your generosity and prayers for our unhoused friends.
Take care, and Blessings to All.
CVSM staff
Chippewa Valley Street Ministry Journal - January 6, 2025
2025 has arrived and we wish you all good health and happiness in the New Year. We continue to be busy providing essential services and items to keep our community's unhoused population as safe as possible. The darkness settles over us as we arrive at our usual site but we have noticed that the shadows are coming a little later each day — there is promise of warmth and light as we all go through each day.
We gained followers and more support over the last year -- THANK YOU! We note regularly that we could not provide our services without you, our support network. Before we talk about the current happenings that we're seeing, we want to remind everyone reading this what we do. The street ministry started in 2012 and even though we have grown, our mission remains the same: treat those we serve with unconditional love, dignity, and respect. While we provide clothing and food, our presence and service extend further than that. We are a ministry of presence and often provide care by listening and accepting people for who they are and for the situation they are in. Sometimes by saying less, there is more communication. We are prepared to serve up to 70 people each evening when we go out with food, beverages, clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, and other items that are requested. We are an all-volunteer organization that is faith-based but we do not proselytize. We do not require any identification for services as over many years we've learned that people are often more open and willing to talk if they feel less exposed. We meet our brothers and sisters where they are at — not just physically but also where they are socially and emotionally. We are out in the elements with those we serve whether it be rain, snow, cold, or heat. We don't have the protection of a roof just as many of our brothers and sisters do not have the protection of shelter. We work with our friends on the street, travel to rural areas to provide support, and are available for other circumstances. We have made hundreds of jail/prison visits to provide support while someone is incarcerated to remind them that they matter and have someone in their corner. We've developed an incredible support system that has allowed the street ministry to operate solely on donations for our entire existence.
Pictured are a few of our amazing volunteers: Tim, Steve, Adam and Karen
Last week we encountered a man who arrived at our tables shivering and telling us that he needed "everything." While we gathered clothing and a coat, we listened to his story. He wasn't sure how the process worked to get into the shelter or what to do the following day. We encouraged him to use the resources in the community to be safe, warm and fed.
Another man that we've known for several years arrived with a walking boot on his foot. Once his requests for clothing were filled, we assisted him to the shelter. It was unclear as to what his injury was related to, but we all agreed that it was helpful to not have snow banks or slushy sidewalks for him to contend with.
We continue to hear people talk about staying outdoors at night. This is concerning with the cold air upon us. There are reports of frostbite and damage to skin from the cold. One man complained that he couldn't feel his feet due to the cold and cried in pain. We were able to provide thick, warm socks and boots prior to him walking back into the darkness. We encourage use of the shelter but for one reason or another, some people can't or won't stay there. When it is cold out, our conversations are sometimes short to allow the person we're serving time to move on to hopefully safer and warmer areas.
As we move forward into 2025, please take time to review our journals to learn what is happening out on the street, we share what we see and hear. Our needs list is updated, please help us support our unhoused brothers and sisters. Thank you, blessings to all.
CVSM staff
