GREEN BAY, Wis. (Sept. 9, 2024) – When someone realizes for the first time that they have nowhere to go and will be experiencing homelessness, many things go through their mind. What the staff at St. John’s Ministries learned was that many wondered where their important belongings, family treasures and important documents could be stored if all they had was a backpack or a suitcase. Others trusted people to keep their important items only to have them taken. While others would hide bags in bushes or other places only to have them lost or stolen. This was a problem that needed a solution.
That’s where the 2024 Leadership Green Bay class Team 5 came into the picture. During the program’s Human Services Day, they had the privilege of meeting Paul VanHandel from NEWCAP, a street outreach worker who makes it his number one priority to connect with individuals who are unsheltered and connect them with resources. He talked openly about the struggles faced with keeping and storing belongings and the work the Brown County Housing and Homelessness Coalition was already doing in coordination with Downtown Green Bay.
Leadership Green Bay Teams are charged with taking on community projects each year, and Team 5 knew this was a project where they could make a difference. Partnering with Bayland Buildings, Inc. and Home Depot and securing sponsorships from the WPS Foundation and BayCare Clinic Foundation, Team 5 worked to create a secure storage space in the Micah Center lower level for storing belongings and important documents called Storing Dignity. This program allows unsheltered individuals the ability to check-in and out belongings and store them for a limited period of time.
“The goal of Storing Dignity is to give guests the dignity they deserve and the peace of mind knowing their valuables are safe, secure, and available when they need them to move forward,” said Rob Frazier, Director of Facilities.
The media and public are invited to join us for a ribbon cutting for Storing Dignity at the Micah Center, 612 Stuart St., on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Noon.
