How to Address Homelessness in the State

Zac Schultz:
That interagency panel on homelessness was created under Governor Walker and originally chaired by Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch. Joining us now is one of the co-authors of the Republican bills, Representative Pat Snyder, who joins us from Wausau. Thanks for your time today.

Pat Snyder:
Well, thank you for inviting me Zac.

Zac Schultz:
Governor Evers’ budget adopts all of the recommendations of that council and he says that differs a little bit from what’s included in your package of bills. What’s not in there and why so?

Pat Snyder:
Probably just some of the numbers that we were talking about in some of our bills. But I think when we go over this and look at whatever he doesn’t include in his budget, we’ll be able to add some separate legislation to be able to get everything that we wanted to as the council to move forward.

Zac Schultz:
Now, would you prefer to see your bills advance in the legislature? Are you okay if they end up in the budget? Does it really matter in the end?

Pat Snyder:
Well, the legislature we could put on situations where we could add funding each biennium for the future. Sometimes when they go in the budget, it would only be that budget session or that two-year period. So either way I think this is a good start because if there isn’t something that creates revolving money if we need that, then we can come back and address it on the legislative side. As you said a little earlier, this is a very bipartisan issue and we worked together so well last session and I see the same thing moving forward this session.

Zac Schultz:
Now, Assembly Democrats were upset when you rolled out these bills with a press conference in Milwaukee and they said that they weren’t invited. What voice will they have in this debate and how important is it to even have side by side, Democrats and Republicans?

Pat Snyder:
That was — we sent out invitations and at least in my neck of the woods, about the only — the Democrat is Katrina Shankland. I don’t know exactly where she was. We held a news conference here in Wausau. I think the reason why we did that just was to be able to put that on the radar of the governor when he was going into his budget. Because at that time the interagency on homelessness really hadn’t put a new person as director. Well, the governor stepped in now where the lieutenant governor was and he has just named someone here earlier this week or late last week to take over as executive director. So those are some of the things we were a little concerned that it wasn’t maybe being addressed. So we had the initiative to come out with these bills. We were glad that in his budget address that he did include a good portion of these in his budget.

Zac Schultz:
Now, you represent the city of Wausau and parts of Marathon County. Does homelessness in your part of the state need a different approach than in Milwaukee or another large city?

Pat Snyder:
It might not be as, you know, visible as they are in Milwaukee and Madison and those areas, but yes. Homelessness does affect this area. We have an outstanding homelessness coalition through the United Way that I’m part of. And I really became involved with them back when I was working as outreach director for Congressman Duffy and I wanted to carry it through when I was elected in 2016. We’ve been out on point in time and this last January, we located four individuals that were actually outside in the weather. And of course then we also count the folks that are in shelters and warming centers as well. But, yes, it is prevalent. This is kind of — here in Wausau it’s more of a hidden situation. People every day don’t realize when they drive over a bridge that there’s probably a dozen to 14 people under that bridge. That’s something we want to do, is make them more visible and realize that whatever trauma they had in their life is still affecting them today.

Zac Schultz:
And that seems why this is getting such bipartisan support is it’s not just homelessness in a certain part of the state or a certain city. It’s everywhere.

Pat Snyder:
Exactly, Zac. It ties together with everything. From my foster care task force with Representative Doyle that we had, we learned some of the traumatic things that these kids go through and then become adults and then suddenly have trauma when they are in their 20s or 30s. We see the suicide rate go up. It all seems to be tied together with the common factor being trauma experienced earlier in life.

Zac Schultz:
And we’ve only got less than a minutes here, but you talk about connecting the dots. Governor Evers has used that slogan as well. Does that need a budget-sized approach or can you do that piecemeal through separate pieces of legislation?

Pat Snyder:
I think we can do it through the separate pieces of legislation. But I think we really need to get the stakeholders who are working with the homeless community involved and not try to think as legislators we know all the answers. We need the experts that are in the trenches to give us recommendations so we can form legislature that will have the biggest impact and be able to get these individuals productive and feeling good about themselves and becoming great citizens for Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:
All right. Representative Snyder from Wausau, thank you.

Pat Snyder:
Thank you, Zac. It’s been a pleasure.