09/30/2026
Tonight's community meeting at Union Congregational Church will likely focus on what many residents see every day: people experiencing homelessness in downtown parks, public spaces, and along city streets. Some will express frustration. Some will demand action. Some will criticize leaders for not doing enough, while others will criticize them for doing the wrong things.
But if the conversation begins and ends with parks, we will miss the real issue.
Homelessness is often not the problem itself. It is a visible symptom of deeper challenges that have affected individuals, families, and communities for generations: addiction, mental illness, trauma, poverty, domestic violence, rising housing costs, and isolation. These realities do not disappear simply because people are moved from one location to another.
The concern surrounding downtown Green Bay is understandable. Residents deserve safe, welcoming parks. Business owners deserve vibrant commercial districts. Families should be able to enjoy public spaces without feeling uncomfortable or unsafe. These concerns are legitimate and should not be dismissed.
At the same time, those at the center of this debate are human beings, not political talking points, social media posts, or simply "the homeless."
They are our neighbors.
The challenge facing our community is not choosing between compassion and accountability. It is finding the wisdom and courage to pursue both.
For more than twenty years, organizations such as St. John's Ministries and countless others have worked on the front lines of this issue. They have learned a difficult lesson: if expectations are too low, critics say we are enabling people. If expectations are too high, critics say we are lacking compassion. If shelters welcome people with few barriers, concerns arise about safety and accountability. If shelters increase requirements, concerns arise about access and exclusion.
The reality is that meaningful solutions are rarely found at the extremes.
Lasting change exists somewhere between enabling and abandoning, between permissiveness and punishment, and between simply managing a problem and helping a person build a better future.
That work is difficult. It is messy. Progress rarely happens in a straight line.
Homelessness cannot be solved by any single institution acting alone. Government has a vital role, but so do shelters, nonprofits, faith communities, law enforcement, businesses, service providers, and residents. Lasting solutions require communities to move beyond blame and work together toward practical, compassionate action.
That means investing not only in public safety and public spaces, but also in treatment, recovery, affordable housing, mental health services, workforce development, prevention efforts, and the organizations doing this work every day. It means listening to residents concerned about neighborhood impacts while also listening to people experiencing homelessness themselves.
Those congregating in parks today are not headlines, statistics, or political arguments.
They are our neighbors.
Some bear responsibility for decisions that contribute to their situation. Others have endured hardships beyond their control. Most are carrying a complicated mix of both. Human struggle rarely fits neatly into the categories we create for it.
As our community gathers tonight, perhaps the most important question is not, "How should we address homelessness in our parks and public spaces?"
The better question is, "What kind of community do we want to be?"
Do we want to be a community that simply moves problems from one block to another? Or do we want to be a community that addresses the deeper issues beneath the surface?
Greater Green Bay can get this right. Not because the challenge is easy. Not because there is universal agreement. But because this community is strong enough to confront difficult realities without looking away.
The debate over parks may have started the conversation, but it should not define it. The real issue has always been people.
And people are worth fighting for.
Jesse Brunette
Executive Director
St. John's Ministries
