Chippewa Valley Street Ministry

08/17/2026

Chippewa Valley Street Ministry notes, August 16, 2026

It is difficult to believe that August is already half gone — where did the summer go? We continue to meet with people during these unpredictable and challenging times and provide support as we can. Some of our guests request only food or a bottle of water; others need clothing or shoes. Some visitors are eager to have human contact and connection more than anything else.

When we arrived one evening, we noted a man lying on the sidewalk near where we parked. We checked with him, and he attempted to follow a couple of very basic directions, such as moving his fingers, and he tried to respond to questions. He was still there when we left, but again, he slightly followed directions. We left some water and encouraged him to drink water. Approximately ninety minutes later, a few volunteers communicated with one another after having driven past the location again and noted him to be in the same location and in the same position. It was decided that emergency services should be called. He was assessed and was known to have chronic medical problems. Ultimately, the man agreed to be transported to the emergency department for evaluation. We were relieved to know that he was safe and would be taken care of.

We're serving between 55-60 people each time we're out. Many people we're meeting are new to the street, and many are females. We're always concerned about women's safety and try to get the females separated from any male who is with them to assess their safety. Women have a high rate of physical and sexual assault while living without housing. We do what we can to encourage safety.

Thank you to those who donated after our last posting of needs. This summer has been particularly lean with donations, and we continue to be in need. If you can contribute, please do. We appreciate everyone's generosity.

Please keep all in your hearts. Be well!

Blessings,

CVSM STAFF

08/13/2026

07/16/2026

As you’ve very likely noticed, it is smoky and hazy outside from the fires in northern Minnesota and Canada. With that smoke comes exposure to potentially hazardous matter in the air. Please do some research and protect yourself.

There is a lot of information available with guidance on being safe with the current conditions. The CDC describes in detail how the smoke can make someone ill. Be on the lookout for the common symptoms:

Coughing

Trouble breathing

Wheezing

Asthma attacks

Stinging eyes

Scratchy throat

Runny nose

Irritated sinuses

Headaches

The street ministry IS planning on serving our unhoused guests but will be taking precautions to be safe AND will provide masks, as available. We'll encourage our guests to stay indoors where services are provided to ensure their safety.

Please take whatever precautions that you need to be safe. Those of you with other conditions may be at a higher risk of the symptoms noted above, as well as other symptoms. We need you to be healthy, too!

Blessings and gratitude,

CVSM

07/13/2026

06/16/2026

Chippewa Valley Street Ministry Journal -- June 15, 2026
Fourteenth Anniversary

With this journal, we acknowledge the Street Ministry's 14th year in service. The Ministry started with three people driving around downtown Eau Claire to assess the need for on-site services and to speak with a handful of unhoused community members. Currently, we don't drive around to serve our guests; they have become accustomed to finding us at a consistent site to visit with us and share their joys, sorrows, hopes, and disappointments. We've provided thousands of bottles of water and food supplies over the years. We've filled countless requests for clothing, blankets, shoes, bus passes, and more. Unfortunately, the number of people we are serving is growing. We are regularly serving 65-70 guests each time we're out, and there's no change in sight. We could not have done it without all of you and are grateful for your support. The Street Ministry has existed and served for all of these years by donations and occasional grants. We need your donations to continue to serve our brothers and sisters.

With the increase in visitors, we've also seen an increase in mental illness symptoms. We do the best that we can, but with some individuals, all that we can do is to try to promote their safety. One visitor last week initially did not want to talk with us, but with some gentle and quiet encouragement, she did end up talking with us. The words and statements that she used did not necessarily make sense to us, but the look in her eyes and the change of expression in her face indicated that the interaction mattered to her. She even slipped out a smile or two for us. Before we left, she held our hands and told us to "be good." She felt heard and cared for, and we were grateful for the opportunity.

There have been many people that we've cared for who have complained about their feet — living unhoused often means not having a vehicle and having to walk significant distances daily and in all types of weather. We've seen blisters, calluses, and swelling, among other symptoms. This past week, we saw two people with the worst appearing feet that we've seen in the last fourteen years. Both people had been wearing wet shoes and socks for an unknown amount of time, and both looked consistent with 'trench foot' symptoms. It did rain several times last week; they must have had soaked feet the entire time. The man had an area about the size of a quarter on the top of his foot that was concerning: it looked like a wound might open if he didn't take precautions. The woman's feet were worse: the soles had skin torn away, causing pain. We were able to provide clean, dry socks and shoes, which delighted both people. We hope that they will return and be willing to show us their feet so that we can see if there is any improvement or negative changes.

On behalf of all of the Street Ministry volunteers and the people we serve, thank you for your generosity and support over the last 14 years. We truly could not have gotten this far without you. A Needs List will be posted within a week. Please be on the lookout. Feel free to share our journal and needs list.

Blessings to all!

CVSM staff

05/07/2026

Chippewa Valley Street Ministry Journal - May 7, 2026

It's May, and the weather is warming up. We're seeing an increase in the number of people that we're serving: it has been routine for us to serve 60-65 people per night, and often there are new faces as well as a variety of abilities: fully-able for some, others being in wheelchairs or using walkers. The mental health challenges are apparent each time we go out. The most common items we provide are bus passes, hoodies, boxer briefs, socks, shoes, blankets, and backpacks. Our visitors are grateful for those items — available because of your support and donations — as well as the food, water & Gatorade that we're distributing.

The increased number of people brings the number of people up who can't get into the shelter due to capacity. We talk to people who have been in this situation and ask what they do, and many say that they try to "keep moving." Imagine being up during the day and then having to keep moving all night to avoid getting in trouble for loitering or camping. Most don't want to risk receiving a citation for camping in city limits, as the cost of that is $213 each time. For someone with no- to low-income, an accumulation of tickets is then dings on their legal record, and that becomes nearly impossible to pay off.

The Street Ministry has made hundreds of visits to the local jail and prisons over the last 14 years. We work and visit with people who are incarcerated to prepare them for release or transitioning to prison. In general, incarcerated people become the community's forgotten population. There are often 200+ incarcerated men and women in the Eau Claire County Jail on any given day. Do we give them any thought as we drive by the jail on our way here and there? Being in jail adds another challenge to families, for housing, for jobs. We're not saying that jail is not warranted in some situations, but it can be life-altering to people connected to the jailed individual, and the fall-out can affect those individuals in ways other than just monetary: trauma, changes in relationships, changes in finances, changes in housing, etc.

Regarding jails and prisons, Wisconsin has some of the highest rates of incarceration in the world; please see the graphic below. In Wisconsin, there are approx 18 prisons (16 State and 2 Federal) incarcerating approximately 24,000 individuals. County jails house approximately 10,000 individuals. We urge you to read more information about Wisconsin incarceration info at https://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/WI.html There is a vast amount of information pertaining to various populations, types of crimes, costs of medical care, etc.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Street Ministry. Please continue helping us support our work to care for our community's unhoused population.

Please click on the pictures for additional information, and please share!

Blessings,

CVSM Staff