Street Angels is a mobile outreach organization assisting our neighbors without homes in bridging the gaps between homelessness and housing through support, advocacy and community collaboration. Founded in 2016 by two women who began serving from the back of their cars, the organization has since grown to be a highly regarded leader in street outreach with two outreach buses and 3FT plus 3PT staff
members serving 100-240 individuals three-nights per week. Astoundingly, there are also over 8,000 volunteer hours provided to the organization annually and the entire mission is privately funded through caring community members, foundations, corporations and local businesses. Despite the best efforts of the local homeless services system, only a small number of unsheltered homeless individuals can obtain shelter or housing in the immediate. Many also have lived trauma that may alienate them from seeking out traditional services. Street Angels is there to support people during the interim, empower them to make positive changes and provide them with a little hope while advocating for them to receive services. The outreach program focuses on those who are disconnected from services and living unsheltered in places not meant for human habitation. The program has two main goals, 1) To make an immediate impact through basic needs that prevent suffering from hunger or prolonged exposure to the elements, and 2) To make a long-term impact by advocating for individuals to get connected to services that can end their homelessness. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evening, 156-nights per year, the two outreach buses are packed with hot meals, bag lunches, clothing, blankets and other basic needs. Each bus then travels a specific route through Milwaukee County so people know where and when to find Street Angels. There is an average of 35-40 stops per route and some of these stops include homeless encampments, beneath bridges and public meeting spots. Connections are made, basic needs are met, trust is gained and a partnership with the individual is formed to assist them in developing strategies to obtain shelter, housing, treatment and other vital services. Since July 2018, Street Angels has encountered 1,945 individuals verified to be experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Of these individuals, 100% of them were referred to partnering service agencies and 469 were connected to permanent housing resources. Beyond outreach, Street Angels also provides: A hygiene program, “Showers of Hope”; Hotel rooms for the extremely vulnerable; Distribution of harm-reduction equipment; AODA treatment support; A safe way home for those stranded from another city/state; Community awareness presentations; Emergency winter services that have included overnight warming rooms, transportation and assisting the City and County with planning. Street Angels is also heavy on advocacy at individual and policy levels. Successful advocacy efforts include Milwaukee’s “Code Blue” and “Right to Shelter” resolutions.
