Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward, Inc.

01/25/2026

🎙 Episode 20 is live — Meeting People Where They Are

Different settings. The same truths.
Behavior is communication. Needs go unmet. Systems fall short — and people get labeled instead of supported.

This episode connects the dots in a way I haven’t before, linking special education and homelessness in a powerful, honest way.

🎧 Listen when you’re ready. Share if it resonates.
Available on all major podcast platforms
https://sheboygan-stories.castos.com/

📌 Important update:
Both Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward and this page will be closing on January 31st. If you’d like to continue following the podcast and future episodes, please be sure to follow Sheboygan Stories here on Facebook.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

As always, keep your heart open… and pay it forward ❤️

Real people. Real stories. Sheboygan Stories: Unhoused and Unheard is a raw and honest podcast sharing the voices of those experiencing homelessness in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Hosted by Scott LaBonte, co-founder of Sheboygan Area Pay It...more

01/23/2026

Update:

For those who want to continue following our work and conversations, Sheboygan Stories now has its own public podcast page.

This page will be the home for future episodes, updates, and ongoing dialogue around lived experience, community, and the systems that impact our most vulnerable neighbors.

The Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward, Inc. page and the private Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward group page will be shut down January 31, 2026.

If you’d like to stay connected through the podcast, I invite you to follow us here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586918976213

Thank you — always — for the support, the listening, and the space you’ve held for these stories.

As always, keep your heart open and pay it forward. ❤️

Sheboygan Stories: Unhoused and Unheard is a podcast sharing real conversations about homelessness, community, and lived experience — told with honesty, compassion, and respect.

01/23/2026

A Message to Our Community

After much reflection, Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward has officially concluded its operations. We are not seeking to reopen or reestablish services at this time or in the foreseeable future.

This was not an easy decision. Pay It Forward was built with heart, compassion, and a deep belief that everyone deserves dignity, connection, and support. Over the years, we were honored to walk alongside so many individuals, hear their stories, and be part of moments that mattered.

We want to extend our deepest and most sincere thanks to everyone who supported this work — our donors, volunteers, community members, and those who trusted us during vulnerable moments. Your belief in what we were trying to do meant more than we can ever fully express.

While this chapter has come to a close, the conversation does not. Sheboygan Stories: Unhoused and Unheard will continue as a platform to share voices, experiences, and honest dialogue around homelessness, community, and compassion in Sheboygan and beyond.

The impact of kindness, advocacy, and showing up for one another continues far beyond any single organization. We are grateful to have been part of that movement.

Thank you for the support, the trust, and the compassion you shared with us along the way.

With gratitude,

Scott & Kathleen
Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward

01/11/2026

🎙️ New Episode Out

What People Don’t See: Why It Feels Like Nothing Changes

So much of homelessness is judged by what’s visible — but most of the struggle happens quietly, behind the scenes.
In this episode, Kathleen and I talk honestly about the things people don’t see: the exhaustion, the barriers, the slow progress, and why real change often feels invisible. We also talk about why it can seem like “nothing ever changes,” even when people are doing everything they can just to survive.

This is a reflective, real conversation meant to challenge assumptions and invite understanding.

🎧 Listen now on all major podcast platforms.

📲 Please follow, share, and help these stories reach more people.
As always — keep your heart open and pay it forward.

Real people. Real stories. Sheboygan Stories: Unhoused and Unheard is a raw and honest podcast sharing the voices of those experiencing homelessness in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Hosted by Scott LaBonte, co-founder of Sheboygan Area Pay It...more

01/02/2026

Quick update:

We’re still here and still exploring options.

While our plans are evolving, we are currently looking for a small office space downtown so we can continue supporting our peers in meaningful ways.

If you have a space available, or know of one, please reach out to us.

More to share when the time is right. Thank you for your continued support.

12/28/2025

Episode 18 is live

In this episode, I sit down with Morgan and Sam from the Department of Health and Human Services for an honest conversation about drug court, mental health, substance use, and recovery.

Morgan, the Drug Court Coordinator, and Sam, a therapist who works closely with her, share what it looks like when accountability and compassion work together — and the realities of supporting people who are navigating addiction, trauma, and the justice system.

This is a powerful look behind the scenes at work that often goes unseen but makes a real difference.

🎧 Listen now on all major podcast platforms

If this episode resonates, please follow the podcast wherever you listen and share it to help these stories reach more people.

As always, keep your heart open and pay it forward ❤️

Real people. Real stories. Sheboygan Stories: Unhoused and Unheard is a raw and honest podcast sharing the voices of those experiencing homelessness in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Hosted by Scott LaBonte, co-founder of Sheboygan Area Pay It...more

12/25/2025

Christmas time can be the greatest season of the year for some—and the hardest for others. Many people struggle quietly, carrying more than they let on. Take a moment to check in on friends and loved ones. Not everyone is okay. Not everything feels merry and bright. And if today needs to just be another Thursday, that’s okay too. A little kindness, a listening ear, or a simple “thinking of you” can go a long way.

12/20/2025

The response to Episode 17, “When Helping Gets Complicated,” has been incredibly meaningful. Thank you to everyone who listened, shared, and reached out. These are not easy conversations, but they are necessary ones — especially when it comes to honesty, transparency, and what it truly takes to serve our unhoused neighbors well.

Coming Sunday, December 28th, we shift the conversation in Episode 18 with a powerful discussion featuring Morgan and Sam from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Morgan, the Drug Court Coordinator, and Sam, a therapist who works closely with her, take us inside the intersection of mental health, substance use, accountability, and recovery. We talk about what works, what’s challenging, and why compassion and structure both matter.

🎙️ Episode 18 drops Sunday, December 28th.
📲 Available on all major podcast platforms
As always, keep your heart open and pay it forward ❤️

Real people. Real stories. Sheboygan Stories: Unhoused and Unheard is a raw and honest podcast sharing the voices of those experiencing homelessness in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Hosted by Scott LaBonte, co-founder of Sheboygan Area Pay It...more

12/14/2025

Episode 17 is live: When Helping Gets Complicated

In this episode, Kathleen and I talk openly about being approached regarding a proposed new day center — the miscommunication that followed, and why clarity and honesty matter so much when serving our unhoused neighbors.
We also share what it really takes to run a day center: consistency, boundaries, accountability, trust, and a deep understanding of the people being served. Helping is important — but how we help, and how well we communicate, makes all the difference.

🎧 Available now on all major podcast platforms

If this episode resonates, please follow the podcast wherever you listen and share it so these conversations can continue.

Real people. Real stories. Sheboygan Stories: Unhoused and Unheard is a raw and honest podcast sharing the voices of those experiencing homelessness in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Hosted by Scott LaBonte, co-founder of Sheboygan Area Pay It...more

12/08/2025

Kathleen met with the church today to learn more about what they are planning. It became clear that what was initially shared with us was not an accurate representation of what the space will actually be. This will not be a day center like Pay It Forward was, but rather a temporary warming space where our peers can stop in for a short time during the day.

That said, Kathleen and I truly wish them the best and hope it works well for the people it’s intended to serve. Any safe, warm place for our peers is a good thing.

12/07/2025

I just need to be real for a minute.

I’ve been wrestling with some complicated feelings.
When I heard that others are now exploring opening a day center for our unhoused peers, it hit me harder than I expected.

Not because the resource isn’t needed — it absolutely is.
Not because I don’t want people to help — I do, deeply.
But because… where was this energy, this urgency, when we were begging for a space?

Kathleen and I asked — loudly, publicly, repeatedly — for help securing a building so Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward could stay open.
We weren’t asking for money.
We weren’t asking for recognition.
We were asking for a roof so we could keep serving the people who needed us most.

And nobody stepped forward.

So when someone now reaches out asking for advice on starting a center of their own… yes, I feel frustrated. I feel disappointed. I feel that sting of, “Why now? Why not then? Why not when we were holding everything together with our bare hands?”

These feelings don’t come from jealousy.
They come from exhaustion, heartbreak, and the weight of knowing how hard we fought.

I’m not ashamed of those feelings — they’re human.
They’re what happens when you pour yourself into something, only to watch the support arrive too late for you, but not too late for the idea.

I’m still rooting for anyone who wants to help our peers.
But I’m also giving myself permission to acknowledge the hurt.
Both can be true at the same time.

--Scott

12/07/2025

Here’s something I need to say publicly.

Recently, I had a church reach out asking for advice on how to open a day center for our unhoused peers. And honestly… that hit hard.

***Edited to add***
I want to be clear — I am genuinely happy that someone wants to help. A day center is absolutely needed in Sheboygan, and our peers deserve a warm, safe place to go. My frustration isn’t with anyone wanting to step up. It’s with how we got here…

For years, Pay It Forward was that day center. We proved it worked. We showed up every day. We built the relationships, the trust, the model, and the community. The only reason we aren’t open right now is because we lost our space on Erie Ave and no one stepped up to help secure a new one.

And for the record — our 501(c)(3) is still active. We didn’t dissolve anything. We didn’t “shut down” because we were tired of the work. We shut down because we didn’t have a building. Period.

So to hear that others want to start something new instead of helping support what already existed… yeah, that’s frustrating. It feels like we were screaming for help and no one heard us. Now suddenly the idea is appealing when it’s someone else doing it.

I say this not out of anger, but out of honesty:
If the community had come together to help keep Pay It Forward open, we’d still be operating today.

We’re still here. Still active. Still willing to help where we can.
We just need a space — that’s all we’ve ever needed.

If someone truly wants to step up and help make a day center happen, we’re right here. No reinvention needed. Just support.