Waukesha warming center to open at St. Matthias during extreme cold

WAUKESHA, Wis. - It has been a long-time criticism in Waukesha when temperatures dip to dangerous lows. The community lacked a warming center – until now.

New warming center

Local perspective:

It’s empty now, but on the coldest days of the year, Kathleen Fisher hopes this basement will be a warm, safe place for people in need. "We want to make sure that anyone – everyone – has a place to sleep at night – especially in those cold winter nights," Fisher said.

Fisher is the CEO of Hebron Housing Services. That’s one of the many groups that came together to establish a warming center at St. Matthias Church in Waukesha. It was born out of a particularly cold day in January. Wind chills dipped to 40 below and the leader of St. Vincent de Paul of Waukesha County told FOX6 that night enough is enough.

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"Waukesha is desperately in need of a 24-hour warming shelter like they have in Milwaukee," Bob Glowacki said in January. Glowacki’s criticism in reporting about the lack of a warming center in the community sparked change.

"The community came together – we have a tremendous amount of support from the city, police, fire department, healthcare field," Fisher said. On that night in January, all 120 shelter beds in the area were taken and St. Vincent de Paul had to give out dozens of hotel vouchers to help people escape the cold. It was a costly, unsustainable solution.

"We think we’ll be open between 30–40 nights this season. Can serve between 50 and 75 individuals. We want to be there for people," Fisher said. While the center won’t provide beds, it will be safe and warm. "A place for them to rest, for them to receive some food and beverages and access to a connection to resources," Fisher said.

Warming center details

What To Know:

The center will open during extreme cold from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. as needed, starting in mid-December. During the day, the Hope Center will be open to provide meals and support services. HAWS will coordinate pet assistance. St. Vincent de Paul will provide hospitality support while Hebron will staff the center and coordinate volunteers.

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"This initiative shows what is possible when a community comes together with urgency and compassion," said Jodie LaChapelle, St. Vincent de Paul Director of Community Initiatives. "When winter weather becomes dangerous, everyone deserves a safe place to go."

The center will primarily serve adults who don’t qualify for shelters. There will also be onsite security. Fisher says operations costs will be between $25,000 and $50,000 a season.

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Bret Lemoine and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.

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