Temperatures are expected to fall to below the freezing mark the nights of Oct. 16 and Oct. 17, coinciding with the opening of SAM’s House emergency shelter for the 2026-27 season.
“We’re expecting a handful of people (the first night, Oct. 15),” said Kayla Bessette, executive director of Shawano Area Matthew 25. “They’ve been communicating with us about their need.”
The shelter is open from Oct. 15 to May 15. In 2025-26, the shelter offered a place to stay for 89 people. Of those, 74 were adults and 15 were children 17 and younger. There were 50 males and 39 females.
The winter shelter is now the only homeless shelter in Shawano following the closure of Newcap’s year-round shelter earlier this year. Newcap closed its Shawano homeless shelter and all of its regional operations March 31 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid severe financial deficits and leadership changes.
The homeless can check in each night between 5 and 6 p.m. Checkout is 8 a.m. after they are served breakfast and provided a bag lunch for the day.
“The first night, we have a pretty thorough check-in process, collecting their information, emergency contact, etc.,” Bessette said.
SAM25 performs background checks on those who want to use the shelter. Entry is denied to anyone convicted of a violent felony within the past seven years or convicted of a crime that is sexual in nature. The same is true for anyone with outstanding warrants or those lacking the ability to self-care.
People can stay for two 30-day periods with a 30-day period in between.
If someone plans to be there for 30 days and does not show up one night without notice, it counts as a strike against them. After three strikes, they forfeit their stay for that time period.
“The 30 days can be extended on a case-by-case basis, if someone is working with someone in our resource center to find a job or permanent housing,” Bessette said.
The shelter has eight rooms with two or three beds per room for a total of 21 beds. Males and females are kept apart, but staff tries to keep families together.
Bessette has been executive director for about six weeks.
“We have a good staff team,” she said. “Our thrift store is run entirely by volunteers. In the shelter, volunteers provide nightly meals. We have a lot of people signed up for the meals for the first several weeks, but there are some open dates.”
Volunteer help is needed for shifts at the shelter to assist the staff member who is there overnight. Shifts are from 4:45-10:30 p.m., from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. and from 4:20-8:30 a.m.
To volunteer, call 715-851-7252 or stop by the office at 105 E. Richmond St. between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays.
Volunteer applications and sign-ups for shelter shifts and meals can be done online at sam25.org.
There is also a wish list of items needed for the shelter, including napkins and paper towels, cleaning supplies, pantry staples, toilet paper, surgical and vinyl gloves, sandwich bags, socks, underwear and more.
By using SAM25’s Amazon wish list, items are automatically delivered to the shelter.
There are many more local homeless than the 89 who were helped last season, Bessette said.
SAM25’s resource center allows for helping people throughout the year, with continuity of care during shelter season and beyond. Folks can continue to work on established goals and receive the resource help they need.
Last year, SAM25 helped 32 of the 74 adults who used the shelter move on to better circumstances. Staff members work with many other area agencies to help the homeless transition back into permanent housing, reenter the workforce, enroll in treatment programs, receive human services support, collect veterans benefits, and get peer support and needed counseling.
“In an ideal world, we’ll work our way out of business,” she said. “We’re not here to just provide a shelter; we want to help people so they don’t need us anymore.”
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
