MADISON, Wis. — Tiffany Schepp is the manager of New Beginnings Homeless Shelters in Dodge County.
She often finds herself working to find people housing, but at one point in her life she was the one who needed help finding a new beginning.
“Once upon a time my son, when he was much younger, and I were homeless and it was humiliating,” said Schepp.
While she was living on the streets, she was in Washington County.
She said thanks to an organization there, she was able to get off of the streets for good.
“Without them, I think I would have stayed homeless for a very long time,” said Schepp. “I don’t think that I would have been able to get back on my feet.”
Now she has dedicated her life to helping people in Dodge County that struggle with homelessness.
She said due to a lack of shelter space, her organization can only do so much.
“I have a small waiting list right now for both of our shelters,” said Schepp. “Over the past year and a half we have seen a big increase in the people calling our office.”
This increase is not unique to Dodge county.
After years of decline, a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found that homelessness is again on the rise in Wisconsin.
According to the report, in 2023, local agencies in Wisconsin reported 4,861 homeless individuals, a 1.8% increase from 4,775 the previous year.
While Schepp manages the shelters in Beaver Dam, Terry Respalje runs the Waupun Food Pantry.
She said over the past few years she has noticed an increase in need as well.
“We went from people thinking there is no need in Waupun, we are too small of a city and if I need help, I am too afraid to ask anybody to a point now where we know there is need,” said Respalje.
Respalje has been managing the Waupun Food Pantry for over 20 years and she said they have recently outgrown their space and are in the process of moving to a new location.
“The price of food, the price of gas, rent is crazy up there and I can not imagine having two, three, four little kids at home right now,” said Respalje.
The Waupun Food Pantry serves 225 families a month.
Through the two homeless shelters that exist in Dodge County, Schepp said she is able to house:
Womens and Family Shelter:
- 1 family of 5
- 1 family of 2
- 1 single bedroom for a female
Mens Shelter:
- 1 room for 2 people
- 1 room for 2 people
Often she said she has to turn people away because there is not enough space.
“There is a waiting list at every other shelter I have called,” said Schepp. “If I am full, I will try to help them find another alternative outside of our area.”
When it comes to finding a solution, she said there are many issues that need to be addressed.
“There are so many factors that go into this, the shortage in housing, the increased price for renters,” said Schepp. “The supportive services to help people stay in their apartments and funding to allow the shelters to offer services.”
Both Schepp and Respalje said in order to address homelessness and poverty in our state, we need to work together as a community.
They both encourage community members to make donations or volunteer their time to give back.
To get involved with New Beginnings Homeless Shelters, you can follow this link.
To make a donation to Waupun Food Pantry, you can follow this link.