MILWAUKEE — There were nearly 150 eviction cases filed in the state of Wisconsin between Monday and Tuesday after the COVID-19 eviction moratorium came to an end. 

Pastor James West, the executive director of Repairers of the Breach, a homeless shelter in Milwaukee, said there are a lot of concerns that came with the moratorium ending. 

“Is there going to be an uptick in the population coming here? There’s going to be more people,” West said. "Shelters are still under COVID protocols, we’re still social distancing and wearing our masks.”

West said more people have been calling the shelter to find out what services it offers, as it is only a daytime shelter. Overnight stays only happen in the winter for extreme cold emergencies.

“So, that’s kind of letting me know that people are trying to plan ahead, or they foresee themselves being in need of extra services,” West said. 

Outside of offering a place for adult men and women to go during the day to shower, get food and even work on resume building, one of the biggest things Repairers of the Breach offers is clothing and hygiene products. 

People are able to shop for clothing on Mondays at the shelter. This week, West said there were a lot of people coming to collect blankets despite the hot summer weather. 

They’re already preparing incase of homelessness during the brutally cold winter months, West said. 

“When you know the storm is coming, you go grocery shopping before the storm comes. You get the candles, the flashlights,” West said. "It’s one of those times that people are saying, ‘I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do, but we can do this to start preparing.’”

There are resources available to tenants who are unable to pay rent because of COVID-19 and could now be facing eviction. 

“At this time we can provide up to 15 months of total rental assistance for back-owed rent, as long as it was accrued after March 12, 2020,” said Robin Sereno, executive director of the Dane County Tenant Resource Center. 

If you’ve already received an eviction notice, you still have time to apply for help through those assistance programs. 

“Before this, no one could get evicted. Now that someone could get evicted, let's make sure anyone who really wants to do the right thing and not evict their tenants can connect their tenants to the money available so they can stay in their home,” said U.S. Representative Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin. 

That assistance could  possibly prevent many evictions, now that the eviction moratorium has ended.