The Green Bay City Council on May 19 granted Safe Haven Hope Center a permit to keep running a downtown homeless shelter meant for those most chronically without a place to call home.
Over the concerns of some council members and after 16 people spoke in favor of the shelter, the City Council voted 10-2 to award Safe Haven Hope Center a conditional use permit based on an amended version of its operational manual. Voting against the permit were council members Jennifer Grant and Bill Morgan.
A stipulation was added to the permit, at the request of City Council President Alyssa Proffitt, requiring the shelter to report to the City Council in six months on its operations and compliance with its permit. And language was clarified by Grant, obligating that the shelter coordinate with the police department when disposing of any drugs found on the property, further refining the shelter’s policy against any substance use. All other conditions of the permit − including visitation hours, an occupancy limit of 19 residents and 26 total people at a time, and the right of city officials to reevaluate the permit − remained unchanged since the city’s Plan Commission’s unanimous endorsement on May 11.
“There is just a real fire behind this,” said City Council member Joey Prestley. “And I’m glad that this body has the opportunity to continue to build that fire.”
A January cold snap moved Cathi Oreto, executive director of Safe Haven Hope Center, to partner with Elizabeth Feldhausen, owner of Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary, and house people without a place to sleep at the cat rescue center on North Broadway in exchange for volunteer service.
The city directed the pet sanctuary to cease its sheltering people because of a zoning violation, prompting public backlash. Feldhausen and Oreto then worked with city staff on possible ways to keep these people off the streets. They were granted a temporary permit to take over a shelter at 315 S. Jefferson St. that had been operated by the now-defunct nonprofit Newcap.
Some of those who testified May 19 pointed to Safe Haven Hope Center’s role in addressing homelessness in the region. Though preliminary counts of those homeless in Brown County have trended down in 2026 compared to previous years, homelessness service providers have warned that a larger proportion of those left on the streets have more difficult circumstances that make them chronically homeless.
Even with the city’s homeless shelters, several Safe Haven Hope Center residents, supporters and some shelter staff argued that those who struggled to fit into the rules and operations of other shelters were left with few options in the region for a place to sleep.
Some pointed to St. John’s Ministries, alleging that shelter removed people for disrespecting staff and that the shelter was not accommodating of those who are transgender. Jesse Brunette, executive director of St. John’s Ministries who sat in the public gallery, denied the allegations, saying the shelter makes accommodations where possible to shelter people according to their gender identity and that the shelter “extends a lot of grace” before asking people to leave when disrespect continued.
Christopher Peterson said he’s become sober since entering the care of the Safe Haven Hope Center that “has welcomed me with open arms” and “accepted me as part of their family.”
Following public comment, the City Council generally praised the organization’s grassroots efforts to house those without a home, though some remained wary over its operations and ultimate outcome.
Council member Jon Shelton said, “I think I can speak for everyone on this council when I say we want this to be successful. And, to me, this is what makes our community great: that people step up for each other.”
Council member Melinda Eck said Green Bay was doing the heavy-lifting in a regional issue, with its concentration of homeless shelters and city staff dedicated to reaching out to the homeless. Eck said she was “putting out a challenge to areas in this region to step up.”
Grant agreed, saying she was “disappointed in our surrounding communities for not stepping up the way we have” before citing her opposition to Safe Haven Hope Center’s permit on her concerns about the organization’s history. Grant said she was concerned at the treatment of those who have brought concerns forward about the shelter and the organization’s reaction to the city’s request in January to cease sheltering people at the cat sanctuary. She said she was not opposed to helping those who are homeless, just that there are differences in opinions over method.
“I just am very concerned that a lot of the concerns were treated with disrespect, and I am nervous about the ability of this organization to make this successful and a safe environment for all people,” Grant said.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. He also writes a weekly column answering reader questions about Green Bay. Contact and send him questions at 920-834-4250 or jlin@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay City Council awards permit for Safe Haven homeless shelter
Reporting by Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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