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3w ago

Funding Lapse Shutters Two Wisconsin Veterans Transitional Housing Facilities

A $1.9 million gap opened after the Republican-led budget committee removed proposed support.

On Sept. 30, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs closed Klein Hall in Chippewa Falls, which offered transitional housing and substance abuse recovery services for veterans. The closure was due to a budget deficit and a political impasse between Gov. Tony Evers and Republican state lawmakers over a request for an additional $1.9 million in state funding to keep Klein hall and similar facility in Green Bay open. Rich Kremer/WPR
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Overview

  • On Sept. 30, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs closed the Green Bay and Chippewa Falls Veterans Housing and Recovery Program sites as their funding expired.
  • WDVA says about 40 veterans were relocated to the Union Grove facility and other programs in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan, and no one was left on the street.
  • Gov. Tony Evers proposed additional funding, the Joint Finance Committee removed it, and a later Senate amendment to restore the money failed with support from only one Republican.
  • The Legislative Fiscal Bureau projected roughly a $3 million program deficit through 2027, and competing bills to provide about $1.9 million had not received public hearings as of Tuesday.
  • Democrats blame Republican legislative leaders for the closures, while GOP leaders and Sen. Eric Wimberger argue funds could have been reallocated and accuse mismanagement, a claim the governor’s office rejects.