GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — St. John’s Ministries is opening its doors for the 2025-26 emergency shelter season.
Both their men’s and women’s shelters will start welcoming guests Saturday. The facilities will remain open through April 30.
Officials say as temperatures begin to drop across Northeast Wisconsin, it’s important for St. John’s Ministries to provide individuals experiencing homelessness with a warm and safe place to stay.
Last season, St. John’s served 646 people and offered more than 25,200 nights of shelter. That’s a 15% increase from the previous year — reflecting a rising need in the Green Bay community.
This season, the women’s shelter has expanded its permitted capacity from 58 to 70 guests each night, allowing St. John’s Ministries to serve more women in need.
“The capacity increase at the Women’s Shelter is a critical step toward meeting the growing demand for safe, stable shelter in our community,” said Jesse Brunette, executive director of St. John’s Ministries, in a news release. “We’ve seen a steady rise in the number of women seeking shelter and support. Last season we sheltered 50 or more women on 16 separate nights, and one of those nights we served 57 women seeking shelter.”
With the increased capacity, we can provide safety, warmth, and compassion to more women who might otherwise have nowhere to go.
St. John’s Ministries operates two emergency shelters — one for men and one for women — in addition to their two daytime resource centers, Micah Center and Wellspring. St. John’s also has a street outreach team, case management services and an aftercare program for former guests living in their own stable housing.
