15-07-2025
CF veterans homeless shelter to close
CHIPPEWA FALLS — The Veteran Housing and Recovery Program located at Klein Hall in Chippewa Falls will close by Sept. 30, Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday.
The two-floor, 30,400-square-foot Klein Hall increased its capacity from 40 homeless Veterans to 48 in 2020. Veterans have generally been allowed to stay in the transitional housing program for two years, with a few exceptions. The program seeks to provide homeless Veterans with the job training, education, counseling and rehabilitative services they need to help them find steady employment, affordable housing and the skills to sustain a productive lifestyle.
Evers, a Democrat, sent out a press release announcing the closure of the Veterans campus in Chippewa Falls and another one in Green Bay.
In the press release, Evers blamed the Republican-led Legislature for 'failing to approve his full biennial budget request to support Wisconsin's Veterans, which is now causing housing location closures.'
Evers continued: 'Republican lawmakers who control the state's budget committee, the Joint Committee on Finance, refused to approve the governor's funding request, which included $1.9 million for the Veteran Housing and Recovery Program (VHRP).
'As the Legislature was deliberating the 2025-27 Biennial Budget, the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau noted for Republicans on the Joint Committee on Finance that, without additional funding, the Department [of Veterans Affairs] would not have sufficient resources to maintain the program's three sites,' the press release reads. 'Nevertheless, Republican lawmakers ultimately rejected Gov. Evers' request, instead approving $0 in new funding for the program, which will now cause two of the three VHRP locations to close. VHRP, overseen by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA), provides housing and supportive services to military Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to help them obtain permanent housing.'
Monday was the last day that applications were reviewed at the Chippewa Falls and Green Bay locations. Applications will continue to be accepted for the Union Grove location, which will remain open, Evers announced.
'We make a promise to our Veterans that when they return home to their civilian life, we will support and serve them just as they have supported and served us,' Evers said in the press release. 'Our Veterans should not have to worry about being able to afford to keep a roof over their heads. Period. I want to personally thank the wonderful folks at Lutheran Social Services who staff these locations for their tireless work on behalf of the Veterans who reside there. The bottom line is that there will now be fewer options for homeless Veterans as a result of the Legislature's irresponsible decision to reject the investments that I proposed. To our Wisconsin Veterans, make no mistake—we will not stop fighting for you. When the Legislature comes back to work this fall, providing more support for our Veterans must be a top priority. I will continue to urge Republican lawmakers to make the investments our Veterans deserve that they should have approved in our state budget.'
Veterans currently residing at the Chippewa Falls and Green Bay facilities will be offered alternative placement options and will continue to receive assistance through supportive services.
'We have a duty to support Veterans, especially in their darkest times,' said WDVA Secretary James Bond. 'Even with these closures, we remain committed to assisting Veterans and connecting them to resources. VHRP has been integral in helping Veterans find stability and succeed in their communities, and along with our partners on the ground, we intend to still carry out that mission to the best of our ability.'
Klein Hall opened on the campus of the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled in December 2007 in the Oak Grove building, 2820 E. Park Ave., which was officially renamed Klein Hall in honor of Bill Klein, who started the shelters for homeless Veterans. Klein died in 2003.
In December 2006, the State Building Commission approved using the empty Oak Grove building for the Veterans campus. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a $116,000 grant in November 2006 to help the state open the shelter.
