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Ric lives in the College Avenue park-and-ride area

MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will close access to another park-and-ride lot on Milwaukee’s south side on Monday.

Last year, the land doubled as a temporary home for those without a home. WisDOT said the area had to be closed for safety reasons, but the decision left people who now live there asking: “What about us?”

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Veteran Ric is currently homeless and living in a lot on College Avenue with his dog after wandering around hotels. He said he was just trying to make a living.

“Where should people go? Are you going to make being homeless a crime?” he said.

Homeless camp in College Avenue park-and-ride area

“Leave within 24-48 hours or you will be arrested; the thing is, people have nowhere to go,” said Eva Welch, deputy executive director of Street Angels.

Monday’s closure comes a week after the state Holt Boulevard closes park-and-ride lane for many of the same reasons. They noted that there was a 42% increase in the number of emergency calls made to both parties compared to the same period in 2023.

“Let’s say you see the homeless as an eyesore,” Ric said. “So where do people go if they can’t afford housing on their own?”

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It’s a problem many people already face, Welch says.

“We now have people who are on the move every day, because everywhere they try to sleep they are told they have to move,” he said.

With a lack of housing and an influx of homeless people, homeless outreach advocates like Welch aren’t sure what needs to change.

“I don’t know what the answer is, other than more shelter space, but it’s certainly not about kicking people out,” Welch said.

“Some options aren’t right for everyone,” Ric said. “I don’t think many people have thought this through.”

Concrete barriers will be erected at the College Avenue park-and-ride area on Monday. Milwaukee County said it is working to help find housing for people living in park-and-ride areas.