As a member of the St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Luke, Brookfield, Mary Freisleben has seen firsthand how housing insecurity can impact individuals and families — especially in winter.
“Help with housing has always been a frequent request on our phone line,” she said. “This past year, it seems we were getting even more requests for help with housing, especially from those who are already homeless.”
As the winter season approached in late 2024, Freisleben and other St. Vincent de Paul volunteers — known as “Vincentians” — of Waukesha County were becoming concerned that the county’s only overflow shelter seemed likely not to open.
“It becomes a life-or-death situation,” explained Jodie LaChapelle, Director of Community Engagement Services for the St. Vincent de Paul Waukesha Council. “We need to get people inside into shelter.”
Waukesha’s four homeless shelters are oftentimes at capacity during winter, so the Housing Action Coalition of Waukesha County opened an “overflow” shelter known as Sentry Place in a converted firehouse in 2019 to take in those who could not be accommodated at the regular shelters.
St. Vincent de Paul conferences often made referrals to the overflow shelter but had never been officially involved in its management or funding, which came from a mix of public and private grants and donations.
That funding did not materialize in time for opening at the end of 2024.
Knowing how critical the overflow shelter is to the safety of people experiencing homelessness during winter, the St. Vincent de Paul Waukesha Council Board of Directors decided to fund the shelter for the season. They also committed to providing operational support in collaboration with Hebron House, Family Promise, The Hope Center and the Salvation Army, allowing the shelter to operate at a fraction of its usual cost.
Vincentians like Freisleben around the county mobilized to support the effort, signing up to provide meals and transportation for guests of the 40-bed shelter upon its planned December opening date. One conference that couldn’t provide volunteers donated $3,000 from their own funds.
“As servants, we do what is needed, when it is needed,” explained Freisleben. “When we see someone who needs immediate shelter or food, it needs to be taken care of now, not when it’s convenient.”
The shelter was set to open Dec. 15. But a burst pipe dashed those plans just as the coldest nights of the year were on the horizon — so six Waukesha conferences signed up to provide emergency shelter while repairs were made. The conferences agreed to rotate being permanently on-call to respond to the needs of those facing housing insecurity — even on Christmas — paying for them to stay in hotels and providing them with transportation and meals.
“There was definitely some religious sentiment in finding ‘room at the inn’ on Christmas Eve,” La Chapelle said with a smile. “Literally, one of the women was pregnant.”
When the shelter reopened in January, Vincentians helped to move new families in (and locate a dog kennel for one four-footed guest).
But on Feb. 10, another pipe burst in a separate part of the building, closing down the shelter for the remainder of the season. Once again, the conferences got to work. Within three hours, said La Chapelle, they had located spaces in local motels for the shelter’s current occupants and went on to field referrals for the rest of the cold season, ready to find housing for anyone who needed it.
Hebron House is now leading the restructuring of Sentry Place to facilitate year-round use, which LaChapelle said will increase the total bed capacity and the opportunity for extended shelter time and support for single men. It will now be officially known as Sentry House.
On one early summer day, nine conference volunteers showed up to prepare Sentry House to welcome guests, make beds, clean bathrooms and organize supplies. Adequate shelter space may be “critical” in winter, said Freisleben, but it is necessary all year long.
“It takes time to locate housing and arrange for financing,” she said. “The shelters provide time and resources to accomplish this.”
“It’s not enough to simply get people housed — it’s keeping people housed,” explained Bob Glowacki, CEO of the St. Vincent de Paul Waukesha Council.
That’s where the real heart of the Vincentian mission of person-to-person support comes in. According to its 2024 Community Impact Report, the 24 St. Vincent de Paul conferences of Waukesha County, together with the District Council, provided $2 million in direct aid, goods and programs to those in need last year. They served over 17,000 individuals and made over 4,000 home visits — and housing security was one of the biggest issues they are currently encountering, said Glowacki.
“Our 24 conferences are on the front lines every day,” he said. “It’s an intensive relationship in that St. Vincent de Paul literally goes to people who are in need. We go to their apartments, we go to McDonald’s, we go wherever they feel comfortable meeting with us, and we ask what they need and how we can help them. And if need be, we pray with them.”
Waukesha conferences gave out over $600,000 in rent assistance last year, Glowacki said.
St. Vincent de Paul operates primarily at the conference level in individual parishes; the Waukesha District Council unites the conferences, leveraging resources and support networks to further their work, along with operating the St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores in Waukesha, Pewaukee and Oconomowoc, the St. Dismas Jail Ministry and the Getting Ahead financial mentoring program.
As a former public health nurse and public health educator, Freisleben is particularly passionate about connecting people with resources they need to live healthy, safe lives. Her decade-long involvement with St. Vincent de Paul has been the perfect way to do that, she said.
During home visits, she often thinks of Christ’s words in the Gospel of Matthew: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
“I truly feel Jesus is there guiding us to form a meaningful partnership with our neighbors,” she said.
Those interested in supporting St. Vincent de Paul’s efforts to assist those experiencing homelessness in Waukesha County can contribute to the Needy Family Fund. For more information, contact 262-544-1850.
Earlier this summer, Mary Freisleben helps other St. Vincent de Paul Society members prepare Sentry House for year-round guests. (Submitted photo)
Sentry House, Waukesha’s only overflow homeless shelter, is now being reimagined as a year-round shelter, with the help of local St. Vincent de Paul conferences. (Submitted photo)
