Sheboygan Stories: Unhoused and Unheard

In this episode, Scott sits down with Pastor Ruth from St. Luke United Methodist Church in Sheboygan to explore the role of faith in serving people experiencing homelessness. Pastor Ruth brings powerful insight into how compassion and boundaries can work hand in hand, and why faith communities often find themselves on the frontlines of service. From offering safe spaces to addressing spiritual and emotional needs, this conversation dives into the challenges, hopes, and heart behind supporting our unhoused neighbors. Whether you come from a faith background or not, this episode highlights the shared humanity that connects us all. Tune in for an open, honest dialogue about faith, service, and the balance between caring deeply while protecting one’s own capacity to keep showing up. Chapters (00:00:22) - The Unhoused and Unheard(00:00:56) - Meet the Unhoused Pastor in Sheboygan(00:01:52) - What First Drawed You to Serve the Unhomeless?(00:06:18) - Unhoused People in the Wisconsin Church(00:10:18) - Unhomeless Community in Sheboygan(00:13:57) - A taste of the Good Neighbors(00:15:25) - The Connection Between Homeless People and Faith(00:19:02) - Wonders of the Church(00:22:02) - Have There Been Moments When Your Faith Has Been Tested?(00:25:22) - The challenges of the unhoused community(00:27:28) - Burnout in Minimalism(00:31:18) - Homeless man takes Easter pictures with his neighbors(00:33:44) - What We Need to Say No to Homeless People(00:37:55) - Some of the homeless in Sheboygan(00:41:08) - Love for Who They Are(00:45:14) - How To Love Your Partner(00:46:17) - What role do faith communities play in homelessness?(00:50:26) - Jackie on The Good Look(00:51:12) - Finn Based Listening: When Helping Hurts(00:53:50) - How to Be With the Poor(00:56:00) - Housed and Unheard: Service That Pays It Forward

In this episode, I sit down with Jackie from Elevate Yoga, a downtown business owner located in the heart of “unhoused central.” Jackie shares her firsthand experience navigating the complex realities of homelessness, loitering, safety, and humanity in shared public spaces. She opens up about balancing compassion and understanding with the everyday challenges of keeping her doors open. We also talk about the incredible support she’s shown for Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward and the many ways she engages with our unhoused peers. Chapters (00:00:00) - Sheboygan: Main Street Businesses(00:01:26) - Community Yoga Studio(00:02:37) - Housing the Unemployed Near My Business(00:08:12) - Downtown Milwaukee: Everything in the downtown(00:08:23) - What to Do About Loud People in the Alley(00:11:29) - How do you balance being a compassionate human with protecting your space staff(00:17:01) - Volunteers bring backpacks and wagons(00:18:29) - A conversation with a homeless couple at yoga(00:22:21) - Unhomeless Businessowners Speak Out(00:28:06) - Local residents speak out about the streetcar(00:28:38) - Additional resources needed for the homeless(00:34:56) - 8th Street Business owners Talk to People in the Alley(00:40:51) - The Need for Self-Defense(00:41:35) - The Real World of Running a Business in a Homeless Community(00:45:40) - What Do You Do For Someone Who's Unhomeless?(00:47:37) - Sheboygan Stories: How's an Ain't an unheard?

In this powerful episode, we sit down with someone who’s been fighting a war on two fronts—navigating life without stable housing while also facing the grip of addiction. This honest, raw conversation highlights how deeply connected these two struggles often are, and the strength it takes to push forward through both. We talk about the barriers to recovery, the stigma people face, and the importance of community, accountability, and consistency. Since the closure of our day center, we’ve seen firsthand how the lack of daily support can send people into a downward spiral. This episode puts a face and voice to that reality. Listen in, learn, and lean into compassion. Featuring local resources for support in Sheboygan If you or someone you know needs help: 920-889-1549 Chapters (00:00:00) - Uncovering the Secret to Homelessness(00:00:54) - Talking About Substance Abuse(00:01:46) - Interview(00:03:36) - Living On The Streets With Addiction(00:09:48) - A homeless man refuses to let me use the bathroom(00:14:36) - Homeless People Use Substances(00:18:45) - Living With Addiction:(00:20:27) - Getting help for your drug addiction(00:21:11) - Was there ever a time when you wanted help but(00:26:37) - "It's the Most Enjoyable Way to Die"(00:28:17) - What's one thing that(00:33:46) - Homeless People on the Road(00:39:47) - What's Helping You Get Back on Your Feet?(00:44:05) - Helping Others Get Back on Their Feet(00:45:50) - Addiction and homelessness in Sheboygan

What do people think they know about homelessness — and what’s actually true? In this episode, Scott sits down with his wife and co-founder, Kathleen, for a no-fluff conversation about the most common myths surrounding homelessness: the belief that people choose this life, that all unhoused individuals are addicts, and that help is always accessible. Together, they reflect on what they've witnessed since their day center closed, and how the lack of structure has deeply impacted the community. This episode offers facts, challenges assumptions, and calls for compassion — because ending homelessness starts with understanding it. Chapters (00:00:23) - Homelessness: What's the Myth?(00:01:37) - No, Your Trauma Is Not a Choice(00:09:56) - Myth #3, They Don't Need Help Getting a Home(00:13:33) - Sheboygan County's homelessness issue(00:14:46) - Sheboygan County's homelessness numbers(00:15:57) - Myth 4: All Homeless People Are Addicts or Psychotics(00:23:58) - What happened to the EBCO(00:25:18) - Day Center Closes(00:33:06) - How to help your partner with substance abuse issues(00:36:24) - Housing Myths debunked(00:40:58) - What You Can Do To Help People on Homelessness(00:45:17) - A voice for Sheboygan(00:45:45) - Salvation Army Holiday Candy Canes(00:49:26) - Sheboygan Stories

Hidden homelessness through the eyes of a youth or single adult. In this episode, Shana shares what it’s like to live without a place of her own — moving between couches, temporary spaces, and uncertain nights. Her story highlights a side of homelessness that often goes unseen but affects so many. With honesty and resilience, she reminds us: “Sometimes you need to be OK with not being OK.” This is what hidden homelessness sounds like. Chapters (00:00:00) - The hidden world of homelessness in Sheboygan(00:00:56) - What Made Me Do It: Shanna(00:05:29) - Getting Out Of The Addictions(00:09:53) - Homeless Person on Couch Hopping(00:14:50) - How Post-Traumatic Stress Affects Your Mental Health(00:16:39) - What's the hardest part of living this way? The mental(00:22:34) - Homeless Man on Mental Health(00:26:21) - How to Get Out of a Racket(00:27:46) - What Keeps You From Giving Up?(00:29:21) - If You Are Couch Hopping, What Do You Do?(00:32:31) - One woman's story of survival

Interview with someone who recently found housing after living unhoused. Amanda opens up about her journey from in-patient rehab to shelters to finally finding a place of her own. It's a raw and honest look at what the path to housing can really look like — one step at a time, and not always in a straight line. Chapters (00:00:23) - A Story of Struggle, Survival, and Love(00:01:11) - Homeless on the Streets(00:06:33) - The Cost of Living On An Empty House(00:07:42) - When Did You Think You Couldn't Do This?(00:09:41) - Rehabilitation for Addicts While Pregnant(00:16:06) - Bridgeway House for Women:(00:20:14) - On Having To Stay With My Dad(00:21:20) - The Moment That Having My Own Place Became Possible(00:26:01) - Moving into a Housing Project(00:27:17) - Home Means More To Me Now(00:29:05) - The Secret to Amanda's Recovery(00:29:53) - What Would You Want People To Know?(00:32:35) - Pay it Forward: Amanda's Journey to Housing

A caseworker talks about their role, what keeps them going, and the barriers they see In this episode, we go behind the scenes with a caseworker from Lakeshore CAP, a local organization working directly with individuals and families facing housing instability. This conversation shines a light on the human side of social work — the long hours, the hard conversations, and the heart it takes to keep showing up. We talk about what brought them to this work, the systems they have to navigate, the common roadblocks their clients face, and what keeps them going on the toughest days. This episode is about more than forms and files — it’s about people helping people. Chapters (00:00:22) - House and the Unheard(00:00:46) - What's a caseworker's day in the shoes?(00:02:19) - What's the Hardest Part of The Job?(00:07:42) - The role of the federal housing system(00:09:25) - Getting housed is a slow process(00:13:08) - The Process of Getting Help for Mental Illness(00:14:03) - Where to Start Help for Someone in Need?(00:15:28) - What do you wish every elected official or community member really understood about(00:20:10) - The Haven for the Unhoused(00:21:31) - Unhoused and unheard: Sheboygan Stories

A personal story of survival and resilience from someone with lived experience. In this powerful episode, we meet Jimmy — a man who's lived on and off the streets of Sheboygan for a couple years. Recorded outside Mead Public Library in Sheboygan, this conversation doesn’t take place in a studio. It takes place where Jimmy lives his truth: on the sidewalk, with nothing to hide. Jimmy opens up about the daily realities of homelessness — the cold, the stigma, the loneliness — but also about the fight to stay human in a world that often looks away. He reminds us what it means to endure when everything around you says give up. This is more than an interview — it’s a reminder that presence is a form of resistance. Jimmy is still here. And he has something to say. Chapters (00:00:00) - Sheboygan Stories(00:00:56) - One woman's story of homelessness(00:05:11) - What Does a Normal Day Look Like for a Homeless Person?(00:07:30) - Homeless People on the Streets(00:14:22) - Justin on Helping Others During Their Struggle(00:15:49) - Paying it Forward: Changes Needed(00:17:26) - Unhoused and unheard: A Cheboygan Story

A conversation with Scott and his wife about why they started Pay It Forward. This podcast gives a voice to the people we so often walk past but rarely hear from—those experiencing homelessness here in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. But before we dive into other people’s stories, we thought we’d start by sharing our own. Chapters (00:00:23) - Sheboygan Stories Unhoused and Unheard(00:00:48) - One Mother's Fight for her Special Needs Daughter(00:07:36) - Pay it Forward(00:12:28) - Community Cafe at the Library(00:18:03) - The unhoused at the library(00:19:08) - What Would You Do For Someone on the Street?(00:22:57) - Be Kind to Others(00:24:58) - Sheboygan Stories: How is It Unheard?