The Growing Need for Housing and Support
Unsheltered homelessness has been on the rise in our community since 2016, as the number of new people falling into homelessness consistently outpaces available housing and supportive resources. For many years, Green Bay has experienced the third-highest rate of homelessness in the state of Wisconsin.
How We Got Here
Green Bay's housing shortage has been developing since the 2008 housing recession, when new housing construction slowed significantly and did not keep pace with long-term community demand.
By 2018, housing studies showed demand beginning to outpace supply, leading to rising home prices and fewer available housing options. The City's 2020 Housing Market Study formally identified significant gaps in both rental and owner-occupied housing, and a 2025 update confirmed that these shortages persist today. Low vacancy rates, rising housing costs, and a lack of affordable and family-sized units continue to create challenges for residents, employers, and the broader community.
The State of Homelessness Today
A Worsening Crisis
The number of chronically homeless individuals increased nearly six-fold from 2024 to 2025, signaling that more people are remaining homeless for longer periods of time. Youth and seniors are among the fastest-growing groups experiencing homelessness.
Limited Housing Supply
Green Bay’s housing vacancy rate remains below healthy market levels, limiting affordable housing options for residents across the community.
Systemic Inequities
Long-standing housing and economic barriers continue to shape who is most at risk of homelessness. In our community, people who identify as Black or African American are 13.7 times more likely to experience homelessness compared to white residents.
Pressure on Community Systems
As more residents experience housing instability, demand for emergency and support services continues to grow, stretching local resources and making it harder to respond before crises escalate.
How We Solve It
There is no single solution to homelessness. It requires coordinated action across housing, healthcare, workforce, government, and community systems to address both immediate needs and root causes.
The Coalition supports evidence-based strategies that help people experiencing homelessness achieve long-term stability. This work is guided by the Greater Green Bay Blueprint to Prevent and End Homelessness, which aligns partners across the community around shared priorities, tasks, and goals. Together, these approaches help individuals and families move from crisis to stability, reduce returns to homelessness, and build stronger, healthier communities.
