Colfax gives OK for PD to set up clergy fund

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — What happens when homeless people are stranded in a village that does not have a homeless shelter?

Colfax Police Chief Pete Gehring suggested setting up a clergy emergency fund at the Colfax Village Board’s December 9 meeting to help homeless people stranded in Colfax.

Police Chief Gehring said that other communities where he has worked have used this type of a system, “and it has worked very well.”

Several incidents occurred recently where homeless people were stranded in town and did not have the means to go anywhere else, he said.

In those cases, people generally need something to eat, and they need gasoline for their vehicles, Police Chief Gehring said.

“There are a couple of options. One is to ask the clergy in town, from the three churches, a free-will offering on any given Sunday with an explanation of what it is. That way the whole community is involved. And the money would be placed in a trust fund checking account and administered by the police department. (The records) could be audited at any time,” he said.

If a Clergy Emergency Fund were in place, police officers would never give anyone cash, Police Chief Gehring said.

The police department would work with businesses to give a voucher for a meal or gasoline and would reimburse the businesses when they turn in a bill. Another option would be to go to the business and pay for it at the time, he said.

“There is no place for people to stay in Colfax. A tank of gas could get them to homeless shelters in Menomonie or Eau Claire,” Police Chief Gehring said.

In addition, Police Chief Gehring said he would like to buy a gas can, fill it, and have it at Department of Public Works Building so that if it is after hours for the gas stations, officers would still have fuel available to provide to someone who needed it. A microwaveable meal could be available as well if people need something to eat.

The other alternative, he said, would be to solicit from the village board or private businesses in town.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Annie Schieber, village trustee.

“There will be more of this. It will be cyclical. A couple of years ago, we would have probably never thought of this,” Police Chief Gehring said.

“Just recently, one of my officers, out of his own pocket, gave a guy gas to get somewhere else. He was out of gas, and he and his wife were going to spend the night in the car because they couldn’t go anywhere else. He had a place to stay, but he just could not get there. It is the humanitarian way of doing things. It does not put the burden on one entity,” he said.

“It is a free will offering, so people can do it as their conscience dictates,” Police Chief Gehring noted.

If people wanted to give donations outside of the free-will offering, the police department could give a receipt so it would be part of the audit log, he said.

“We would keep a log of who we help out. If the same person shows up once a month, we’d have to take that into consideration … It is not the intent of the plan to help the same person on a regular basis. It’s for those people who for one time in their life need some type of help, and we want to be able to provide it,” Police Chief Gehring said.

Mark Halpin, village trustee, wondered about private donations and whether people could make checks out to the police department.

Police Chief Gehring noted that he would give a receipt for the donation and make it part of the record.

“I’m not looking for more work. It’s just the easiest way to go. We will simplify the accounting system so anyone can have access to it,” he said.

In Bloomer a similar program was called the clergy fund, “so the village or the police department did not get the credit for it. If all three (churches in Colfax) say no, then we would have to go to Plan B,” Police Chief Gehring said.

The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved a motion authorizing Police Chief Gehring to approach the churches and to organize a clergy emergency fund.