Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evening, 156-nights per year, the Street Angels Chef and kitchen volunteers prepare hot, fresh and nutritious meals, package them in individual to-go containers and then into thermal meal bags to keep them hot. Once the meals are packaged, the two outreach buses are loaded with the hot meals, bag lunches, clothing, blankets and other basic needs. Each bus is operated by 1-staff member and 2-3 volunteers and each team travels a specific 4 to 5-hour route through Milwaukee County. One route focuses on the Southern part of the County and the other on the Northern and Downtown area of the City. The routes stay consistent so people know where and when to find Street Angels. There is an average of 35-40 stops per route which include homeless encampments, park & ride lots, beneath bridges and public meeting spots.

 

Through providing consistency, hot meals made with love and other basic survival needs, Street Angels is able to gain trust and develop a partnership with individuals to assist them in developing strategies to obtain shelter, housing, treatment and other vital services. Since July 2018, Street Angels has encountered 1,945 individuals verified to be experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Of these individuals, 100% of them were referred to partnering homeless service agencies and 469 were connected to permanent housing resources. In 2022, 510 individuals were verified as unsheltered by Street Angels. Street Angels partners with Milwaukee County Housing Division, 2-1-1, and other providers to coordinate efforts and ensure that every available resource is utilized to get people into permanent housing. The time between the first night of homelessness and the first night in shelter/permanent housing needs to be a time of support and hope, that is Street Angels mission.