La Crosse, WI
Home MenuPathways Home Update - September 2025
200 Housed, Specialized Housing Plan Launched
Post Date:09/03/2025 5:00 PM
200 Housed, Specialized Housing Plan Launched
Pathways Home has reached a major milestone—200 people housed since the initiative launched last year. Thanks to this progress, more people are moving into housing each month than becoming homeless, driving a steady decline in overall homelessness. In January, 268 people were homeless in La Crosse. By July, that number had dropped 21% to 216.
How we got here:
- A new Specialized Behavioral Health Unit was created with six La Crosse County staff connecting people to care and housing.
- City and County funding for specialized housing units.
- A pilot “Pathways-held leases” program working with landlords to open more doors.
- Weekly case conferencing with local partners to help people get and keep housing
- Coordinated, data-driven leadership with a focus on long-term solutions.
“We’re making strong progress, thanks especially to the many community agencies supporting Pathways Home,” says Jim Drees, La Crosse County Homelessness Response System Manager. “At the same time, we know that anyone still sleeping outside reminds us that our work is far from done. We appreciate the community’s continued support as we keep moving forward.”
What’s next? This week, we’re launching the Specialized Housing Plan, which uses local data to estimate how much—and what types of—housing we need to reach our goal of ending long-term homelessness. The plan sets a clear target and provides a roadmap for raising the funds to get there. View the plan here.
Plan Snapshot: The plan estimates a need for 319 units to reach “functional zero” homelessness by the end of 2028, divided into categories ranging from light support to 24/7 care. Read the one-page summary here.
About Pathways Home: Pathways Home is a joint city-county initiative addressing homelessness with long-term solutions. It brings local partners together to coordinate efforts and expand access to housing and support.