Plans to have St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 111 E. Main St., again host the cold-weather homeless shelter were unveiled last night to the Plan Commission.

Mayor Larry Nelson formed a study committee that sought to find an alternative site for  homeless shelter sought by the church. The program is operated by the Hebron House of Hospitality.

The church shelter needs a conditional use permit from the commission to legally operate. The recommendation from the study committee to again operate a shelter in the basement of the church at night was discussed last night.

The shelter encountered controversy last year after opening without notifying the city and obtaining needed permits. Those issues were resolved and the commission reluctantly granted a temporary permit. Some commissioners warned Hebron House to not come back for a renewal.

A formal vote on granting a new permit is scheduled for the Sept. 23 commission meeting.

“The intent was not to exclude anyone. The intent was to include the professionals who are working with these populations.” Mayor Larry Nelson said of his study group’s make up.

Little opposition to the church shelter was expressed last night. Many church and agency leaders were on hand to praise Juno and the church for their work with the homeless.

But Ald. Randy Radish, who represents the area, was miffed at the makeup of the study group, which he said was an ad hoc committee that generated a “one-sided” report.

Radish said the group did not have any downtown representatives, including him, and police and fire officials were not asked for their input. The church is on the eastern edge of downtown  and merchants and residents have expressed concerns about unemployed homeless loitering in the business district and damaging the downtown’s image.

“I’m sure most members of the Common Council were unaware of this ad hoc committee until learning of it by accident,” Radish said. “A number of people made the comment ‘it looks like they wanted to exclude certain people to get the results they wanted to get’.”

Radish’s comment drew a quick response from Nelson. After shifting in his chair, Nelson said his group was not an ad hoc committee. It was a group of professionals familiar with homelessness and poverty. The group also had representatives from housing and mental health agencies.

“The intent was not to exclude anyone,” Nelson said of the group’s make up. “The intent was to include the professionals who are working with these populations.”

Bernie Juno, executive director of Hebron House, said an emphasis would be made to find places for the unemployed  homeless to go during the day. The aim is to direct them away from public places such as the library, the downtown transit center and downtown shops, she said.

As for the shelter, a neighbor said it did not upset the neighborhood while it was running earlier this year.

According to Hebron House statistics, 131 men in total stayed there between Jan. 15 and April 30. They were mostly white, from Waukesha and between 35 and 54.  The shelter operated from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Dozens of other sites, including churches were looked at and found to be inadequate, the report says. Northview, the former county nursing home, was also dismissed as an alternative.

Nelson said he would report publicly about the group’s progress when asked and he listed the meetings on his bi-monthly mayor’s memo to aldermen.

Roger Igelski said at the meeting that downtown merchants and residents were not villains who oppose homeless shelters. But they do want stepped up efforts to keep the homeless occupied during the day.

Igelski is president of the downtown Business Improvement District

“Everyone is welcome downtown as long as they behave,” Igelski said.