Supporters Rally for Sioux City Homeless Shelter After Council Member Calls It a ‘Nuisance’

About 100 people gathered in front of Sioux City City Hall on Monday to support the community’s homeless shelter. Supporters said the Warming Shelter is being unfairly targeted by one city council member.

Annaliese Hansen was there with her 18-day-old son, Cameron. Hansen arrived at the Warming Shelter five days before she gave birth and has stayed there on and off over the past year. “I like it,” Hansen said. “It’s safe for him and clean, and I like that they give families their own room.”

The Warming Shelter opened in 2013 as a place for people experiencing homelessness to stay safe during the winter months. It later expanded into a year-round facility at 916 Nebraska St., just north of downtown. It is Sioux City’s only low-barrier shelter, offering a place to go during the day and night. The city partially funds the shelter, and through partnerships with other community agencies, people staying there can connect with mental health care, addiction treatment, housing assistance and other support services.

Sioux City Council Member Rick Bertrand called the shelter a “public nuisance” at a city council meeting on June 1. Bertrand said he has compassion for people experiencing homelessness, but he argued that the facility enables illegal activity. At last week’s meeting, he said an anonymous whistleblower had described the shelter as having a “prison atmosphere.” Supporters of the shelter dispute those claims. Bertrand, a former state senator, was elected to the council in 2025.

Warming Shelter Executive Director Shayla Moore told the crowd that its presence spoke louder than any criticism could. “It says that we believe in caring for one another. It says that we believe that every person has value. It says that we will stand together for what is right, even when it is hard,” Moore said. She said staff members assist an average of 120 to 130 individuals per day, serving people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. “We see people on their hardest days,” she said. “We see struggle, yes, but we also see courage; we see resilience; we see hope.” Staff’s daily practice of practical hospitality is a picture of charity in action (Matthew 25:35).

After the rally, many community members attended the council meeting and urged leaders to support the shelter. Among them was Monique Scarlett, president of Sioux City’s NAACP and founder of Unity in the Community. “In order to make decisions, you have to get the right information and the facts,” Scarlett said. She urged the council to keep an open mind when making decisions that affect people experiencing homelessness.

Council Member Julie Schoenherr said solutions will require a broader conversation. While she supports the shelter’s mission, she said the facility may have outgrown its current location. “We have to open up our minds and say, ‘Is there a better location that is not in this densely populated area?'” Schoenherr said. “You’ve got a little postage stamp there.”

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