Most of the homeless in Natrona County are locals
CASPER — Kelly Wessels, executive director of the Community Action Partnership, called on Casper city councilmembers to deal with the problem of homelessness.
Wessels presented results of Point in Time, or PIT, count during the City Council work session Tuesday. The PIT is an effort to count the homeless populations across the nation, conducted every year on Jan. 25.
In Natrona County, community volunteers with the Community Action Partnership count the number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals. Because of the cold weather and inconsistent counts by local homeless shelters, the data gathered likely underrepresents the actual homeless population in Natrona County, Wessels said.
By the numbers
Wessels shared the data in her report to illustrate the need for more assistance for the homeless population in Natrona County. With an 11% increase year to year since 2022 in the sheltered and unsheltered homeless population in the county, the data presents a growing problem:
- 98 individuals unsheltered statewide
- 51 unsheltered individuals in Natrona County
- 167 homeless individuals in Natrona County
- 22 chronically homeless individuals in Natrona County
- 47% of homeless in Natrona County have a disability
- 20% of homeless are older than 55 years old in Natrona County, with this being their first time being homeless
Potential solutions
“It’s about switching the mindset from managing homelessness to actually solving components of homelessness, which is where we have to switch our purpose and actions,” Wessels said.
Wessels proposed several solutions. One is to launch a consistent, low barrier navigation day center. These areas provide a wealth of resources for the homeless as well as a space to manage hygiene and other daily life needs. While Casper has Kind Grounds, its hours are extremely limited to only a few hours three days a week.
Wessels also proposed buying a mobile hygiene unit. In Casper, there are no showering resources that are accessible to homeless individuals, even for a fee. If implemented, a mobile hygiene unit trailer would contain three showers as well as a washer and dryer. Community Action Partnership already has staff who can run the mobile hygiene unit if they receive funding from the city to pay for it.
With regards to comments about homeless individuals choosing to manage hygiene on public display, “I have to look at that and say that’s part of the issue, you know if you don’t have any place to do it, you’re gonna do it because there are certain functions that the body has to do,” Wessels said.
Other solutions include expanding housing first programs across Wyoming, integrating behavioral health services with other resources and using data about the specific needs of local homeless populations to drive decision making.
A greater need for funding
Funding for the Community Action Partnership and programs serving the homeless population in Natrona County mainly use federal funding, specifically from the Department of Health and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Community Action Partnership also receives funding from a state trust as well as the 5-cent tax.
“The biggest concern right now is, is that in the next summer months through September, we have to see where the federal budgets are going to land,” Wessels said.
Currently, the Community Action Partnership’s budget is $2.57 million, but Wessels estimates an increase to $3.25 million is needed to provide adequate services. Contracts that would allocate funding to the Community Action Partnership have been postponed until August or September because of the risk of further federal cuts.
The myth of ‘If you build it, they will come’
In Casper, some people are reluctant to provide more resources for homeless populations because, “If you build it, they will come.”
That’s not true, Wessels said. Most of Casper’s homeless population is from here. Considering where you place services in the city is important. The Rescue Mission is near downtown, drawing homeless people to the area, yet its location is rarely questioned.
Additionally, many people are reluctant to increase services to homeless populations, when there’s a prevailing myth that drug or alcohol problems are the reason for their homelessness. Wessels said that’s not the case.
“Oftentimes there is this narrative that substance put me on the street, essentially substance is what helped me cope with being on the street,” Wessels said. “Drinking helped me stay warm, abuse helped me navigate feelings and fears, artificially of course, and I think we have to start looking at that differently.”
Regardless of whether or not the Casper City Council acts on her recommendations, the problem of homelessness in the city won’t solve itself.
“You’re going to deal with it one way or another, so you can either decide to accept that it needs to be solved, because you’re not going to be able to put them [unhoused people] on a bus and ship them out,” Wessels said. “They’re from here. The majority, they went to high school with people, they have family here.”
This story was published on June 26, 2025.