COTS is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which fulfills a need within the Continuum of Care of the Fox Cities by providing temporary transitional shelter for homeless men, women, young adults and single mother families in Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet counties. Our goal is to respectfully provide homeless individuals a safe and affordable place to live, food, household needs and training on basic living skills enabling them to transition to self-sufficiency and independent living.

Click here to download the COTS Informational Flyer (PDF).

Our Mission

“Ending homelessness in the Fox Valley.”

Our History

COTS, Inc. was founded in 1998 by Father Orville Janssen to assist the poor, disadvantaged and homeless. COTS, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides temporary transitional shelter (up to two years) for homeless people in Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet counties. We operate four facilities in Appleton that serve up to 37 men, 16 women and 2 single mother families.

Our Success

Our goal is to address the needs of homeless individuals. Those who are homeless often have multiple needs including financial hardship, limited education, criminal history, substance use, mental health issues, medical difficulties, and poor work history. The desired outcome is to provide these individuals with the resources necessary to address the areas of concern in their life. We seek to increase each individual’s success at addressing physical and mental health issues, remaining free from substance abuse and criminal activity, maintaining stable employment and better financial management.  We do all of this in an effort to improve each individual’s ability to gain self-sufficiency and ultimately sustain permanent independent housing, thus reducing reliance on public housing systems.

Each resident of COTS participates in our Living Skills Program which includes instruction on basic living skills including personal care, AODA recovery and relapse prevention, money management, obtaining/maintaining employment, personal responsibility and decision making. Residents set individualized goals and progress is reviewed monthly with staff for the duration of residency.

Our Board

John Schmidt – President
Don Stoegbauer – Honorary Member
Joe Wilz – Vice President
Dave Pierre – Treasurer
Emily Hartfield
John Claypool
Gail Constancio
Dave Van Hoof

Our Staff

Cindy Sahotsky  – Executive Director
Laura Erickson – Development Coordinator 
Kara Dischler – Outreach Coordinator 
Ed O’Brien – ServiceWorks Director
Oren Jakobson – Riverview Gardens Manager 
Becky Richeson – Programs/Communication Specialist 
- Administrative Assistant
-Men’s Case Manager
Dawn Butler-Women’s Case Manager 
Kelly Nutty – Young Adult Case Manager

Program Committee

Joe Wilz-Chair
Kelly Nutty
Kara Dischler
Ryan Peterson
Cindy Sahotsky

Development Committee

Dave Van Hoof -  Chair
Cindy Sahotsky
Anthony Wilhelms
Penny Paris
Don Burich
Marty O’Brien
Laura Erickson
Click here to download the COTS Annual Report (PDF).

Building Committee

Gail Constancio -  Chair
Cindy Sahotsky
Nick Mueller
Jeff Pierre
Anthony Fieweger
Dave Pierre
Ed O’Brien