After rejecting two proposals to secure a permanent winter shelter in the area, Dane County and the City of Madison will be unable to provide a day shelter for the local homeless population this year because of a lack of funds, a county official said.
Despite having a $600,000 budget in 2013, the Dane County Board of Supervisors concluded they will be unable to find a space before winter, Dane County Supervisor Mary Kolar, District 1, said. Last year the county was able to temporarily rent a space on East Washington Avenue.
“It’s not going to happen this year, it’s just a fact,” Kolar said. She cited the “rebounding” economy and subsequent rise in real estate prices as another reason for the decision.
According to Dane County Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner, District 2, the $600,000 budget was not sufficient to establish a permanent shelter. Wegleitner, who serves on the Homeless Issues Committee, said the City of Madison voted down a matching program that would have brought the total available funds to $1.2 million.
“I’m not going to pretend it’s not disappointing,” Wegleitner said. “I will be advocating for money in the 2014 budget to fund a permanent day center.”
The front runner in the search for a suitable building is the current Madison Area Rehabilitation Centers building on Lien Road, Kolar said. The current owner is looking to sell, but the building is not available until late spring or early summer and would require an additional $100,000 to purchase, she said.
“The bottom line is that we’re continuing to work to find a facility,” Kolar said. “It’s regrettable that one wasn’t identified for this year.”
A resolution proposed Tuesday outlined a plan to allocate money to pre-existing organizations, such as the Bethel Lutheran Church’s drop-in shelter, to allow them to expand their services ahead of winter, Kolar said.
The funds would also help with transportation for the homeless to and from jobs and medical appointments, storage lockers in the community and case management services at the city library, she said.
The Dane County Board wants to continue to expand the services currently offered to the homeless population, Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, said. Sargent, who is also the Dane County supervisor for District 18, said the number of homeless citizens in Dane County is not decreasing, which creates the need for a day shelter.
“[We are working on] enhancing the services that we already have because we know that our homeless population is not dwindling,” Sargent said. “We are serious, despite the fact that we don’t have a permanent shelter.”
The resolution will be voted on next week and will go into effect Nov. 1 if passed.
