Dane County will add $1.5 million to support construction of a new emergency overnight men’s shelter according to a press release from Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. 

The additional investment will bring the total project cost to $10.5 million and will be used to support daytime programming, service spaces for guests, back-up systems for the facility and sustainability measures.

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The facility will be located at 1904 Bartillon Drive on the northwest side of Madison and is expected to service 250 men. Porchlight, a Dane County social services organization will operate the facility. Porchlight currently offers a men’s emergency shelter as well as affordable housing. The new facility will provide housing as well as behavioral health, mental health and employment support.

Porchlight Executive Director Karla Thennes said Porchlight has been working with the city to develop plans for the new facility.

“They [the city] wanted our input which is exciting,” Thennes said. “I don’t think there’s a lot of projects where the operator gets to start from the first blueprint and have strong input.”

Porchlight started in 1984 after multiple people experiencing homelessness froze to death, according to their website. Since then, the non-profit has operated out of churches around the city. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the organization started working with the city and moved into city-owned properties.

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The premise of the new facility will be housing oriented, according to Thennes. This includes case management and other services needed to help individuals move into permanent housing. Thennes said there will also be space set aside for agencies to complete mental health, physical health and COVID screenings.

“The focus is definitely going to be meeting that need of immediate shelter,” Thennes said. “But then the next step is folks need to get an income and folks need to move out into permanent housing.”

In addition to the new investment, the 2024 county budget will continue the $376,251 investment into supporting the current emergency men’s shelter.

The new facility is expected to open in 2025, according to Thennes.