The shelters need more space for people to be able to appropriately “social distance” and to meet basic needs, people without homes are being forced to risk their health.
While the rest of the state, county and city are staying home if they can, isolating and social distancing. That isn’t really an option for many people in our community without homes. While the shelters remain open, and over 100 people still go to the men’s shelter every night. There are many who are homeless are reluctant to go to the shelter because they don’t want to get sick. However, in order to get services, food, etc., that is where the service are. That is a terrible choice to force people who are already in traumatic situations to make.
And people without homes are forced to wait, which the city and county find adequate spaces and are denied because spaces are being reserved for other uses.
Something might be happening, but its been weeks, and now information is locked down so tight we can’t find out anything.
PROMISES . . .
The mayor is fond of saying, often, that the city has been working on responding to the corona virus since before the first case was found in Dane County. And yet, no location has been found to have adequate space for men in shelter to adequately social distance.
February 5th – a month and a half ago
First case of coronavirus in Dane County.
March 15th – Press Conference – 10 days ago
County Executive
County government is focused on essential operations and prioritize helping vulnerable populations (homeless and elderly).
Mayor
She is focused on 4 things
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- supporting hospitals and health care system – to make sure they can continue to care for the community
- preventing transmission
- supporting vulnerable populations (both those vulnerable specific to disease and those who were vulnerable before this – more details soon on how they are working to support the homeless community, seniors, folks who are food insecure and more)
- continuing to deliver essential public services – more to say about this in the coming days.
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Mayor’s blog post 3/16 – 9 days ago
PEOPLE IMPACTED BY HOMELESSNESS
We have staff working with our partners who care for and provide food and shelter for our homeless to make sure they are prepared and protected.
Public Health Update to Madison Alders – 3/17/20 – 8 days ago
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- Homeless: They are working on risk prevention in shelters, they are working on places for those most vulnerable to the virus to be out of the shelter. They are working on adding capacity to practice social distancing. They are also working on a health screening and isolation options if they are symptomatic.
and
[Alder Tag] Evers asks about the homeless population and facilities.
The mayor [Satya Rhodes-Conway] kind of cuts him off and says yes, they are looking at facilities, but they need ti for testing, childcare, homeless, health care patients, food storage and more. So, the challenge is to assess the needs and the available facilities and find the best match. If someone needs acute care there are limited options. Child care is easier to stand up in some places than others. They are looking at the needs and capacity.
Saturday, March 21st – 4 days ago
Sunday, March 22nd – 3 days ago
No news on larger space for men’s shelter
Monday, March 23rd – 2 days ago
County Executive Joe Parisi
In homelessness they have secured close to 100 hotel rooms, they moved families that were formerly experiencing homelessness into those rooms, they moved the most vulnerable singles experiencing homelessness into hotel rooms and they are working in partnership with the city to identify structures and buildings for us to extend homeless services to to help people spread out even more and achieve the social distancing that is ideal.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway
We are working closely with the county and community organizations to reduce crowding in our homeless shelters and provide food and shelter for our homeless residents to make sure they are prepared and protected from this virus.
and Q&A
Q: Couldn’t hear it – Homeless
Mayor: They are actively working with the county and the state to identify appropriate sites to house all sorts of different populations that are homeless and they are doing that in part to achieve social distancing in the shelters, but in part to protect homeless folks that are particularly vulnerable to this disease, so they were our first priority for us and those folks should already be in hotel rooms at this point. Beyond that, she can’t share details about specific facilities, they are still working that through with the county and the state and the homeless services providers.
Monday, March 23rd and 24th – 2 days ago and yesterday
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- Update to alders contained no information on homeless services
- Updates from the Homeless Services Consortium revealed no new locations or addtiional hotel rooms becoming available
Tuesday, March 24th – yesterday
PEOPLE IMPACTED BY HOMELESSNESS
We are working hard with the county and partner community organizations to reduce crowding in homeless shelters, and provide food and shelter for our homeless to make sure they are prepared and protected. Almost 100 hotel rooms have been secured to help carry out proper social distancing for families and singles experiencing homelessness in our community. We are also placing hand washing stations at 6 locations around town including salvation army, the Beacon, Safe Haven, Peace Park, Central Library and the Top of State street. Other options are being looked at with state and county partners.
WHERE IS THE ACTION AND RESOURCES?
You do the math
Almost 100 hotel rooms have been secured – 22 rooms are at Salvation Army for single women. Men are still crowded into 3 shelter spaces, with over 100 men seeking shelter. this is from the danecountyhomeless.org website of the Homeless Services Consortium
2nd or 3rd or 4th class citizen public health criteria
At first the criteria for single people to get a hotel room was
- over 70
- over 60 and underlying conditions
Then the criteria changed to
- over 65
- two underlying conditions
No information on what it is today.
Advocacy near impossible
Attempts to advocate are near impossible.
- I got blown off by the council president
- At the Homeless Services Consortium meetings questions to staff ended up with staff crying and committee members defending staff as if we were somehow being mean by asking for information.
- Staff are doing their best, but resources and support aren’t coming to them.
- Alders have been cut out of the process and can’t get information from staff.
From: Davis, Steven
Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2020 9:27 PM
To: All Alders
Cc: Rhodes-Conway, Satya V.; Obeng, Kwasi; Hank, George; Bottari, Mary; Crawley, Katie; Ruckriegel, Edwin; Stouder, Heather; Heinrich, Janel; Phillips, Robert
Subject: Contact with the City EOC
Alders,
As you can imagine the City EOC is very active. Since activating on Tuesday morning, we have received over 300 requests for service/needs. I am begging you to please follow the process that was discussed at CCOC on Tuesday night. If you have issues from residents that you are assisting, please send those requests to the Council Chief of Staff (Kwasi). Today we have gotten several requests directly from you, or residents themselves. As we are moving into a potential operational phase (many sick people) it will be very critical for the success of the city to stay within our structure.
And the the non-profits wait for staffing help, funding and space, and the men wait . . . to die?
