After three years, its hard to believe I am saying this . . . delay the day center! Do it right! Don’t set it up for failure.
Tonight at the Health and Human Needs committee where they discuss creating a joint city-county homeless issues committee (To which I say what’s the point? Since they just ignore the committee anyways.) and more importantly, the day resource center being at 1490 Martin St in the Town of Madison where no one can get to it! After three years its hard to say this, but we can’t let them approve this location and set it up for failure. See here for many of the reasons. We need a day center in a decent location that works for the people who will be using it. I say, go back to the drawing board and get it right!
Email the Health and Human Needs Committee and ask them to do this right!
BILL CLAUSIUS clausius@countyofdane.com
HEIDI WEGLEITNER wegleitner.heidi@countyofdane.com
JENNI DYE dye.jennifer@countyofdane.com
JEREMY LEVIN levin.jeremy@countyofdane.com
MATT VELDRAN veldran@countyofdane.com
NICK ZWEIFEL zweifel.nick@countyofdane.com
RONN FERRELL ferrell@countyofdane.com
And tell them to let the Homeless Issues Committee weigh in on this before they decide! See below for a email from a coworker and friend of mine, who said it better than I could!
Dear Health and Human Needs Committee,
I am a housing advocate in Madison who has followed Dane County’s homeless services (and the lack thereof) for the past three years. I am writing to ask that you postpone your decision and discussion of the purchase of Hospitality House as a site for the permanent daytime shelter — just until the Homeless Issues Committee can respond to this sudden and highly problematic proposal. Below this are my comments to Parisi on the subject, in case you are interested — however, my primary concern today is simply about justice within our democratic process.
The creation of the Homeless Issues Committee was a huge step forward for Dane County, and the permanent daytime resource center is one of our homeless residents’ most pressing needs. It is unfortunate and revealing that formerly/homeless representation on the HIC is one of the only ways we have successfully empowered people of color and the very poor in our local government — but it is the reality. To cut the HIC out of this decision will will undermine the most important purpose of the committee, and reaffirm the institutionalized racism and classism that we are all trying to undo through services such as a permanent daytime resource center. The homeless (who are disproportionately disabled and/or people of color) must be a part of the plans and solutions for this problem, not just the mere focus of people higher up in places of political power.
Please re-commit to the purpose of the HIC’s creation, and let them meet to discuss before moving forward.
Thank you very much for your time, and for all of your work in Dane County.
Sincerely,
Anders Zanichkowsky
