This morning Dean Mosiman from the State Journal had an excellent article about the “barely humane” men’s homeless shelter. But did it expose illegal meetings by the “informal” city-county homeless shelter committee? And what exactly is this committee doing? Here’s what I found out.
FIRST, THE EXCELLENT ARTICLE!
It’s a long article, but its well worth reading. It very matter-of-factly points out the problems with the men’s shelter. And it’s not full of defensive justification for why things are the way they are. Some direct quotes of the things I’m glad the article discussed were:
- It’s a potentially volatile mix of some the city’s most vulnerable adults: from chronic street denizens, some with serious physical ailments, mental illnesses or in the grip of alcohol or drug addiction, to others who work but can’t find housing in Madison’s ultra-tight rental market. Together, they seek shelter in a worn, cramped basement that many concede is an embarrassment in the state’s robust capital city.
- the men are checked in and descend a beaten staircase — there is no elevator, so those with disabilities must use a back alley entrance
- too many men who live on the street being jammed into too little space.
- With just 28 places to sit, they eat in shifts, with many taking their meals back to their metal bunks.
- more than half of the men are sent back out into the bitter cold to walk to overflow shelters in the basements of St. John’s Lutheran and First United Methodist churches blocks away.
- sleep on bare mats jammed side by side along the floor, some without blankets because organizers had run out.
- At each site there is only one supervisor, and only Grace offers limited case management help, but there are no professionals to help the men deal with serious mental or physical problems.
- Around 9:30 p.m. it’s lights out
- At 6 a.m., more volunteers serve breakfast to those who stayed at Grace, as well as men who have returned from the overflow shelters and other homeless men and women who drop in. All must leave by 7:15 a.m.
- The men’s shelter system provides only the basic needs of indoor shelter, food and showers but the sites are not fully accessible, functional or safe.
- Grace and St. John’s, open year round, have capacities of 70 and 60 respectively
- First United, open from Nov. 1 through March 31, has a capacity of 35 and doesn’t accept men who have been suspended from the shelter system or those who are intoxicated or smoke. [Note: HUD recommends having low entry barriers]
- None of the sites were built to be homeless shelters.
- At Grace, always at capacity during the winter, the metal bunk beds provide no privacy.
- A communal shower with six shower heads, three toilets and two bathroom sinks typically serve around 60 men at any one time.
- There is no air conditioning or elevator.
- Blind corners and hallways are hard to monitor.
- The goal of this shelter, for 35 years, is that no one freezes to death [Note: HUD recommends that shelters be focused on diversion, providing services and finding housing, it’s not a housing first shelter as HUD recommends. The model of how the shelter is run is 35 years old.]
- Porchlight executive director Karla Thennes said. “No one comes in happy. Their lives are miserable, and they are miserable. There are people with severe medical issues who shouldn’t be here. You have people in dire situations. You would not come to this shelter unless you had no other place to sleep.”
- Communicable diseases, such as scabies, are a concern
- blankets and sheets get laundered only every second or third day, so the bedding is often unclean.
- Porchlight has 2.5 full-time equivalent case managers to serve 1,200 men annually, meaning they can work with just 10% to 15% of those who walk through the doors.
- Each night manager is responsible for up to 60 guests
- At St. John’s, men on mats covered the floor in a space used for the church’s Off the Square Club, which provides help during the day for people with mental illness. It has a single bathroom with two stalls and two sinks.
- Aside from services, safety of both guests and staff is an ongoing concern
- The patchwork men’s shelter system is the city’s biggest unaddressed challenge in meeting the needs of those with no option but to live in cars, tents or on the streets.
Advocates have been saying all theses things for at least 10 years if not 15 or more. In the past they were met with defensive explanations and a distinct unwilingness to admit to the clear issues. I’m so glad there is new leadership at Porchlight in several positions! The change in attitude shows.
WHAT ELSE DID THE ARTICLE EXPOSE?
I’m glad that there is a group of people working with Porchlight on this. It’s long overdue. So I was somewhat glad to hear the following things:
- But now an informal group made up of clergy members, nonprofits including Porchlight Inc. — which operates the men’s shelter system — neighborhood leaders and representatives of the city, county and private sector is seeking to build support for a new men’s homeless shelter.
- In early 2019, Grace hired former longtime Downtown Madison Inc. president Susan Schmitz to explore interest in creating a modern, clean, well-equipped, safe and properly staffed men’s homeless shelter.
- Last April, more than a dozen people including Schmitz and staff from Porchlight, DMI, the city and county traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota, to tour Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ $100 million Higher Ground homeless shelter and housing campus.
- Late last year, an independent steering committee emerged to consider the issue. Led by Schmitz and with more than two dozen members, the group has had three meetings so far. Members are exploring what a new facility might look like and details such as hours, number of beds, amenities, services, security and whether it should include some pay-to-stay beds or be connected to low-cost housing.
- Then, Schmitz said, the group will turn to the more delicate matters of how to pay for it and where it should go.
- Although not formally authorized by the city or county to undertake such a project, and with no one entity taking the lead, some hope the group can be the catalyst in getting a new shelter built.
- Already, Porchlight has expressed interest in operating a new shelter, and Fonder sees a potential role for Catholic Charities to play. “It has to be a good fit,” he said. “It could be a support role. It could be a lead role. It could be no role.”
- Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and County Executive Joe Parisi support the steering committee’s efforts but have made no formal commitments to a project.
And yet, it also gave me cause for concern.
CONCERNS ABOUT AN “INFORMAL” CITY-COUNTY HOMELESS SHELTER COMMITTEE
These were my thoughts before I got additional information. It’s what motivated my inquiries.
Motivation for forming the group?
Before I got additional information and only had the information in the article, I started to wonder what was motivating this? In the past there were rumors of developers wanting to pay the church to do some remodeling so the developers could have access to an alley way. And that would mean that the “accessible entrance” that people in wheels chairs and with mobility issues have to use would be gone. And my understanding is that this offer to pay money is what prompted the city to look at the Fairchild site, because the developer was willing to pay money to have the homeless people be gone entirely. I assumed the the pricetag for the Fairchild site ($7M) was too much for the developer and that is why the city didn’t try to figure out how to do it.
Hiring a Downtown Business Lobbyist?
The church hired a lobbyist from the business community to do this work?
That alone is suspect. Since the business community clearly wants the shelter out of downtown, its not hard to see where this is headed.
Who is on this “informal” steering committee?
From the article:
- But now an informal group made up of clergy members, nonprofits including Porchlight Inc. — which operates the men’s shelter system — neighborhood leaders and representatives of the city, county and private sector is seeking to build support for a new men’s homeless shelter.
- Late last year, an independent steering committee emerged to consider the issue. Led by Schmitz and with more than two dozen members, the group has had three meetings so far. Members are exploring what a new facility might look like and details such as hours, number of beds, amenities, services, security and whether it should include some pay-to-stay beds or be connected to low-cost housing.
- Then, Schmitz said, the group will turn to the more delicate matters of how to pay for it and where it should go.
Ok, my spidey senses are tingling.
- Are they going to just come up with a plan in private meetings and shove it down the community’s throat without public input or tranparency?
What is the city and county role in this “informal” steering committee?
From the article again:
- Although not formally authorized by the city or county to undertake such a project, and with no one entity taking the lead, some hope the group can be the catalyst in getting a new shelter built.
- Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and County Executive Joe Parisi support the steering committee’s efforts but have made no formal commitments to a project.
So the city and county have people on this informal committee according to the article?
And yet it is “not formally authorized”?
Is this yet another attempt to get around the open meetings laws?
Spidey senses are on full alert!
WHAT DID KONKEL DIG UP?
A significant amount of information. Here’s all the documents . . . with a little help from my friends.
Agendas
Minutes
Other attachments
Attached Image (Social Services 2019 year end report form Salvation Army)
Current State of Affordable Housing in the Madison
Phase II funding 2-4-20 (Funding for Susan Schmitz’s position)
Shelter Study presentation Jan. 8, 20
Agreed Upon Process January 8, 20
2019 Shelter Study Group Meeting Notes (Great report with lots of info from the Homeless Services Consortium)
Emails from Susan Schmidt
- Feb 22 – We have a Homeless Steering Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 4th at 4pm. See the agenda & minutes. I hope you had a chance to read through the Fairchild site report and that the pages I recommended you read was helpful—it IS a long report. Luckily, Jim O’Keefe will give us a summary including what the reactions were from others—thank you Jim. Liz and Kim will also update us on their work. I also have updates as I am sure others do so we can share them at the beginning of the meeting. I will be out of town next week but I will have access to my messages so if anyone has feedback/thoughts/suggestions for our March 4th meeting please let me know. I look forward to seeing everyone and please let me know if you are UNABLE to attend. Thank you.
- Feb 17 – I am following up on the link I sent to you about the Fairchild Site Study. I read through it again with “different eyes” than when it first came out. There is A LOT of excellent information but there is also A LOT of information! I would like to suggest that you focus on the following pages at this point: 103-111, 115-117, 257, 271-274. Of course you are welcome to read through the entire document, but for our current needs (and in respect for your valuable time) I think the suggested pages will be helpful. Also, if you were unable to open the link please let me know. We will be going over this at our March 4th meeting. I will send an agenda this Friday. Thank you everyone.
- Feb 11 -See the link to the Fairchild Site study. Let me know if you are unable to open it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UTnbi0FSul6H9I-IWcjx_HOA7AJlPBGq/view?usp=sharing
- Feb 3 – I have been staying in communication with Dean Mosiman at the WSJ—he is a trusted friend. I think you all know that he is an excellent reporter—I totally trust him and have for over 20 years. He is very interested in what we are doing and he wants to help. I think most of you would remember when he and Doug Erickson did the series on homelessness in our community—see the link. He cares about what we are doing and wants our efforts to be successful. I am very comfortable having him sit-in on our meeting Wednesday but would like to get your thoughts. Thank you (In advance) for getting back to me ASAP. https://madison.com/wsj/news/
special/homeless/live-chat- replay-learn-more-about-our- homeless-in-madison/html_ 5f8df0ac-8edc-539b-88c5- 41cfe499a7a4.html. I DID ask Alder Verveer what he thought and he thinks have Dean in the room is an excellent idea—Mike has a lot of respect for Dean—just like I do. Thank you,Agenda item #4, I would like us to share our observations on the Study Group Presentation and the Rotary Video on affordable housing that I sent—I also attached Professor Paulsen’s slides and I have sent the video again (below). We can then have an open discussion on what we have learned and what we still need to know in order for us to form a Timeline and Strategies that will move us forward. Please let me know how this sounds to you. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes since our meeting in January—mainly in the area of affordable housing. Thank you all very much for being part of this important journey.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTbdgnkQcHk - Jan 31 – Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 5th at 4pm. Thank you to those who have already communicated your attendance. See the attachments. Please take some time to go through them prior to our meeting. In looking at the agenda, after approving the minutes, we need to take care of some housekeeping. I have attached an agreement for my work as the project manager and I will explain Downtown Madison Partners, Inc. (DMPI) who will be our fiscal agent. After reading the agreement, please send me thoughts/suggested changes that you think are needed to outline your expectations for me as your project manager.
- Jan 16 – Professor Paulsen spoke at the Rotary Club of Madison yesterday. It was excellent and relevant to our work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTbdgnkQcHk
- Jan 10 – Thank you to Sarah for sending me the attachment. For those of you who were unable to attend—this is what Sarah Lim used for her presentation on Wednesday. Please save it in your files because I am sure we will be referring to it in our future discussions.
- Jan 9 – Thank you for a good 2nd meeting yesterday and, Karla, thank you for the tour of the Grace Church Men’s Shelter. See the attached minutes from our meeting. Between now and February 5th, I will work on the requests listed for the next meeting. In the meantime, please send me any additional observations/thoughts/what works/what is missing/Ideas for improvement—that you learned from the tour—I think that information will be helpful for everyone and for our work moving forward. Also, please let me know if there is anything in addition that you would like to see on the next agenda—including information that you would like to have. We are currently in the “learning” stage and getting to know each other better. It is becoming obvious that each individual has much to bring to the table—Thank you! I will continue to keep you updated as information is gathered and please do not hesitate to contact me with ideas or thoughts. Thank you all again.
- Nov 15 – We are all set for our first meeting on Wednesday, November 20, 4pm at the Hovde building, 122 W. Washington Ave. 1st floor board room. I am sorry that everyone on this list is not able to make it—I did my best with the date. However, I would still like feedback on the agenda from everyone and everyone will receive minutes. See the attachments. I would very much appreciate if people could print them out ahead of time but I WILL bring some copies for those who cannot. Thank you to all of you who are committed to this important work for our community.
- Nov 5 -I am extremely pleased and grateful to be sending you this email message. I have been fortunate to have spent time with each one of you and I have learned a lot—thank you! I also want to thank you for agreeing to be on the steering committee of this important project that will focus on homelessness in our community. See the 4 attachments. The first one is a letter from Grace Church and me; the second one is a description of the “Project” before us; the third one is a draft agenda for our first meeting; and the last one is a list of all of you. If there are any inaccuracies in the list of names please let me know so that I can correct them. Three of the names/lines are hi-lighted because they are represented by businesses or organizations that are important to the work before us and (hopefully) they will always be represented at our meetings—that is the reason for multiple names.But most important is that we need a date for our first meeting which will be hosted by DMI in the Hovde Building, 122 W. Washington Ave., first floor. I think it is vital that everyone attend the first meeting so before I send dates/times please let me know the days of the week that work for you and the times of the work day (early, mid, end)—I will then try to narrow it down prior to sending some type of poll. And please send that information to me ASAP. We will then decided regular meetings dates/times at our first meeting. PLEASE do not hesitate to contact me with questions/concerns, suggestions. Thank you all very much!
SO WHO IS ON THIS “INFORMAL” CITY-COUNTY HOMELESS SHELTER STEERING COMMITTEE?
- Jim O’Keefe/City of Madison Community Development/Sarah Lim/Linette Rhodes
- Linda Vakunta/Deputy Mayor, City of Madison
- Shawn Tessmann/Dane County, Health & Human Services
- Casey Becker/Communications & Homeless Services, Dane County
- Martha Cranley/Executive Vice-President of Community, UWDC
- Anthony Cooper/Nehemiah
- Jackson Fonder/Catholic Charities & The Beacon
- Major Andrew Shiels/Salvation Army
- Alder Michael Verveer/District 4
- Alder Sheri Carter/District 14/Porchlight Board Chair
- Elizabeth Doyle/Dane County Supervisor/District 1
- Karla Thennes/Kim Sutter/Porchlight
- Vikki Enright/Advocate and volunteer at Grace Shelter
- Jason Freedman/Madison Police (former Central District Captain)
- Jonathan Grieser/Grace Episcopal Church
- Pastor Michael Brown/Bethel Lutheran Church
- David Lyon/Grace Future’s Committee
- Eli Judge/President/Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. (CNI)
- Michael Carter/Business Manager, Gebhardt Development
- Meggan Allen & Margaret Watson/Steve Brown Apartments
- Jason Ilstrup/President/Downtown Madison, Inc.
- Marqueda Stewart/Advocate and formerly homeless
More importantly, who’s not?
- Homeless men.
- Formerly homeless men.
- Anyone from the City-County Homeless Issues Committee
- Anyone from the many groups that do outreach on State Street (Friends of the State Street Family, MACH1, etc)
Who else made the distribution list?
- Ariel Robbins (United Way)
- John Terry JTERRYJR55@GMAIL.COM
- Melissa Sorenson (Salvation Army)
- Liz Duffie (Porchlight)
- Andrew Tyler (Epic)
- Claire Oleksiak (Sustain Dane)
LETTER TO THE STEERING COMMITTEE
Imagine me drinking diet coke and it flying out of my nose when you read the phrase “We think this is a balanced group”
Dear Community Friend:
Thank you for agreeing to participate on the “Foundations for Success” steering committee and your commitment to making a difference in the lives of people in our community who are less fortunate. See the DRAFT Vision/Mission set out for the work of the committee. Also, see the statement outlining “The Need” and challenges before us, how we got to this place and what needs to be done/accomplished by our committee that will lead to agreed upon solutions.
Each one of you had been asked to be part of this effort because of your areas of expertise and your understanding of the need and its importance. We think this is a balanced group—thank you again for sharing your time and expertise on this effort.
Our work will begin by getting to know each other and determining the protocol we want to use for our work. We can then start the process of learning together. We are fortunate that experienced people from the City and County who work in the area of homelessness have been gathering needed information for over a year on the homeless situation in the greater Madison area. This Shelter Group has produced a document to share with up-to-date findings on the current homeless population including what types of services are currently available, what is missing and what the needs look like for the future, etc.
It also includes learned information (from their attendance at National and State conferences) about successes/trends other communities are experiencing in the area of homelessness. This document will be vital for our work as we begin. In addition, a group of City/County people took a road trip to “Higher Ground Shelter” in St. Paul, MN, April 8, 2019 and toured the facility that is operated by Catholic Charities. The group learned a great amount and is anxious to share it with all of us.
It is important that the efforts of the committee are organic, meaning that this is not a “top down” effort. The group will be self-governing in order to provide results that reflect the community as a whole.
See the draft agenda outline for our first meeting. Please feel free to comment prior to our first meeting and thank you again.
Respectfully,
Schmitz Consulting LLC
By: Susan Schmitz/Consultant of Grace Episcopal Church
VISION/MISSION/PROJECT DESCRIPTION
DRAFT – November, 2019
Vision: Create a new vision for overnight/emergency shelters for those in need in our community.
Mission: To engage and marshal governmental and community resources in a process that leads to an emergency shelter for men and provides resources that move them into stable housing.
The “Project” – Foundations for Success
Prevent, Assist, Solve
The Need: An adequate men’s shelter, which is a missing component in a comprehensive effort to address homelessness. With governmental initiatives and community support, important strides have been taken in Madison and Dane County to provide people experiencing homelessness with permanent housing and a daytime center and services. However, another pressing need also exists: a suitable men’s shelter. Without this crucial component, a comprehensive approach to homelessness is incomplete.
Facilities are currently limited to one primary church and two back-up churches (as needed)—St. John’s Lutheran and First United Methodist. Since the mid-1980s, Grace Episcopal Church (Grace) has been the primary location in Madison as a men’s overnight shelter, operated 365 nights a year by the non-profit organization Porchlight. Grace has provided emergency shelter and, with the help of other churches and organizations, meals to thousands of men, providing an opportunity to continue the journey toward self-sufficiency. According to Porchlight staff, the need for such a shelter is expected to persist and perhaps grow in the foreseeable future.
The current facilities are an inadequate stopgap and after 35 years the Grace Church shelter remains what very much it was intended to be in the beginning—a stop-gap solution to an on-going problem. It is a church basement that is not designed to serve a housing function. Despite Porchlight’s dedicated commitment, the current shelter is not conducive to maintenance of a humane environment where dignity and self-worth can be fostered. The effort before us seeks to broaden the scope of community awareness and participation in order to develop a foundation for acceptance of this necessary solution which will require commitment of governmental resources, budgetary and human, and community assistance. “A great city is great only to the extent that all of its residents can flourish.”
AGREED UPON PROCESS
Pay special attention to the part where they talk about these meetings being open to the public, “However, the public will be required to give notice of attendance 48 hours prior to the meeting.”
What? Why? What purpose does that serve?
In the November minutes it also says this “Are the meetings open to the public? Will not limit public input but since this is not a public body if find that public input is disruptive to the meeting public participation it will not be allowed. Will need to consider important items on the agenda when strategically want to invite public to the table.”
Participation
- The Committee will engage a Project Manager. The Project Manager will be responsible for helping to ensure that the process runs smoothly, developing meeting agendas, guiding drafting and distribution of meeting summaries and plan documents, and helping parties resolve their differences and achieve consensus on the issues/challenges to be addressed by the Committee. The Project Manager will be responsible for raising funds necessary to pay for the work of the Project Manager and any additional funds that might be requested by the Committee. An agreement will be drawn up between the Project Manager and the Committee.
- The agreement between the Project Manager and the Committee will be reviewed after six months. The review will also give the Committee a chance to stay within a timeline.
- The Project Manager will be the voice to the community about the work that is being done and all information to the press. The Project Manager will only speak with direction and support from the Committee.
- The Committee will have members from the private and public sector and will include support from representatives of the City of Madison Community Development Department, the City of Madison Mayor’s office, the City of Madison Police Department, Dane County Human Services, City of Madison Common Council, Dane County Board of Supervisors, Non-profit agencies (including churches) who provide services to the homeless. Do we want to put a limit on the size of the committee?
- Each Committee member can identify an alternate to represent themselves if they are unable to attend a meeting.
- Members may request the Committee to allow the participation of individuals with relevant information to present during the course of meetings.
- Interested parties are welcome and encouraged to attend but need to let the project manager know prior to the meeting they wish to attend.
Agreements
- The goal of the Committee is to provide recommendations for what a purpose-built emergency shelter for men would look like (how it would function). A shelter that would move them into stable housing.
- The recommendations for the Committee will require consensus from the group.
- Working with the City and County, the Committee will recommend possible locations.
- It is vital that (A) be completed before (B).
Committee Meetings
- Meetings of the full committee will be open to the public. However, the public will be required to give notice of attendance 48 hours prior to the meeting.
- Minutes of the Committee meetings will be reviewed and approved by the Committee and made available to the public.
- Smaller working groups will be formed with the Committee’s approval and will report their work to the Committee as a whole. Non-Committee members can be part of a smaller working group with approval from the Committee as a whole.
- The Project Manager will be responsible for developing the agenda based on feedback from the Committee.
Safeguards for the Members
- All members must act in good faith in all aspects of the process
- Committee members will support each other in the process, including accurate representation of individual members positions as stated.
- The Committee will decide by consensus to improve their process.
OF INTEREST FROM THE FEBRUARY MINUTES
What role will Porchlight play?
Karla: Porchlight will not look for a location or raise capital funds. Would apply for an operating RFP to run the new shelter.
Who is driving the ship to find a location for the new shelter?
When considering location, may be helpful to talk with developers and others who have a stake in how neighborhoods are growing and if a shelter fits the vision for that neighborhood.
Who is the leader of the organizational structure for the group to develop the new shelter?
How to determine how much staffing is needed for the program based on potential size of the shelter.
Strong operations plan will be necessary before site search or pursuit of permits.
Community outreach efforts for the provider and the new shelter must be sustained throughout the life of the shelter, not just on the front end when developing the model.
AGENDA FOR MONDAY’S MEETING
Agenda
Homeless Shelter Task Force
Hovde bldg. 122 W. Washington Ave. 1st floor board room
March 4, 2020
4pm
- Welcome/Susan Schmitz
- Review/approve minutes from February 5th meeting
- Updates to share from committee members/group
- Background /details on Fairchild site/Jim O’Keefe
- Update on work of “updated business plan” for new shelter/Liz Duffie & Kim Sutter
- Additional items for discussion and next agenda, April 1st
- Adjourn
WHAT’S NEXT? MORE QUESTIONS?
You now know everything I know. There is more to explore in the attachments.
I just have to ask – why aren’t these public meetings? And why do people try sooooooo hard to make sure they are not?
Shouldn’t this (morally if not legally) be a public meeting with the number of city and county staff and elected officials attending?
And, if they are serious about bringing all supporters to the table, why are they purposely trying to hide this from some of them?
Finally. Can we do an equity analysis on the make up of the committee? Not just racial equity, but also socioeconomic. Couldn’t they find one formally homeless man that has used the shelters to work with?
