Did you know that if we could find about 150 landlords to rent just one unit to a homeless veteran (and maybe their family) we could end Veteran Homelessness by the end of the year?
Madison has signed on to the Zero 2016 campaign and the goal is to end veteran homelessness by the end of the year and chronic homelessness by the end of 2016. The first goal seems totally doable, the second may present more of an issue. Right now we are doing a registry week to identify every homeless person in Madison and interview them about their needs. We are also surveying landlords to see if the will participate. So far, about 40 landlords have answered somewhat positively. Some have units currently available, others would be wiling to let us know when they do. If you know a landlord that might participate, please ask them to fill out the survey here. The City landlord registration program, the Apartment Association and the CDA (city housing authority) are all helping us reach landlords.
Here’s the main point of the press conference that we held on Tuesday.
Here’s the full press conference with both Mayor Paul Soglin and County Executive Joe Parisi speaking! Seriously.
Also speaking are Dean Loumos from Housing Initiatives and Steve Schooler from Porchlight. They weren’t all quite on point . . . which is why you can just watch the first video where Elizabeth Gokey from the Veteran’s Administration stays on point. 🙂
Here’s the State Journal article with ends with some interesting quotes
It will take collaboration to reach goals, leaders said.
“We need alignment from everyone involved,” Soglin said.
Parisi added, “It’s a complex issue and it requires a comprehensive approach.”
The press conference was a start, but we have a long way to go.
