More wrangling over the lack of a comprehensive day center for this winter . . . how should we spend the $60,000.
Here we go again . . .
No day warming center this winter. So, county board came up with $60,000 for “plan B”. The original proposal was going to have the following:
– $30,000 to have Bethel be open Mon – Fri instead of Tues – Thurs. for a full year. (Yay!)
– $8,000 for The Shine Initiative (Sarah and Z!) to do case management out of the library Nov. – March (Yay!)
– $22,000 and a free van for Porchlight to drive homeless people around to various services for a full year. Clearly, that isn’t enough money do anything meaningful (Boo!)
The Homeless Issues Committee had a different plan:
– – $30,000 to have Bethel be open Mon – Fri instead of Tues – Thurs. for a full year. (Yay!)
– $8,000 for The Shine Initiative (Sarah and Z!) to do case management out of the library Nov. – March (Yay!)
– $10,000 for bus passes
– $12,000 for rent for the Shine Initiative and other related groups. The space would be used for Sanctuary (Ronnie and Uly, et al) to provide daytime storage for homeless persons. The space would also be used for a place for people to pick up their mail. Stone Soup Squad, Feeding the State St. Family, Santa’s Without Chimney’s, Madison Homelessness Initiatives (Bubbles Laundry Program) and Food Not Bombs would use the space for storage for volunteers to access needed items and donation drop offs. Operation Welcome Home, Occupy Madison and all the groups listed above would have office space, a place to meet and most importantly, a space to collaborate with these groups plus Project Babies and the Tenant Resource Center. The hope is that the group could create care packages for those who are turned away from shelter each evening and a traveling phone number for people to call.
Personnel and Finance approved that plan on Monday night.
Tonight, the Health and Human Needs Committee voted to support the first plan, not the second. They also added that the county should look for space for lockers (yeah, right, if they had the space why isn’t this happening already?)
So, another year, another poor plan for the winter and more frustration!!!
The County Board meets (tomorrow Thursday October 3rd at 7:00 to vote!
Please show up and ask them to support the Homeless Issues Committee proposal!
If you can’t make the meeting, email the county board supervisors at County_Board_Recipients@countyofdane.com.
Make sure to include your address so they know if you are a constituent!
And don’t forget to throw in there . . .what happened to the comprehensive permanent day center that we were promised?! Three years in a row and they are still scrambling at the last minute . . . deja vu all over again!!
