Based on past performance, I’d bet not. It seems we are no closer to a day center than we have been for the past three years . . . and time is slipping away.
BACKGROUND
When the library was being remodeled and the capital basement was closed to the public it became apparent that places homeless people traditionally used to stay warm during the cold Wisconsin winters were severely limited. Plus, being homeless, you spend most of your day getting your basic needs met with services spread all over town, making it difficult to also do things that you are expected to do like make appointments or find a job or housing. Additionally, bus tickets are notoriously difficult to obtain. The best you might be able to get is on 2-ride bus ticket per day, but that requires getting in a van (limited space), going to the Hostility House and then getting your 2 ride ticket to get to and back from wherever you need to go that day. The next day, do it again.
2011 – 2012
In 2011, at the last minute, despite people raising the concerns for months, the city scrambled, without an RFP or public process gave money to Porchlight to run a day center on the 700 block of E. Washington. There wasn’t much there except tables and chairs and maybe some coffee. There were lots of police calls and other problems, it was poorly run. Found this email expressing my concerns early on.
2012 – 2013
In 2012, same thing happened, last minute scramble despite knowing of this issue for over a year, but this time the county, without a RFP or public process gave money to Porchlight to hire Z! and Sarah to run a day center. Sarah and Z! and a different service model made all the difference. This time is was much better run, way more cramped but offered many more services. It was open more days and had lockers, computers, food, services from other agencies, activities (classes, poetry, crocheting, yoga, etc), and there were volunteer positions for those who were using the services to help run the place. Far fewer police calls, people got housing and jobs, id’s, etc. etc. etc. Overall, a huge success.
2013-2014
Coming off the success of the 2012-2013 year, Sarah and Z! formed their own non-profit Shine608 and the county boar put $600,000 in the budget to buy a building. Sarah and Z! answered the RFP to run the day center and were chosen. The county then looked for a building to purchase. Tick . . .tock . . .tick . . . tock . . . tick . . . tock. None was found. So they came up with the worst plan yet, Monday – Friday they paid Bethel Church (Wisconsin Ave) $30,000 to open their services and additional 2 days (previously Tues – Thurs). They hired Sarah and Z! to provide services at the Downtown Library (Mifflin) (15,000 city, 8,000 county?), paid Porchlight to drive one van that holds 12 – 15 people around town through March to various services ($22,000 county, $10,000 City). $8,000 to Madison Homelessness Initiatives to run a laundry program (701 E. Johnson) til July when the day center is supposed to open and provide this service. $8,000 to Shine to have a storage facility (1202 Williamson St.) for homeless to safely store their things during the daytime until July when the day center opens and a couple thousand dollars for portapotties in the downtown area so people have a place to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. This plan resulted in no where to go during holidays and Sunday mornings (library doesn’t open til 1:00) Lots of gaps in this plan, money is going to run out and there’s not going to be a new facility to pick up the pieces by July. Oh, and showers . . . still virtually non-existant.
We already have a day center?
I just gotta remind people . . . the really odd thing about all this is that during this whole time, the city and county have been giving Porchlight tons of money to run a day center virtually no one uses.
United Way $127,017
City of Madison $217,793
Dane County $7,273
State of Wisconsin $30,473
Other government $46,260
Other grants $7,720
Contributions $31,941
Other $900
SAME OLD PROBLEMS WITH CURRENT PLANS
The latest plan hatched in secret, announced by the United Way, City and County to reward Porchlight for their failure, they are willing to pay Porchlight EVEN MORE MONEY, apparently above its current value, for their building where they are running a day center that doesn’t work.
I sincerely don’t understand how the public is going to swallow this, yet again.
– There is no transportation plan.
– – People currently don’t use the facility for various reasons, but the biggest issue I hear beyond staff attitude (commonly known as the Hostility House) is you can’t get there.
– – Why not spend more money for a downtown location up front, and save the on-going operating costs for transportation. Estimates are that this will cost $100,000 a year or more.
– – Transportation during the holidays will be particularly difficult when Porchlight won’t run their van, the bus schedules are limited, etc.
– – There are two bus lines (4 and 27) that run there and even the weekend schedule is difficult as the buses only run once an hour.
– – Apparently Shine is now being told they have to raise the money for the transportation plan.
– – Imagine 180 men getting out of shelter on Sunday am at 7:00 in the middle of winter and the majority of them trying to ride the bus to he 1490 Martin St. location.
– What happened to the promised operating costs? During the debates about the day center, there was the promise of private funds to help run the day center. The City, County and United Way were each going to give $50,000 this year, and it was understood $100,000 in future years to help run the day center. This was all done behind closed doors and we asked questions to ensure that the operating funds would be there in the future. And we just knew this was going to be a problem . . . and low and behold, guess what?! The private funds through the United Way will only be available for the last quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year, then their out! They need their publicity to look like their part of the solution then disappear after using it to raise funds for their own organization.
– The facility will only hold 80 people, but when it was downtown on E. Washington there were 125 – 150 people who used it each day.
– Rush to get this done! After three years of bumbling around, now there is a rush to get this done, even if it isn’t right, because we need this.
– Stink of Porchlight. Possibly the biggest issue is the betrayal and distrust of this whole thing by people in the homeless community. First of all, the stink of Porchlight is all over this and many people, many of the most chronically homeless, won’t have anything to do with Porchlight or their facilities – so much so they sleep outside during Wisconsin winters. Putting the day center where there is a failed day center makes no sense to most people who know anything about it, but really muddles everything for people who would probably use the services is set up correctly. People were outraged that Porchlight was once again involved in this project and have already written it off because of that involvement.
There are many other issues, jurisdictional issues with this being in the town or Madison and near the arboretum, people being banned from the Town of Madison park across the street, bus service has to be paid for by the Town of Madison, what was really done to find a different location, etc etc etc. I could go on . . .
Ask your elected officials, what’s going on? After three years, will we get it right the 4th year? Or will we get it done and set it up for failure in the long term? There are new people who are appointed to Health and Human Needs and I believe they and Personnel and Finance will be the ones to take this up. Contact them, ask the (mostly) guys to do this right, not rush!
HEALTH AND HUMAN NEEDS
Levin, Clausius, Dye, Ferrell, Veldran, Wegleitner, Zweifel
PERSONNEL AND FINANCE
O’Loughlin, Erickson, Gillis, Hendrick, Pertl, Solberg, Stubbs
