Get Involved: City’s First Purpose-Built Shelter Engagement Process Kicks Off

The City of Madison invites the community to get involved in the public engagement process for the City’s first, purpose-built shelter.

The City of Madison is collaborating with Dane County to plan for and design a purpose-built shelter facility that will serve primarily men in the community who experience homelessness. As a “purpose-built” facility, the shelter will be designed with an eye toward meeting the unique needs of shelter services, in that way promising a higher functioning operation than has been possible while operating from church basements.
The new shelter will be built at 1904 Bartillon Drive.

Please join the City of Madison, Dane County, Porchlight, Inc. (shelter operator) and Dimension IV (architect consultant) at one of the three upcoming public information meetings to learn more about the project, preliminary design concepts and next steps. Here is the schedule for those meetings:

• 5:30-7 p.m., May 9, 2023, Virtual via Zoom. Advance registration is required: May 9, 2023 Public Information Meeting Registration
• 5:30-7 p.m., May 11, 2023, in person at East Madison Community Center, 8 Straubel Court, Madison, Wis., 53704 (Spanish and Hmong Interpreter Services will be available.)
• 5:30-7 p.m., May 17, 2023, in person at Hawthorne Library, 2707 E Washington Ave., Madison, Wis., 53704

If you need interpreter services, please contact: cdd@cityofmadison.com (Si necesita servicios de interpretación, comuníquese con) (Yog koj xav tau kev pab txhais lus, thov hu rau)
For more information or to receive updates, visit the City of Madison Bartillon Shelter Project Website: https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/bartillon-shelter

Background: City Shelter Services Evolve
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City has been instrumental in establishing needed temporary venues to support people in our community experiencing homelessness. The City has completed the following projects:

• The City purchased and renovated the former Karmenta Nursing Home on Milwaukee Street for temporary use by the Salvation Army to shelter families with children experiencing homelessness
• The City purchased and renovated a former big box retail property on Zeier Road for use as a temporary men’s shelter pending completion of the permanent shelter.
• The City set up Madison’s first sanctioned urban campground, which supports up to 30 people at a site on Dairy Drive.

As design of the shelter at Bartillon Drive continues, the City will prioritize building and operational features that support the health, safety and welfare of Madison’s unhoused population.
Watch: 5 Shelter Options in 2 Years

Media Contacts:
Hannah Mohelnitzky, City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer
608-669-3560
hmohelnitzky@cityofmadison.com
                                                                       

Links

• Watch: 5 Shelter Options in 2 Years

Video