Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Authorizing members of the Common Council to solicit funds for the purpose of supporting the ongoing operations of a permanent men’s shelter being built and scheduled to open in 2026
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Madison and Dane County have together authorized the necessary capital financing to construct the first permanent men’s homeless shelter that will serve men in Dane County who experience homelessness; and,
WHEREAS, the vision for this facility is that it will remain open twenty-four hours per day so that those who use the shelter can access services there during the daytime that will improve their ability to return to stable housing; and,
WHEREAS, Porchlight, Inc., a local non-profit organization and long-time operator of shelter facilities in the community, estimates it will cost more than $4 million to operate the new shelter on a twenty-four hours a day, seven day a week basis; and,
WHEREAS, in the more than three decades prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Madison did not contribute funds toward the operations of men’s shelter facilities in our community; and,
WHEREAS, despite the scarcity of public resources and the limitations placed upon their budgets by the State Legislature, City and County officials have signaled their commitment to making ongoing contributions in support of shelter operations, although not at levels sufficient to meet total operating needs, and have encouraged contributions from private sources; and,
WHEREAS, although it was substantially interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a long history in Madison and Dane County of drawing support from private sources to sustain the operations of shelter facilities for people experiencing homelessness; and,
WHEREAS, a local organization, the Shelter Friends of Dane County, has formed with the goal of leading a local private sector fundraising campaign; and,
WHEREAS, the Madison Ethics Code, Sec. 3.35(5)(a)2...
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