On New Year’s Eve, a man was found dead in a State Street parking structure.
Two days earlier, a man was found distressed outside of a business on Olin Ave. He was rushed to the hospital but died en route.
In both incidents, the victims were found not dressed appropriately for the freezing temperatures. Neither had on a pair of gloves.
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s preliminary autopsy results found hypothermia was a likely contributor in both deaths.
According to a Jan. 3 tweet by Dane County Emergency Management, the average temperature since Dec. 25 was the coldest since 1869.
These incidents are a reminder of the lethality of Madison’s freezing temperatures, especially for those who are most vulnerable to weather conditions, like the city’s homeless populations.
But for city officials who work to combat the issue, there are a variety of measures in place to maximize safety this time of the year.
Karla Thennes, director of Porchlight, an emergency shelter for single men, said nights when the temperature drops below 20 degrees windchill are categorized as “exception nights.” This means anybody can utilize the shelter even if they’ve surpassed their 90-day annual limit.
“On a winter like this, some of the men will stay 120 days,” she said. “Rarely is it someone truly just gets 90 days in the year because of the weather.”
Porchlight is a part of the Dane County Emergency Management system and exception nights are just one piece of an orchestrated process to assist the county’s homeless population in the event of an emergency.
Thennes said the director of Dane County’s Emergency Management office, Charles Tubbs, makes all resources available.
“I really feel that Dane County is making a coordinated effort,” she said. “If we needed something, we got it.”
Tami Fleming — who works full-time as the volunteer coordinator for the Beacon, a day resource for those experiencing homelessness — founded Friends of the State Street Family in 2011 to fill in gaps when other organizations are overburdened.
“[Friends of the State Street Family] have street outreach teams that go out Monday through Friday nights, some have doctors and nurses on them, and they all have emergency weather gear with them to give out,” Fleming said. “They really focus on trying to convince people to go indoors when it’s really bad.”
Fleming said the biggest problem for FSSF is encountering those who simply refuse to take advantage of housing options.
“There are always going to be some people who won’t come inside, who won’t stay in shelter, for whatever reason,” she said. Fleming said this is often due to some form of mental illness, like PTSD or paranoia.
Looking forward, Fleming said it’s the role of those who work with individuals experiencing homelessness to identify where improvements can be made.
“Obviously our system isn’t perfect, but every year we work together we seem to cover more of the gaps as we find what they are,” she said. “We don’t have the power to make people come in out of the cold but I think that there are a lot of people out there that are trying to help them survive.”
