Occupy Madison and allies of the homeless community announced a rally against local government policies that make it difficult for homeless people to find shelter will take place downtown Friday, according to a press release.
The release outlines several Madison and Dane County guidelines, such as allowing homeless shelters to turn people away and prohibiting winter camping on public campgrounds, that the group says will make March a particularly strenuous month on the region’s homeless community.
Each person is allotted only 60 days per year in Madison shelters, but shelters may make exceptions if it is below 20 degrees. As it has been more than 60 days since the start of the year, many homeless people will have nowhere to go for the remainder of the year.
Anne Lyttle, an Occupy ally, said the goal of Friday’s protest is to bring homelessness to the public’s attention and put pressure on public officials to take action.
“I think it’s really important that we recognize that homelessness exists and it’s not just going to solve itself,” Lyttle said.
