Last week the CEO of the Dane County Boy’s and Girl’s Club went undercover on the streets of Madison to walk three days in a homeless man’s shoes.
From Nov. 13 to 15, Michael Johnson, along with Tim Metcalfe, owner of Metcalfe’s Market, and Will Green, the director of Salvation Army Community Center, changed out of their suits and stepped into the world of Madison’s homeless community for three days.
Johnson said he decided to go undercover to gain a better perspective on the community and discover why impoverished children were seeking refuge more frequently at the Boy’s and Girl’s Club.
“Kids are sleeping in shelters, kids are sleeping on the streets, sleeping in parking lots,” Johnson said. “We have come to find over time that this issue has grown.”
Johnson, Metcalfe and Green spoke with multiple members of the homeless community while incognito and discovered certain issues they decided need to be addressed. Johnson said some of the people living in the shelters were employed, but unable to find low-budget apartments to rent. Many of them were turned away by landlords due to bad credit or criminal records, Johnson said.
“As a community, we’ve got to figure this problem out,” Johnson said.
After spending three days among the homeless community, Johnson, Metcalfe and Green were able to offer an impoverished family a few nights’ stay at a hotel while they worked with the mother to find available jobs and permanent housing. Johnson said he was able to fund the hotel stay with donations from Facebook friends and other sources.
Johnson also said his main hope is to raise awareness of the prevalent issues in Madison’s homeless community after his experience. In fact, one picture he posted on Facebook received 60,000 views from people as far as New York and New Jersey.
“We didn’t think that this would generate this kind of discussion,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he plans to ask families and individuals in Madison to donate and volunteer during the holiday season and continue gaining support.
