“Peter,” known in the community for occupying a bench on the 100 block of State Street most nights, has a new home, according to a police report.
Due to the joint effort of two Madison police officers, a Bethel Lutheran Church homeless advocate and a Dane County Human Services worker, all who remain unnamed in the report, “Peter” has settled into a nearby residential facility.
Madison Police Department Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain said in the report the four individuals credited with finding “Peter” a long-term housing solution delivered the happy news to him in the early hours of Oct. 24.
“He did not know it when he awoke, but this would be his last morning rising in the shadow of the state Capitol,” DeSpain said in the report.
One of the officers involved said although “Peter,” which is a pseudonym, initially hesitated to accept the offer, he warmed up to the idea during the car ride to his new home. According to the report, “Peter” moved into a “spacious, clean and well appointed living space.”
The facility also specializes in treating a genetic condition known as Huntington’s, which 40-year-old “Peter” suffers from. According to the report, Huntington’s causes brain cells to progressively deteriorate, hindering motor skills and cognitive functions and psychiatric problems in some cases.
Concerned citizens have directed questions to the MPD regarding “Peter’s” condition before, DeSpain said in the report, which demonstrates the impact “Peter” has had on those around him.
“There he had people who cared about him,” DeSpain said. “But not those who could adequately care for him.”
