As demand for shelters and resources for Madison’s homeless population increases during the winter, many organizations step up when the unhoused need it most, offering support when services become overwhelmed.
Madison Street Medicine is a volunteer-based organization that brings medical care to homeless people where they are, according to Madison Street Medicine’s Community Engagement Coordinator Donna Maysack. Their teams are especially active in the winter months, providing care to ailments such as frostbite and connecting people to resources.
The Beacon day shelter provides both men and women a place to stay from the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. At night, people are directed to the Porchlight men’s shelter, currently located at 2002 Zeier Road.
When the weather drops to 20 degrees or lower, “inclement weather nights” may go into effect. No person may be turned away on these nights due to capacity, though those suspensions may be unable to stay due to policy.
Porchlight is currently transitioning to a new location. The new permanent men's shelter is under construction at 1904 Bartillion Drive.
Maysack fears it may not have enough capacity during these freezing nights.
“The men's shelter capacity right now is about 400, and they were at capacity, which was breaking records during that really big cold snap,” she said.
The new shelter on Bartillion Drive will reduce capacity to 250 beds, which Maysack said they are worried about.
According to Sarah Lim, a community development specialist in Madison, hotel placements may be available to people and families unable to find other shelter in severe weather cases. Street teams can help connect those without shelter to hotel placements.
Even when these resources are available and staffed, barriers to access remain. It can be difficult for people to store their belongings, find transportation or deal with the stigma surrounding homelessness.
“There’s a lot of stigma attached to being unhoused,” Maysack said. “No offense because we have the most amazing, kind-hearted, generous, humble doctors that I've ever met in my life, but a lot of the time when you don't have money and you go to the doctor, you’re not treated very well.”
Madison Street Medicine is dedicated to building trust with these communities and meeting them where they are at in order to reduce these barriers.
Even if people are unable to donate their time, there are many ways that the community can support these resources.
As shelters reach capacity, Lim said they frequently run low on essential items and rely on community donations.
The Beacon relies on volunteers, especially in the winter when demand is high. They have an Amazon wishlist where people can donate items directly to the shelter without leaving their homes.
The donations most valuable to shelters and volunteer organizations change with the seasons. During the winter months, items such as blankets, socks, handwarmers and winter gear are in high demand. As the weather begins to warm, Maysack said items like sunscreen and bug spray become needed.
“There's a lot of wonderful people with giving hearts in this community,” she said. “There’s a lot of things you can do.”
