Madison city council unanimously approves permanent men’s shelter
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Madison City Council unanimously signed off on the proposed permanent men’s shelter during a Tuesday night meeting that lasted well into Wednesday morning.
Dane Co. Executive Joe Parisi and Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway teamed up last month to announce the shelter, which will sit on city-owned land on Madison’s north side. The city described the facility, at 1902 Bartillon Drive, as the first purpose-built shelter that will provide a safer place for men to go and offer them a better opportunity for them to find permanent housing.
Council approval was just the latest step in getting the new facility built. City and county leaders will also need to enlist designers for the facility and hope to have that process completed by the end of the year.
At the projects March unveiling, Rhodes-Conway explained $9 million has been set aside for the project, but a true price tag will not be known until the design work is completed. City and county leaders hope to break ground on the new facility sometime next year.
Parisi added the county has pledged $3 million to the project and said, “[w]e are happy to partner with the City of Madison on this project to provide our most vulnerable residents with the space and shelter they need to stay safe.”
As part of the project, the city will also move the current temporary men’s shelter on First Street to another city-owned property on Zeier Road, which will serve as a shelter until the new one is completed. The change of location makes way for the First Street property to be renovated into the Madison Public Market later this year.
Tuesday night’s council meeting lasted past 4 a.m. the next morning and also included council members approving a body cam pilot program.
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