FAQs

Historically, the Dane County community has lacked adequate shelter facilities for single men. For decades, Porchlight, a local housing agency, operated the shelter at locations not intended for that use, on a very small budget relying heavily on volunteers.

As Covid-19 emerged, the City of Madison, Dane County, and Porchlight collaborated and moved the shelter to a series of more spacious and safer, albeit temporary, facilities.

Through these efforts, the City of Madison and Dane County (“local government”) agreed to collaboratively invest in our community’s first purpose-built shelter dedicated to single men, which will be owned by the City. Beyond sleeping quarters, the new shelter will include space for local organizations to provide housing case management in addition to light medical, behavioral health, peer support, and other critical services.

Funds to build the new shelter came primarily from local government sources, with a small contribution from the federal government.

Simply put, a purpose-built shelter is one designed and built to serve its intended purpose. It incorporates features like clear sight lines to enhance safety, or private rooms for service providers, which, collectively, improve the facility’s functionality. That is in contrast to trying to make do with spaces like church basements that were designed for entirely different uses. Some of the key features in this shelter include extensive use of natural lighting, foregoing the traditional large single sleeping area in favor of several smaller spaces, to help reduce conflict, and including dedicated spaces for storing personal belongings, for eating meals, and for private meetings with service providers.

The new shelter will have capacity to serve 250 men. Two primary factors influenced this decision. First, best practices and input from shelter operators around the country cautioned that serving more than 250 persons in one location would heighten safety and other logistical challenges. Second, our community was serving fewer than 200 men each night when design planning commenced.

The shelter is expected to be ready to open in spring of 2026.The City of Madison has selected Porchlight, Inc. through a Request for Qualifications process to operate the shelter. Porchlight participated in designing the facility and, for the past two years, Porchlight has worked with City and County staff to develop operating budget parameters.

The primary function of the shelter will be to provide a safe and humane emergency resource for unhoused men. Guests will receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals and have access to clean bathroom and shower facilities.

Additionally, this shelter has been designed to offer a venue from which guests can get help in addressing some of the barriers that have contributed to their housing instability. The shelter will employ case managers whose job it will be to assess the individual circumstances of shelter guests and prepare a plan to return to housing. These plans will likely include ways to increase income, housing navigation, connections to existing public benefit programs, access to light medical treatment, and resources for mental health and substance use disorders.

These services will largely be provided in collaboration with local agencies on the shelter premises during daytime hours. In addition to Porchlight, potential partner agencies include Catalyst for Change and Madison Street Medicine.

We expect the new facility, if able to operate as more than an overnight shelter, will have a positive impact in our community. It will improve the level and quality of basic shelter services to a very vulnerable population. That will improve short-term conditions, keeping men safe, and reducing the number of emergency room visits and encounters with law enforcement.

But the real potential of this facility lies in its ability to help connect guests to resources needed to secure stable housing if it’s operating 24/7. It will offer that assistance on site, reducing the need for shelter guests to travel to The Beacon daytime resource center. It will improve prospects for shortening the average length of homelessness among shelter guests and their exit to housing.

The new men’s shelter represents a significant step forward for our community. For the first time, we have an opportunity to operate a 24/7 shelter for single men.

Based on insight from Porchlight’s 40 years of shelter operations, in addition to planning with the City of Madison and Dane County, the estimated annual cost to operate the current overnight-only model is approximately $3.5 million. Expanding to full 24/7 operations is expected to require an additional $800,000 annually.

Public funding plays a critical role in supporting shelter operations. The City of Madison and Dane County together contribute more than $3 million annually, with additional support from the State of Wisconsin and $200,000 from Porchlight. These sources fully fund the overnight shelter model.

To make 24/7 operations possible, Shelter Friends is working to raise approximately $1 million annually in private support to fund daytime services, including case management, housing navigation, and other critical resources that help men move from homelessness to stable housing.

Our long-term approach combines annual fundraising with the creation of a $20 million endowment to ensure sustainability for years to come.

As of March 2026, Shelter Friends has already raised over $1 million in private support, and has received $1 million from the City of Madison toward the endowment.

In a word, yes. Shelter facilities with which local officials have consulted indicate private sources constitute most of the ongoing funding for their operations. Facility operators in neighboring Minnesota report that 85–90% of their annual operating budgets are derived from private sources.

Indeed, it is not typical for local governments to finance shelter operations. Prior to COVID, Porchlight had access, at no cost, to church basements. It relied on community groups to prepare and serve daily meals. And it generated $200,000 annually in private fundraising. Dane County contributed $225,000 annually; the City of Madison contributed no funds.

The situation today is very different; the budget needed is several times larger. But the Madison community is fortunate in that local government officials have expressed a willingness to be part of the solution. They have raised the funds to design and build a new facility and are committed to making significant ongoing contributions to its operations. But there remains a need for private participation.

It is true shelter operations have historically been supported by the private sector—via donated space, volunteer time, and financial support. Community leaders have always recognized the need for the private sector to contribute to funding shelter operations. In order for the new shelter to operate at its maximum potential for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the need for private support continues.

The cost to operate the series of temporary facilities since COVID has been largely borne by one-time federal dollars made available in response to COVID. With those dollars ending in 2025, it is critical for the private sector to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring some of the most vulnerable people in our community have a safe place to sleep and return to stable housing.

A feasibility study was completed in 2024 with results showing the private sector was less inclined to donate to local government entities. A group of community leaders has recognized the value of the shelter operating 24/7 and to accomplish this, a need to lead the private sector fundraising.