The closing of Dairy Drive and the City’s allocation of $3.5M in homeless services

Hello, 

Please note you'll see one more blog post from me later today.  However I wanted to share my thoughts about the closing of Dairy Drive separate from district and city meeting updates. 

Addressing Homelessness Through Multiple Strategies

While we have seen the closing of Dairy Drive, the City is continuing to invest in homelessness solutions. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway announced $1 million in new funding in her 2026 Executive Operating Budget for services at the Bartillon Shelter, which would bring the City’s total annual contribution to $1.7 million. This investment marks a significant step toward Wisconsin’s first purpose-built, 24/7 trauma informed designed shelter to connect people experiencing homelessness to permanent housing.

When the vote came before the Common Council to extend Dairy Drive, some alders voted no, some voted yes, and one abstained. I voted "yes" at Common Council, however doing so doesn't make me any better --- or any worse -- than my 19 colleagues. 

It’s also worth noting that while some colleagues voted no or abstained on extending Dairy Drive, at the very same meeting those same alders supported nearly $3.5 million in funding allocations through the City’s Homeless Services and Housing Resources RFP. That funding will support seven nonprofit agencies beginning in 2026, strengthening our investment in long-term housing solutions. Does that vote make any of us “good” or “bad”? 

Here’s where that funding is headed

Please note that Alder Figueroa Cole provides a more in depth overview of the budget and RFP. 

Homeless Services:

• Catalyst for Change, Inc. - Up to $310,000 (up to $250,000 GPR and up to $60,000 ESG) for street outreach services; and up to $45,000 (all GPR) for Extreme Weather Respite Hotel for the Unsheltered.
• MACH OneHealth (dba Madison Street Medicine) - Up to $240,000 (up to $201,000 GPR and up to $39,000 ESG) for street outreach services; and up to $230,000 (up to $105,000 CDBG and up to $125,000 HOME-TBRA) for a Rapid Rehousing program for single adults.
• Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Inc. - Up to $132,000 (up to $66,000 GPR and up to $66,000 ESG) for a Rapid Rehousing program for single adults.
• Porchlight, Inc. - Up to $800,000 (up to $700,000 GPR for shelter operations and up to $100,000 HOME - TRBA for move-in cost assistance) to operate an Emergency Shelter for unhoused men; and up to $200,000 (all CDBG) for Permanent Housing Case Management services.
• The Salvation Army Dane County - Up to $107,000 (up to $62,000 GPR for shelter operations and up to $45,000 HOME-TRBA for move-in cost assistance) in connection to the agency’s Family Shelter; up to $92,000 (up to $62,000 GPR for shelter operations and up to $30,000 HOME-TRBA for move-in cost assistance) in connection to the agency’s Single Women’s Shelter; and up to $22,000 (all GPR) for shelter diversion services.
• YWCA Madison, Inc. - Up to $52,000 (all GPR) for Family Shelter operations.

Housing Resources

• Tenant Resource Center, Inc. - Up to $350,000 (up to $290,000 GPR and up to $60,000 CDBG) for tenant services including housing counseling, outreach and mediation services; and up to $915,700 (all HOME-ARP, available for use across three years) for eviction prevention services.

Federal Funding Sources:

• ESG
• TBRA
• CDBG
• Home ARP

Federal Funding Sources

These allocations build on the Common Council’s commitment to addressing homelessness from multiple angles—emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, eviction prevention, outreach, and tenant support.

The closing of Dairy Drive doesn’t mean the end of our collective commitment to our unhoused neighbors. 

I also want to encourage you to stay connected with alders throughout the year. The conversations I’ve had with folks from across the city about Dairy Drive have been some of the most helpful in clearing up misinformation and giving folks a fuller picture of what's happened and currently happening. Honest dialogue helps us build trust, share facts, and build together toward solutions – even when we disagree on how we get there. 

Addressing homelessness requires the efforts of every sector, including government (state, city, county), nonprofits, businesses, and the community at large. With that in mind, I hope that you see yourself as a partner in solving even the most complex challenges our unhoused neighbors face.

Below are a few photos from the recent tour I took of the Bartillon Shelter. 

Talk soon, 

Sabrina 

district17@cityofmadison.com