Homelessness in the Greater Madison area is a reality that’s here to stay. There are just too many factors leading to individuals and families losing their homes or never really having one in the first place. Job loss, eviction due to the inability to keep up with rising rent rates, mental health, and the struggle to transition at age 17 from a youth to adult shelter, no two scenarios look the same.
Since the issue is as diverse as it is large, it’s important to have a spectrum of organizations working to alleviate the problem. Some nonprofits focus on adult males, others on adult females. Some on formerly incarcerated, others on those with chronic medical conditions. Meghan Salzwedel, development director of The Road Home, says, “The Road Home is a nonprofit in Madison focused on housing solutions for families experiencing homelessness.
“We have 14 unique housing programs; 13 of those are specifically for families with children experiencing homelessness and one, our newest program, is for youth ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness. That’s a collaborative program with the Dane County Youth Action Board, City of Madison, Outreach LGBTQ+, and Urban Triage.”
With every family that comes to The Road Home, the focus is on long-term housing solutions, as opposed to short-term shelter. But that vision comes with hurdles in making sure families have the resources they need to continue living in their homes. “Our special sauce at The Road Home is our wraparound services. Our support doesn’t end when a family secures housing; that is the beginning of the story.
“The Road Home works with families to secure an apartment, the lease is signed, and then the wraparound supportive services come in. Families in our programs work with their housing advocates to set self-determined goals pertaining to education, financial stability, and employment. So if a family comes to their housing advocate and says, ‘Hey, I really want to get a job, but I don’t have childcare, and I can’t afford it,’ we can help connect them with a childcare solution and career-building resources. Ultimately, the goal is self-sufficiency and stable housing.”
Part of The Road Home’s work involves identifying and developing solutions for problems that have gone unnoticed or unaddressed. It starts with the shortcomings of existing programs designed to address other situations. If a program is funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), efforts and monies are restricted to specific definitions determined by HUD.
For example, HUD defines “literal homelessness” as an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. “Families who aren’t experiencing literal homelessness are still experiencing homelessness—just not in the way that is defined by HUD,” says Meghan. “They’re still struggling with housing insecurity and homelessness.” This is why the Heart Room program was created, a collaboration between Joining Forces for Families, RISE’s Early Childhood Initiative, and Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ. It provides a much larger degree of flexibility in determining which families can receive support, and “having that degree of flexibility to serve families who might not be able to access resources in a traditional way is an innovative way that The Road Home and our partners are working together to serve more families.”
Even with these initiatives, to make even a dent in the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness takes an extraordinary amount of effort, which is why The Road Home is a member of the Homeless Services Consortium (HSC). It’s a place where all the agencies working to alleviate homelessness can share information and resources under one banner. HSC has also developed a process called Coordinated Entry that ensures those experiencing homelessness can end up with the right agency to get them the help they need. HSC members include Just Dane, YWCA, The Salvation Army, The Beacon, Porchlight, and many more.
Megan says that, internally, The Road Home wants to tackle family homelessness with as wide a net as they can cast. “Our programs are tailored to meet families where they’re at. Some are rapid rehousing programs, which are shorter-term programs to help families get back on their feet. Maybe someone lost a job that caused them to fall into housing insecurity. Our other programs provide permanent supportive housing, which are more long-term solutions for families experiencing chronic homelessness.
“Homelessness in general is an ongoing fight in every community. Madison is not unique in the sense that housing is really expensive, and I wholeheartedly believe the lack of affordable housing in our community is the number one cause of homelessness in our community.”
It’s heartening to see how our collective understanding of homelessness has shifted over the decades, and a harsher, ever-looming truth is starting to come to light: a lot of us are closer to homelessness than we think. Surveys from financial advocacy groups and brokerage firms, notably Prosperity Now and Charles Schwab, suggest a conservative estimate of about 30 percent of Americans are one paycheck away from losing their homes.
There’s also increased awareness of the fact that homelessness disproportionately affects people of color. It’s why The Road Home is partnering with landlords to address racial discrimination within existing housing systems. Meghan says, “The thing I’m continually impressed by is when we see a need in the community along with our agency partners, we address it.”
Learning and growing to confront issues surrounding homelessness goes back to when The Road Home was founded, 1999. “The original model was a traveling shelter. We partnered with churches who housed and supported families on a weekly basis. That was the model of our organization for a long time, and we recognized a need for families to feel stable in longer-term housing solutions and incorporated critical input from families with lived experiences. Slowly, we started building in the housing programs we have now.”
As issues evolve, it’s important to recognize that if homelessness happens to you or someone you know, there’s a good chance it’s not entirely or even moderately your fault. The best course is often to set aside pride and do what’s best for the people you love. Meghan says, “Housing is a human right. Everyone deserves a home. Reaching out for help or reaching out to an agency to enroll in a housing program is so essential to your being.”
If you want to help The Road Home carry on its almost 25-year-old mission, consider donating to their programs at trhome.org or hosting an in-kind donation drive to collect personal essential items, like toilet paper, paper towels, and laundry soap, by contacting angelas@trhome.org.
