The Homeless Coalition and the Madison Warming Center Campaign met with Mayor Cieslewicz Wednesday to discuss building a shelter for homeless individuals currently turned away from warming centers on grounds of being intoxicated.
If constructed, the wet shelter, as such facilities are called, would carry an estimated cost of $300,000. Proponents hope the shelter would prevent the freezing deaths of those turned away from other shelters and see it as a venue to reform individuals' behavior so they would need not to return in the future.
At the meeting Cieslewicz said the city was unable to provide that amount of funding. However, in support of the cause he did offer $15,000, requesting that the coalition return to him a plan of how they would distribute the funds.
Twigg said the mayor appreciates the work of both the Homelessness Coalition and Madison Warming Center Campaign and will continue to work with them to address future challenges.
