The number of homeless people on Madison's streets is down two-thirds from its peak in 2000.
According to a 2004 annual report issued yesterday by the city of Madison, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the Community Development Block Grant Office, the number of people going to homeless shelters is down 50 percent from 1997.
Cieslewicz said the news in the survey was heartening.
\We're encouraged, but not satisfied,"" he said. ""Any existence of homelessness in a city as affluent as ours is unacceptable.""
The mayor also said in order to solve the problem of homelessness, Madison must not treat the root causes alone, but strive for a more holistic approach.
Porchlight Inc. Public Relations Chair Adam Smith said while it is impossible to pinpoint a reason for the decline in Madison's homeless population, supportive services and low-income housing made a significant difference.
There are approximately 200 low-income housing units in the Madison area, with 30 more currently under construction.
""Without that type of assistance, these people could have ended up in emergency shelters,"" Smith said.
Smith said those in shelter networks often have issues that need to be addressed, such as alcoholism and mental illness.
Barb Lindsay, director of social services for the Salvation Army of Madison, said emergency shelters are now deliberating the emphasis on where to put money.
""Do we want to keep them in the shelter or help them out of the shelter?"" she said.
Lindsay added that keeping people longer than 30 days to give enough time to find housing cuts down the number of families they can serve.
Cieslewicz said emergency shelters are only a part of what must be a comprehensive approach to solve homelessness.
Other portions in the 2004 Continuum of Care include prevention, outreach and assistance, supportive services and transitional housing.
The mayor also expressed concerns over a proposal issued by the Bush administration that would eliminate all of Madison's CDBG funding.
""[The proposal] emphasized cities that look poor,"" he said. ""We're not poor in a macro sense, but we have pockets of poverty.""
The mayor said he is hopeful Congress may not eliminate CDBG's funding.
Smith said the report does not address the number of families who gave up their search for housing and moved elsewhere.
The mayor said the lower numbers are higher than expected and Madison must continue treating homelessness as an issue for the whole community.
