The Daily Cardinal’s Editorial Board met with Mayor Paul Soglin last week for over an hour. The Mayor opened with an informal statement of his priorities and how Madison has changed in the past 20 years. He continued to answer our questions about several of the topics you see below. Here are some of our thoughts on the areas of the city that Soglin commented on regarding the issue of homelessness.
Housing
The issue of housing is, obviously, the most visible of the factors contributing to homelessness. According to the mayor, Madison has long been a destination for individuals looking to “start over” due to its diverse economic opportunities, public resources and central location.
Often times, families or individuals who move to Madison have no housing or rental record, making it difficult for them to get a loan or lease. And with that being the case, they then must turn to public housing, which is drastically limited and oftentimes insufficient for an entire family.
Aside from limited space, the issue of mental health is finally pushing its way into the main stream. Mayor Soglin addressed this as a major concern within the
community, and proposed that efforts made toward funding resources for those who need them will be the foundation for building a healthy community. To be incapable of holding a job is to be incapable of paying monthly rent. To be incapable of paying monthly rent is to be incapable of maintaining a credit score, therefore further slimming one’s chances of stability both in the present as well as in the future. Soglin addressed the fact that funding these resources will be difficult, but we feel starting the conversation and creating awareness is a step in the right direction.
For years, Madison has offered quality care and housing for retired seniors who are unable to live on their own. With mental illness oftentimes being a problem among the homeless, many individuals whose illness has not been treated are moving into the senior living establishments, causing concern among other residents. Mayor Soglin addressed this issue by emphasizing the need for more housing specifically catered toward the mentally ill. This housing would staff clinicians trained in administering the proper treatment to the individuals in need.
Clearly, as housing is the most physical factor in homelessness, each other facet of this issue will be better resolved following the resolution of this one. And because Soglin started the conversation on this issue, he has gotten the ball rolling.
Transportation
When funds are tight, and a steady job is absolutely necessary to pay the bills, public transportation becomes a necessary resource. It is obvious that Madison’s public transportation system is subpar at best, especially when it comes to catering transportation services to people other than UW-Madison students.
Many low-income people in Madison rely on public transportation as their main way to get around town. Mayor Soglin hopes to increase the number of free or reduced-fee bus passes for families of low-income. This board believes that increased access to the bus system will help low-income individuals get to necessary commitments like job interviews and work.
In addition to increasing the free and reduced-cost bus passes, Mayor Soglin also hopes to outfit Madison with a Bus Rapid Transit system. The new bus system would run concurrently with the existing one, except it would have fewer stops and essentially act like a train, where the fee is prepaid and the door would be level with the street to allow patrons easy access.
Furthermore, certain areas of the road would be designated for the new Bus Rapid Transit busses, and every bus would be outfitted with wireless internet.
While this dream is one this board hopes to see come to fruition, we caution that the city take careful time to plan this. We do not want to see this new system become just another bus students take from the dorms to Ag hall. It is meant for working individuals and should extend into areas around Madison, such as Verona and Middleton, more than the current bus routes do. We want to encourage working people to utilize public transportation, but this won’t happen if it is crowded with students constantly getting off and on.
We appreciate the mayor’s hopes for the city of Madison when it comes to transportation. However, we believe he has a lot of work ahead of him. Low-income individuals need bus passes quickly if they hope to maintain a job, or even find one, and the new system needs careful planning if it is going to succeed in catering to the working class. Mayor Soglin has some great ideas that he has pulled from cities around the country and we hope some of those plans will come true.
Food
If Mayor Soglin has his way, Madison is going to change the way its residents get food.
From more open-air markets, food carts servicing areas other than the beginning of State Street, to ensuring every child has 21 meals a week, Soglin’s ideas revolving around food are something worth talking about.
When Soglin talked about what he would like the city do in regard to food, his ideas broke down into two groups. There was food as sustenance, and there was food as a community builder.
The importance of food is hard to overstate. Soglin hopes to get more food to his city via open-air markets. We hope to see an increase in access to fresh, healthy food, especially in Madison’s less affluent neighborhoods. Also on Soglin’s to-do list is getting hungry children food. Though he admits funding could be tough, this board agrees with Soglin that until someone starts talking, nothing will happen.
All of this is important, because food helps build communities. With events like Meet and Eat, where food carts met at Meadowood for two nights a month, and more food markets, people get a chance to meet each other. With well-fed kids, communities can expect better grades, and in turn, better schools. We hope to see Soglin convince the city of Madison to continue to improve access to food.
Education
In a system where education is seen as the major force to help drive individuals out of poverty, the lack of a quality education is intrinsically linked to remaining in poverty. Currently, approximately half of the children in Madison public schools are considered “low income.” Soglin recognized that certain measures should be taken to better educate students. We believe these measures are key to helping Madison’s lower income families, but unfortunately recognize that finding funding for these programs could be difficult.
Soglin acknowledged that children who are exposed to “trauma” at home in the form of violence or hunger do not come to school prepared and eager to learn. Even if a child receives free or reduced lunch, if that child comes to school on Monday without having eaten all weekend, the odds they will process what they are being taught are slim. This, interwoven with Soglin’s food plans, would help stabilize the “trauma” of hunger and broken family dynamics.
While UW students’ participation in volunteering in schools and after school programming is critical, volunteers need to remain committed for at least a semester. These K-12 students need stability, and having a different tutor every other week does not facilitate their educational development. We very much appreciate Mayor Soglin’s insistence on a time commitment for volunteers.
We also appreciate the city’s efforts to implement a “parents’ university” program, where parents receive training on how to be involved in their child’s education from the time they are born until the time they graduate. Having a support system at home for students is essential to help children see the importance in their education.
Do you think that Mayor Soglin’s propositions will be effective? Please send feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
