In response to what he says is an unacceptable situation, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin announced Tuesday that he would take the “extraordinary step” of assigning one of his deputy mayors to oversee a west side apartment complex.
Speaking at a press conference, Soglin said the city has been disturbed by a large number of calls to police involving the Tree Lane Apartments, a complex designed to provide housing for 45 of Madison’s homeless families. The complex has been open less than six months but neighbors have complained about the continual police presence at the site, Soglin said.
“We knew from the very beginning that we were going to have challenges,” he said. “There’s been a collection of … violent incidents.”
In response, Soglin announced he would move Deputy Mayor Gloria Reyes — a former police officer who spent 13 years with the Madison police department — to Tree Lane in order to collect information and advise Heartland Housing, the company that owns and operates the complex, as well as the mayor’s office and city council.
Reyes said she had already assembled a safety team composed of representatives from MPD, YWCA, Heartland and the city’s community development division staff.
In spite of ongoing problems with Tree Lane, Soglin reiterated his support of the city’s affordable housing and anti-homelessness efforts. He also advocated for the city’s “Housing First” initiative, which seeks to place homeless individuals in housing without preconditions like drug tests or work requirements.
Soglin clarified that not all police calls to Tree Lane involved residents. Multiple people have attempted to hide from police there while fleeing.
“By and large, the program has been successful,” he said. “There’s no question in my mind that 75 to 85 percent of the residents are solid. They’re the kind of folks you’d like to have next door.”
