In 2020, Madison’s temporary men’s homeless shelter in the basement of the Grace Episcopal Church downtown was forced to close due to the pandemic.
To replace that resource, several new temporary shelters have been created out of buildings already owned by the city of Madison.
While a permanent shelter is still a few years away, the city opened up their new, purpose built temporary shelter on Zeier Drive by East Towne Mall today.
The shelter is different from the city’s previous shelters, as the space was specifically designed for unhoused folks here in Madison.
WORT Producer Nate Wegehaupt went down to Zeier Road to talk with Hannah Mohelnitzky with they city’s engineering division, and to watch the final process of setting up the shelter.
Photo courtesy: Nate Wegehaupt / WORT News Team