Mayor's Office

Madison Mayor Rhodes-Conway has declared November Homeless Awareness Month in Madison, part of her effort to raise public awareness around the extent and impacts of homelessness in our community, and asking local, state and national leaders to rededicate themselves to the goal of making homelessness a rare, brief and non-recurring event for our fellow residents.

 In her Housing Forward plan, Mayor Rhodes-Conway has laid out strategies to continue and build upon City efforts to address homelessness. Recognizing that housing is the ultimate solution to homelessness, the plan focuses on efforts to expand available housing options, especially for those not always well served by the housing market. Under the plan, the City has modified zoning ordinances to remove obstacles to higher density housing, identified transit corridors as targets for future housing development and doubled the City’s annual financial commitment to affordable housing. In response to the heightened challenges to housing stability caused by COVID-19, the City took full advantage of federal funds from the U.S Treasury, nearly $50 million, helping over 5,100 Madison renter households with rent and utility payments, housing counseling and legal assistance to stave off the threat of evictions.

To continue these efforts, part of the Dane CORE 2.0 Emergency Rental Assistance Program, the City will be accepting an additional $30 million of funds in upcoming months. These funds will allow the Dane CORE 2.0 Program to continue into 2023 and the City to continue to partner with community organizations that have been helping residents navigate the housing market.

We also want to thank all of the various partners who collaborate with the City of Madison in this work. Your tireless efforts are appreciated and applauded by the City of Madison.