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Porchlight and was located in the basement of a church on Capitol Square. The shelter was temporarily relocated to Zeier Road in October 2022.

The new men’s shelter, which will be owned by the city but operated by Porchlight, is expected to open mid-2025, O’Keefe said. The new building will accommodate around 250 men experiencing homelessness, compared to the current shelter which houses 200.

Though the capacity of guests will increase, the men’s shelter plans to double down on efforts to connect men experiencing homelessness with housing, O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe said University of Wisconsin students are aware of the housing crisis in Madison, not only because of their interactions with the homeless population, but because of their own struggles to find affordable housing.

Though the work currently being done to support Madison’s homeless population is essential, the construction of both the men’s and women’s permanent shelters is the first concerted effort to provide people without housing a dignified space, O’Keefe said.

“Any of us are just one domestic violence incident or catastrophic, catastrophic health event away from being without housing ourselves,” O’Keefe said. “How our community supports its most vulnerable residents says a lot about that community. And so, again, I think, we feel as a city that we can do better and need to do better and that’s a big part of what these projects are about.”

Heck urged UW students to volunteer as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army during their upcoming campaign from July 8 through July 22, which not only raises funds but brings the mission of the Army into the public eye.

According to the Salvation Army’s website, kettles that are manned by a volunteer raise $50 more dollars per hour than one that is unattended. Volunteers can also begin registering online to ring bells for the 2023 holiday season in fall, according to the website.

Students are also welcome to volunteer to run Activity Nights, where families and children are invited to participate in crafts, games and more, Heck said.