Mobile outreach expands as more people shelter outside downtown Madison

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – As winter cold hits southern Wisconsin, a Madison outreach group says homelessness is increasingly happening outside the downtown core, pushing teams to expand where they deliver help.

The Friends of the State Street Family operates mobile outreach routes year-round, with teams going out every weekend and multiple times during the week to deliver winter gear, food and basic necessities to people experiencing homelessness.

“We do visit State Street every time we do outreach, but we also know that people are sleeping in their cars or in encampments,” said Beth Maglio, a leader with the organization. “Some people come or they maybe are sleeping in shelters, but they’re not going downtown. So, we try to visit the libraries on the weekends as well, where people are trying to stay warm or cool in the summer.”…

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