Vision Statement

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The HSC membership shares the vision that all persons should have the opportunity to secure and maintain safe, stable and affordable housing. Members believe that housing is a human right. 

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Guiding Principles

 

• Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to housing free of discrimination. 

 

• The community will continue to explore creative solutions to ending homelessness beyond those objectives highlighted in the Community Plan. 

 

• There has to be a shared ownership and responsibility for preventing and ending homelessness across all Dane County groups including, but not limited to, business, faith communities, funders, government, homeless and formerly homeless individuals, and social service providers.

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• Consumers, those individuals who have been helped by services provided, have an integral role in the design of solutions to prevent and end homelessness.

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• Community volunteers are recognized as an essential part of preventing and ending homelessness.

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• The Homeless Services Consortium is a partnership of agencies, funders, advocates and formerly homeless persons and its success at preventing and ending homelessness is dependent on a commitment to the strategies and results in this plan.

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Education and Advocacy

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The Homeless Services Consortium believes that, in order to achieve the following goals, we need to communicate with the public about the impact homelessness has on the greater community and about the necessity of solutions coming from more than non-profit agencies and faith communities. The Homeless Services Consortium reaffirms our commitment to educate the general public about the presence of homeless families, single adults and youth in Dane County, and to advocate for resources that further our goal of ending homelessness locally and statewide.

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Governance Documents

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The HSC approved by-laws changes in November 2024. The by-laws provide direction on how the Consortium operates. If you are interested in joining the Governance and Nominating Committee, please send an e-mail to hsc@cityofmadison.com.

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In December 2020, the Homeless Services Consortium Board of Directors adopted Standing Rules of Order. These rules provide direction for the operation of Board meetings.

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The Department of Housing and Urban Development requires Continuums of Care to establish and consistently follow written standards for providing Continuum of Care Program, Emergency Solutions Grant or State of Wisconsin EHH Grant assistance. In addition, other funders may require programs to follow the written standards. The written standards must consistently be applied for the benefit of all program participants. These standards do not replace policies and procedures created by homeless service providers, but rather they provide an overall context for programs funded with federal, state and local funding. The Written Standards were approved by the HSC Board of Directors in October 2018. They are reviewed annually. If you are interested in working on review and revision of the Written Standards, please send an e-mail to hsc@cityofmadison.com.

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In 2023, Madison/Dane CoC, worked with Homebase, with support from the City of Madison and Dane County, to revise the Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. This is a data informed plan using quantitative and qualitative information. The CoC held focus groups, one-on-one interviews and surveys. Focus was given to incorporating the voices of people with lived experience. This work resulted in Dane Forward: A Five-Year Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The Plan was approved by the HSC Board of Directors in March 2024. The Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness Oversight Committee reviews the plan regularly. The Committee tracks what has been accomplished and where work still needs to be done. If you are interested in being a part of this committee, please send an e-mail to hsc@cityofmadison.com.