This spring marks 20 years since The Road Home Dane County, then known as Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Madison Area, first opened their doors. In those 20 years, they’ve gone from serving 29 families in the first year to serving 175 families including over 400 children last year.
The Road Home Dane County is committed to ending the issue of family homelessness in our community. They do this by developing long-term relationships with homeless families with children that change lives. They work with families, not only to relieve the immediate crisis of homelessness, but also to build skills, resources and relationships that set the stage for long-term success. To accomplish that mission, they rely on the help and support of individuals, congregations and businesses throughout Dane County. They believe that for the greater good of our city and for human kind, we can and should join together to make a difference because every child deserves a home.
The 100+ Women Who Care Madison Impact Award supported the core services The Road Home offers: housing, case management and education services. This is just one story that illustrates the impact our members had.
When Josiah’s family got evicted from their apartment, everything changed all at once for him. Suddenly, he had no place of his own—no bed to sleep in, no dresser to put his clothes in, not even a quiet, private place to complete his school work. His family was able to move into a shelter program. They felt grateful to have a safe, warm place to sleep but the instability was stressful for everyone—particularly Josiah. The effects of this level of stress could be seen in everything he did. Soon, Josiah was having behavior issues in school and difficulty learning.
For Josiah, this made all the difference. With his family back in housing, Josiah was able to focus in school again and is thriving now. He learned how to read and is working on his writing. He enjoys using the educational activity books The Road Home gave him.
Josiah’s family began working with The Road Home. With the help of their case manager, they were able to find housing. Initial financial support from The Road Home helped them pay their security deposit and first month’s rent so that they could have the resources they needed to become stable again.
Helping families like Josiah’s return to housing and stabilization enables them to achieve their potential. And it enables children like Josiah to learn and grow without the stress of homelessness.
Organization: The Road Home, 890 West Wingra, Madison
Mission: The Road Home Dane County provides opportunities for homeless children and their families to achieve self-determined goals and affordable, stable housing.
Contact: Peggy Halloran, Development Director
Impact Award Amount: $12,765