A few weeks ago, host Ali Muldrow spoke with State Senator Kelda Roys about the housing crisis in Madison and Dane County. As the average price of a home has soared to nearly half a million dollars, the number of kids experiencing homelessness in the city is also growing. Today we’re picking up that theme with two guests from local homeless services agencies: Karla Thennes of Porchlight and Jen Ripp of Briarpatch Youth Services.

From her over thirty years at Porchlight, Thennes describes how accessible housing has decreased over the years and the number of people accessing the men’s shelter has exponentially increased. Among other services, Porchlight offers permanent and affordable units, and currently there’s a two year waiting period for applicants to get into their Brooks Street location. 

Ripp describes the challenges that LGBTQ youth face as they try to navigate transitioning into adulthood meanwhile trying to find stable housing. She also explains how she copes with serving this vulnerable population.

We also hear from callers with questions about public housing and federal funding cuts. And today’s guests demonstrate how housing insecurity is compounded by other vulnerabilities, like food insecurity, lack of access to healthcare, and the criminalization of being unhoused.

Karla Thennes is the Executive Director for Porchlight. She serves on the board of directors of Goodwill of South-Central Wisconsin and Downtown Madison, Inc., a member of the United Way of Dane County’s Affordable Housing Fund Committee, an active member of the Downtown Rotary, and the recipient of the Unsung Heroine Award from NAMI.

Jennifer Ripp is a Program Director  at Briarpatch Youth Services with 22 years of experience in the field Social Work, supporting youth and families. She specializes in supporting youth that have experienced involvement in the Youth Justice System and youth experiencing homelessness. Outside of work, she is passionate about community involvement and spending time with family and friends.

Featured image: a technical drawing of a social housing project via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). 

The post Focus on Housing with Briarpatch Youth Services and Porchlight appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.