After a five-year delay, the Salvation Army of Dane County is resuming its shelter expansion near downtown, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. The organization received city approval in 2019 to raze its East Washington Avenue shelter for women and families experiencing homelessness and convert the site into a campus with additional beds, office space and low-income apartments.
While the 44-unit Shield Apartments facility has been completed at the intersection of East Mifflin and North Blount streets, the old shelter at 630 E. Washington Ave. still stands, and staff say it is crowded and outdated. During the pandemic, the Salvation Army reportedly put the shelter redevelopment on hold to prioritize housing people, and the project’s city approvals eventually expired.
In response to higher construction costs, the project’s development team has made several changes, including a two-phase construction approach for the new, five-story shelter and planned two-story gymnasium wing; the elimination of underground parking; a roughly 10% reduction of the building’s square footage; and prioritization of beds for single women and families over the original design’s dozens of pay-to-stay and single-occupancy rooms.
The current building has 304 beds, with 140 in the women’s shelter and 164 in the family shelter. The replacement facility would have 492 beds, with 178 in the women’s shelter and 314 in the family shelter. Site plans also call for additional surface parking and a few more underground spaces.
The Salvation Army is aiming to raise $15 million for the project through its capital campaign in order to begin the first phase of construction next spring, pending approvals from the city’s Plan Commission and Urban Design Commission. The development team plans to submit a formal application to the city in late April and meet with commissioners in June.
