Madison Tenant Power Crashes Porchlight Fundraiser

November 14, 2023

Madison Tenant Power

Monday, Porchlight tenants and their housing allies crashed a charity event for Porchlight, Inc., the nonprofit that runs Porchlight Men’s Shelter and Porchlight Properties, in order to warn potential donors about dangerous living conditions. One person wore a cockroach costume.

Porchlight recently arrested a Porchlight tenant’s guest for cat-sitting. 

Madison Wisconsin Homeless Union and Madison Tenant Power are calling attention to unsanitary and unsafe conditions in Porchlight properties in Madison, including: apartments full of cockroaches, bedbugs, and other pests; lack of bedding (tenants sleeping on the floor); and units that are not properly air conditioned or heated. Porchlight staff hang up the phone on housing advocates when they contact Porchlight about maintenance issues.

Porchlight’s CEO receives a salary of over $100,000 while tenants face unsafe conditions. Porchlight has received paid contracts from the city to operate their facilities, and is about to receive another $24 million contract. Porchlight no longer accepts HUD-VASH vouchers from veterans.

The City County Homeless Issues Committee and City and County government must investigate conditions at Porchlight properties! Porchlight’s city contracts must be pulled in favor of running these services as a public, common good!