“There’s a village on a river,” Charlie Koczela begins. “And there are people in the river, drowning. The people in the village keep on pulling them out, but they never actually look to see who is pushing them in the river in the first place.” Continue reading Food justice organizations call for institutional solutions to food insecurity
The streets of Madison are lined with sleeping bags pushed against cement walls and bodies huddled against the biting Wisconsin cold — people without a place to call home.
Among these thousands of suffering Madisonians are the writers and vendors of Street Pulse Newspaper. Continue reading Street Pulse Newspaper: The voice of Madison’s homeless community
While taking a walk around the UW-Madison campus and surrounding areas, it is difficult not to stumble upon stark reminders of the city’s homelessness issue. Library Mall, sections of State Street and other portions of the city have gained reputations as gathering areas for Madison’s homeless population. Continue reading Affordable housing identified as chief concern for Madison’s mayoral candidates
Thanks to new partnerships between UW-Madison and the UW Extension that have emerged since the system restructured last summer, Chelsea Wunnike’s outreach efforts now include information about financial aid programs at the university and other state schools. Continue reading Financial Aid partners with UW-Extension to deliver message of college affordability statewide
It is no secret — attending college is expensive.
And, even though frozen tuition has tried to alleviate the economic burden, there remains a significant gap in both accessibility and affordability for underrepresented and low-income students.
Universities have made efforts to combat this, but still many students suffer at the hands of a faltering education system. Continue reading Lingering presence of fiscal suffrage, exclusive campus culture stunts diverse campuses
“Public assistance should be a trampoline, not a hammock,” Gov. Scott Walker told a crowd of government officials, reporters and otherwise notable individuals during his State of the State address earlier this year.
This is a philosophy that Wisconsin has taken to heart in the construction of its public policy, and one that reflects a near national consensus on welfare.
But according to some experts, it has resembled neither to those who need it Continue reading Hoops, hurdles and hostility: getting public assistance in Wisconsin
At any point in time, there are 267 individuals in Madison with serious mental health conditions and no means of access to help. Continue reading Mental illness, lack of resources prolong homelessness
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared war on poverty in response to a national poverty rate of almost a quarter of the population living in poverty. Through the Office of Economic Opportunity, Johnson hoped to create and administer forward-thinking solutions to the crisis.
The OEO was abolished in 1981, but it left behind some programs that are still working to answer questions and solve problems related to poverty in 2018.
At UW-Madison, the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) continues to tackle these issues and inform public policy on poverty, long after Johnson’s war on poverty has come to an end. Continue reading The IRP’s war on poverty continues
The theater industry is notorious for being difficult to find steady work, no matter what aspect of the field one is pursuing. Even if you can land the rare theater gig, there’s no guarantee it pays well —or even at all. Yet, there’s no shortage of aspiring actors, writers, directors, stage managers and so on. Continue reading Local theater companies provide wages, opportunities for local artists
While taking a walk around the UW-Madison campus and surrounding areas, it is difficult not to stumble upon stark reminders of the city’s homelessness issue. Library Mall, sections of State Street and other portions of the city have gained reputations as gathering areas for Madison’s homeless population. Continue reading Homelessness advocates hope city government can do more to help those in need
Cost of Living 