End-of-life care facility for people experiencing homelessness opens on Monona Drive

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

As reported by Isthmus, Linda Falkenstein

It started as an idea from palliative care physician Dr. Ann Catlett. Catlett had experienced having to discharge terminally ill patients who had no housing onto the streets. And she had seen a model home where patients without a home could live out their days in peace, receive hospice services and other daily palliative care.

Anyone who’s ever been involved in caring for someone at the end of life knows that it is a serious responsibility. Those approaching the end of life need much caring help and a comfortable, comforting place in which to die.

Thus was born Solace Friends, a Madison-area nonprofit with the goal of opening a care facility for people with terminal illnesses who are unhoused or experiencing housing insecurity. Their work has now resulted in Solace Home, a four-bedroom facility at 4142 Monona Drive.

The opening of the adult family home was celebrated Tuesday with a press conference and tour of the facility. Speakers included Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and representatives from the four area hospices that will work with residents of Solace Home: Agrace, Heartland Hospice, Interim HealthCare of Madison and SSM Health at Home Wisconsin. Parisi called the project “a no-brainer for the county to support,” adding, “It’s bringing value and light to the community.”

The group recently received a $100,000 grant from the county.

Solace Friends spent about two months looking for “the right space,” the group’s executive director, Kendra Deja, tells Isthmus in an interview. At first, the hunt was downtown, near the population the group serves. But the eventual location on Monona Drive checked off many boxes. A large ranch house originally built in 1956, it had previously been used as an adult day care facility as well as offices for NewBridge Madison, a nonprofit serving older adults, so it already had accessibility ramps in place. It has a large backyard and a front lawn with a clear view of Lake Monona. It’s also on a bus line. The group bought the building in August 2022 and has been renovating it since, with many volunteers pitching in for Saturday workdays.