Mutual Aid
Community Support
Where to Get Help Now
Food
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Housing
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Clothing
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Healthcare
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Legal
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Food · Housing · Clothing · Healthcare · Legal ·
Food
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The River Food Pantry
Address: 3301 Packers Ave, Madison, WI 53704 Phone: (608) 442-8815 Email:info@riverfoodpantry.org Website:riverfoodpantry.org
Hours (drive-thru groceries & to-go meals):
Tuesday: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Wednesday: 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Thursday: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Serves any Dane County resident. Proof of address and household size requested (recent bill/mail); no government ID required.
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Goodman Community Center - Food Pantry
Address: 149 Waubesa St, Madison, WI 53704 Phone: 608-204-8049 Website: goodmancenter.org/community-services/fritz-food-pantry
Hours:
Tuesday: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Wednesday: 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Thursday: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Serves anyone (east Madison focus). Senior meal program and wraparound services available.
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Neighborhood House - Food Pantry
Services: Groceries, community meals, 24/7 outdoor pantry. Address: 29 S. Mills St, Madison, WI 53715 Phone: (608) 255-5337 Website: neighborhoodhousemadison.org/food-pantry
Hours: Tue 4-7pm, Wed-Thu 12-2pm & 4-7pm. Serves everyone. No ID required.
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Wil-Mar Food Pantry & Saturday Meal
Services: Pantry + Saturday free meal. Address: 953 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703 Phone: (608) 257-4576 Website: wilmarcc.org
Hours:
Pantry: Wednesdays, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Saturday meal: Saturdays, 11:30 am
Serves anyone.
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Madison Community Fridges
Services: 24/7 community-stocked refrigerators. Addresses: 944 E. Gorham St & 29 S. Mills St. Email:madisoncommunityfridges@gmail.com Website:madfridges.com
Serves anyone. No ID required.
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NewBridge - Food Bridge
Services: Pantry delivery for homebound seniors. Address: 1625 Northport Dr #125, Madison. Phone: (608) 512-0000 Website: newbridgemadison.org/food-bridge
Who it serves: Low-income, homebound older adults in Madison. ID / documentation: Registration and eligibility assessment required. Languages: Spanish.
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Luke House Community Meals
Services: Free sit-down community meals. Address: 310 S. Ingersoll St, Madison, WI 53703 Phone: (608) 256-6325 Website:lukehousemadison.org
Hours:
Lunch: Monday – Thursday, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Dinner: Sunday – Thursday, 5:45 pm – 6:30 pm (Closed Friday and Saturday; closed between lunch and dinner)
Serves anyone. No ID required.
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Nourish Community Meals
Free breakfast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from around 7:30 am- 9:30 am, on Main Street outside the back entrance of The Beacon (615 E. Washington Ave.)
Website: https://nourishmadison.carrd.co/
More free community meals: https://nourishmadison.notion.site/Madison-Food-Programs-22835790b70f809c864cfc115add55a6
Housing
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The Beacon - Day Resource Center
Type: DAY shelter + coordinated entry hub Address: 615 E. Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53703 Phone: (608) 826-8040 Website: catholiccharitiesofmadison.org/the-beacon
Hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, seven days a week. Who it serves: Anyone experiencing homelessness in Dane County. If someone needs shelter or housing, this is where to start. ID / documentation required? Registration required before receiving services; bring what you have
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Porchlight - Men's Shelter (Zeier Rd/Bartillon Drive)
Type: Emergency overnight shelter (men) Address: 2002 Zeier Rd, Madison, WI 53704. Starting in SEPTEMBER the shelter is expected to move to 1904 Bartillon Drive, Madison, WI 53704Phone: (608) 416-1446 Website:porchlightinc.org/mens-emergency-shelter
Hours: Overnight shelter: intake 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm daily. Guests with the highest medical need, age, and length of stay receive priority. Who it serves: Male-identified individuals 18+ Notes: Emergency overnight shelter providing two meals per day, hygiene supplies, showers, laundry, lockers, and case management.
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YWCA - Family Shelter & Housing Programs
Type: Emergency shelter (families) + transitional housing + rapid rehousing Address (main offices): 101 E. Mifflin St, Suite 100, Madison, WI 53703 Phone: (608) 257-1436 Website: ywcamadison.org/housing-and-shelter
Hours: Office Mon–Fri 8:00 am – 4:30 pm. Who it serves: Families with minor children experiencing homelessness; single women; DV survivors
Programs:
Family Shelter: Emergency temporary housing for families w/ minor children. Entry through The Salvation Army at (608) 250-2298.
Third Street: Transitional housing for single mothers with children ages 0–5.
Housing for Single Women (Downtown Residence): Safe, affordable apartments for single women in YWCA's downtown building. Apply through YWCA housing director.
Empower Home: Transitional housing for female DV survivors.
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Salvation Army - Family Shelter & Women's Shelter
Type: Emergency shelter (families + single women) + coordinated entry Address: 630 E. Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53703 Phone: (608) 250-2298 Website: centralusa.salvationarmy.org/danecounty/shelter
Hours: 5:00 – 8:30 p.m, call (608) 250-2298 for current intake hours Who it serves: Families with children; single women
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Tenant Resource Center
Type: Tenant rights counseling + eviction prevention + legal services Main office: 2510 Winnebago St, Madison, WI 53704 Phone: (608) 257-0006 Email: AskTRC@TenantResourceCenter.org Website: tenantresourcecenter.org
Main Office Hours (walk-in available):
Monday: Walk-in only, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday: Appointment only, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday: Appointment only 9:00 am – 1:00 pm; walk-in 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Thursday: Appointment only 9:00 am – 1:00 pm; walk-in 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Satellite locations:
Madison College Goodman South Campus, 2429 Perry St: Saturdays 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (walk-in)
Sunshine Place, 1632 W. Main St #170, Sun Prairie: Mon 8:30 am–3:00 pm, Wed–Thu 8:30 am–5:00 pm (walk-in)
Who it serves: Tenants and landlords in Dane County (housing counseling available statewide via phone, though some programs now limited to Dane County due to funding cuts) ID / documentation required? No Languages supported: Spanish, Hmong, Arabic, French, (other website translations available) What they offer: Free, confidential tenant-landlord counseling on eviction, repairs, security deposits, lease issues, and discrimination.
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Urban Triage - Housing Navigation Services
Type: Housing navigation + rapid rehousing + case management Address: 2312 S. Park St, Madison, WI 53713 Phone: (608) 299-4128 ext. 1 Email: housingnavigation@urbantriage.org Website: urbantriage.org/housing-services
Hours:
Monday–Wednesday: 9:30 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm (walk-in currently suspended as of May 2026 - appointment only)
Thursday–Friday: Closed to public (internal training/auditing); available by phone/email
The Beacon (615 E. Washington Ave): Housing navigation services available Mon–Fri 8:00 am – 4:00 pm for registered Beacon guests
Madison Public Library (201 W. Mifflin St): Drop-in available, check current schedule
Who it serves: Individuals and families experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity; primary focus on Black and marginalized communities in Dane County
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Everstrong - Housing Navigation Services
Type: Housing navigation + case management + other community support. Address: 2701 International Lane, Ste 100 Madison, WI 53704 Phone: 608-255-8582 Email: everstrong@lgbtoutreach.orgWebsite:https://www.everstrongmadison.org/
EverStrong offices are open Tues-Fri 10-6, by appointment.
EverStrong serves the entire Dane County community - providing resources for all 17-24 year olds with or without children who are at-risk of experiencing homelessness, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, etc.
Crisis Support
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Journey Mental Health Center - Crisis & Emergency Services
Type: Mental health crisis line + mobile crisis + outpatient services Address (main): 625 W. Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53703 Address (intake/outpatient): 49 Kessel Ct, Madison, WI 53711 Phone - Crisis line (24/7): (608) 280-2600 Phone - Appointments: (608) 280-2720 Phone - General: (608) 280-2700 Website: journeymhc.org
Hours: Crisis line 24/7/365. Appointment scheduling Mon–Thu 8:00 am – 7:00 pm, Fri 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Who it serves: Dane County residents experiencing mental health crisis or seeking mental health/substance use treatment; sliding scale fees for uninsured ID / documentation required? No for crisis line. Insurance or sliding scale fee assessment for outpatient services.
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DAIS - Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
Type: DV crisis line + emergency shelter + legal advocacy + support groups. The only domestic violence shelter in Dane County. Address: 2102 Fordem Ave, Madison, WI 53704 Phone - 24-hour Help Line: (608) 251-4445 | Text: (608) 420-4638 | Toll-free: (800) 747-4045 Phone - Business line: (608) 251-1237 Website: abuseintervention.org
Hours: Help line 24/7. Office Mon–Fri 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Who it serves: Survivors of domestic violence and their children; all genders ID / documentation required? No for crisis line. Shelter intake begins with a call to the help line. Help line provides crisis support, safety planning, information, referrals, and initial shelter screening. Programs include:
Emergency shelter, Legal advocacy, Support groups, Prevention, training, and education, and Sheltering Animals of Abuse Victims (SAAV)
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UNIDOS (formerly known as Centro de Ayuda)
UNIDOS ofrece servicios a sobrevivientes de violencia doméstica.
Type: Domestic violence crisis line + services for Latinx survivors Address: 128 E. Olin Ave, Suite 201, Madison, WI 53713 Phone: (608) 256-9195 | La Red 24-hour crisis line: (800) 510-9195 Website: unidoswi.org
Hours: Mon - Fri, 8am - 4pm. Crisis line 24/7. Who it serves: Primarily Latinx survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Dane and surrounding counties; services available statewide ID / documentation required? No Languages supported: Spanish (primary); bilingual services
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988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Type: National crisis line Phone: Call or text 988 Website: 988lifeline.org
Hours: 24/7 Who it serves: Anyone in suicidal crisis or mental health emergency Languages supported: Spanish option available; additional languages via interpreter