Expansion

By Nicole Pollack – Wisconsin State Journal – At Madison’s largest Black church, finding space for all the programming requires some finesse. In one room with rows of narrow tables and a fireplace mantel covered in artwork, the weekly rotation includes tutoring for elementary-aged kids, computer help for older adults, painting and yoga classes and a drop-in behavioral health clinic. Mount Zion Baptist Church has about 600 members, said the Rev. Marcus Allen, Mount Zion’s senior pastor. Most of those served by its community programs are not members of the church, he said, and in 2021 the church spun off…

By Nicole Pollack – Wisconsin State Journal – The Salvation Army of Dane County won city approval in 2019 to demolish its shelter for homeless women and families on East Washington Avenue and convert the site into a campus with office space, more beds and some low-income apartments. Half a decade later, the 44-unit Shield Apartments has been completed at the intersection of East Mifflin and North Blount streets. But the old shelter, an aging former Catholic school, still stands at 630 E. Washington Ave., just east of Downtown. It’s the only drop-in shelter for women and families in the…