Madison Street Medicine
We envision that individuals experiencing housing insecurity have equitable housing and healthcare.
Who we are
Where we started
In the autumn of 2015, a group of concerned activists, outreach workers, and medical personnel came together to address a set of major issues in the Madison area. Throughout the city, people experiencing homelessness were going without essential medical care, for everything from diabetes to foot injuries to chemotherapy follow-up. Some existing organizations, as well as trained and untrained volunteers, were trying to help individual sufferers, but nothing existed that truly got at the roots of the problem. From these discussions, Madison Area Care for the Homeless OneHealth (MACH) emerged.
Transitioning from MACH OneHealth
Over the years, MACH has emerged as a community leader in providing and coordinating compassionate, holistic healthcare for individuals experiencing homelessness. In the winter of 2020-2021, conversations surrounding our name and its framework started to take place. Volunteers, staff, and board felt a new name could better represent our aims and mission. “Madison Street Medicine” quickly became a favorite and was ultimately chosen to represent our organization going forward. Although we will miss MACH OneHealth, Madison Street Medicine will continue to uphold our values and mission rooted in compassion and respect.
Madison Street Medicine in 2024
The organization has a 230 community mailing list and about 85 active volunteers. We currently have 14 salaried employees, 4 part-time employees, and one Americorps Vista. Downtown office hours are Monday through Thursday, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Otherwise, you can find us out in the community on various service nights or at the Dairy Drive Shelter. We carry out a variety of services tailored to the unique needs of our patients. Check out our calendar!
Our Journey
Our mission
We are on a mission to develop programming and services to fill gaps in access to healthcare and housing in the Madison area. We envision a community where individuals experiencing housing insecurity have equitable housing and healthcare.