“How can a Motel 6 feel more like a home than stone and bricks?” UW–Madison student artist and Madison 2024 Youth Poet Laureate Justin Festege-Russell , also known as Jexizis, asked the crowd at the Road Home Dane County’s annual Homes for Families Fundraising Breakfast, held in October at the Alliant Energy Center.
His words lingered – not as a question but as a reminder. For too many families in Dane County, this statement is their reality. For too many families in Dane County, home means a temporary motel room, a shelter, or an unstable living situation. Yet The Road Home Dane County, a nonprofit dedicated to helping locals find stable housing, is changing that, one family at a time.
Founded in 1996 as the Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Madison area, the Road Home began as an overflow shelter for families who had nowhere else to go. Over 25 years later, the organization has grown into a cornerstone of support in Dane County, offering wraparound services that include financial and legal support, case advocacy, mental health resources, childcare, transportation and even furniture and baby supplies.
This year’s fundraising theme, “Families in Power,” captured the spirit of the morning. Nearly 240 community members came together – donors, partners, families — before the work day began, raising more than $400,000 to support housing stability across Dane County.
The event was emceed by Shanika Lucas, a mother of five who once turned to the Road Home for support. Lucas came to the organization in 2021 after experiencing homelessness for six months due to the pandemic. In the process of obtaining stable housing, the Road Home supported Lucas through legal advocacy, employment support and even household needs.
“They don’t judge you,” Lucas said, smiling as she shared how her life has changed.
Today, she’s a grandmother, living in a larger home, and her daughter works as a certified nursing assistant. (You can learn more about Lucas’s story in this YouTube video.)
The audience also heard from Zianna Davis, a mother of two and one of the many parents the Road Home has supported. “They never turned their back on families,” Davis said in a touching speech following a video about her experience shown during the event. Now, she is finishing high school and pursuing a degree in business with the hope of starting her own business.
In 2024 alone, the Road Home Dane County served 231 families, including 542 children. One in three families increased their earned income from employment or benefits that supported housing stability, and 86% remained stably housed, a testament to how community care creates lasting change.
Angela Smith, the Road Home’s fundraising and community engagement manager, shared how critical events like the Homes for Families Breakfast are to the work the organization is doing.
“The biggest challenge families face is the severe lack of affordable housing in
Dane County. While new developments continue to rise, most are far beyond reach for families earning at or below 30 percent of the area median income,” Smith said. “This event alone provides roughly 10 percent of our annual income, offering flexible, unrestricted funds that allow us to respond where the need is greatest — whether that means preventing an eviction, helping a parent secure childcare or covering unexpected car repairs.”
As Festete-Russell reminded attendees during his spoken-word tribute to the Road Home:, “The motel didn’t have a fence, but it had drapes – drapes dark enough to hide the abuse.”
His words underscored the urgency of providing not just shelter, but true homes – spaces of dignity, privacy and peace.
By the end of the morning, the message was clear: Home is not just a place; it’s a promise – one that the Road Home continues to uphold through compassion, mentorship and unwavering support.
