Finance Committee OKs $100,000 Loan for Jake’s Place First‑floor Improvements

The City of Madison Finance Committee on Feb. 16, 2026 unanimously approved a loan of up to $100,000 from the Community Facilities Loan Program to Tulareen Incorporated to finance leasehold improvements at Jake’s Place and authorized the mayor and clerk to sign the agreement.

Steve Lawrence, introduced by Alder Rivera as the representative of DeLorean, told the committee the building’s bottom floor already functions as an expanded case‑management hub that moved from Willie Street and that staff hiring and service expansion began in January 2026. He said the bottom floor provides community‑based case management, medication management and outpatient counseling and that the loan request is primarily to complete 1st‑floor improvements necessary to support that work. Lawrence cited a construction bid of $230,007 and said some work has already been completed with additional items on hold while staff continue to serve clients.

Lawrence said the 2nd floor was planned as a 10‑bed withdrawal‑management (detox) unit and that licensure through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS/DQA) began in mid‑ to late‑2025 and remains in process. He told the committee that Dane County appears reluctant to fund involuntary detox services and that the availability of funding will determine whether the 2nd floor operates as involuntary detox, voluntary partial hospitalization, sober‑living supports, or another component of the continuum of care.

Alder Rivera asked about neighborhood impacts tied to the building’s prior use as a 15‑bed single‑room occupancy (SRO) unit; Lawrence said that SRO arrangement was part of a legacy HUD program and had produced operational challenges. He said residents were relocated to a mix of permanent housing with case management and other facilities and that the new model separates housing from the case‑management and withdrawal‑management services now located at West Main.

Lawrence agreed to consider neighborhood outreach: he said 1st‑floor leadership (named on the record as Elena Swazack and Derek Woom) could meet with the Bassett Neighborhood Association and that he would confirm closer details about the 2nd floor after further licensing updates. Alder Rivera thanked Lawrence and the committee recorded a unanimous vote in favor of the loan.

The committee recorded no amendments to the loan terms in public session. The mayor and clerk were authorized to execute the loan agreement and staff will implement the project consistent with the recommended use of funds.