Spring Orientation Sessions for New Residents

Occupy Madison still has openings!

There is NO APPLICATION PROCESS.  All you need to do is show up!  The process is:

    1. Attend Orientation 1 (11am)
    2. Attend Orientation 2 (1 am)
    3. Decide if this is something you want to do.  If so, attend 2 General Membership meetings to become a member.
    4. Once you attend one GMM, you can start earning hours.  Please note, the two orientations and 1 GMM can be completed in one weekend.
    5. Earn 100 hours of sweat equity by attending meetings, work days, craft making sessions, woodshop hours, free store hours or gift shop hours.
    6. After 100 hours you decide which village you want to live in and start attending their residents meetings.
    7. After 160 hours you can move into the village if accepted.

If you want to be put on the mailing list to get notifications of the meetings, email admin@occupymadison.com

Our process is a bit unusual in that there is no screening and no application.  This is community living and the biggest thing to decide is if you want to live in a village with many residents in a shared community.  Your hut is your private space, but the kitchen, showers, laundry, bathrooms, etc are all shared space and you are expected to contribute both to your village as well as the organization as a whole.

Living in our villages is free!  You just need to participate in village activities, governance of the organization and helping to raise funds to keep the villages going.

We will be doing 3 more orientations on the following dates o the 1st and 3rd Saturday’s :

    • 11am Session 1 and 1pm Session 2 at 201 S. Stoughton Rd
      • April 4 & 18
      • May 16
    • General Membership Meeting – 6pm at 1901 Aberg Ave
      • April 5 & 19
      • May 3 and 17

We will not have orientations in June, July or August but will resume in the fall if we have openings.

Free Store Grand Opening – February 28th 2 – 5pm

Please join us for the official Grand Opening of our Free Store for people who are unhoused.  We have been collecting donations since the beginning of the year and we have it well stocked thanks to generous donations from the community!

If you would like to donate, we are taking donations of sleeping bags, tents, tarps, clothing of all kinds, personal hygiene supplies, blankets, towels, toilet paper and just about anything useful to someone without a house or apartment for adults and children.  
This time of the year, items to stay warm are especially important.  Hats, gloves, boots, winter jackets, hoodies, long underwear, etc.

We are also accepting household goods for people who get into an apartment.  Dishes, utensils, basic household goods are also excepted.  No large furniture.Items can be dropped off anytime at our 201 S. Stoughton Rd. location.  If you would like to check out the store or would like help bringing things in, we are there Monday 3 – 7, Thursday evening 5:30 – 7 and Saturday 10 – 2.

Our grand opening will be a fundraiser for Occupy Madison and a chance for the community to check out our 3rd and newest village at 201 S. Stoughton Rd.  We will have light refreshments, tours of our new village and perhaps some music/entertainment.

If you would like to sponsor the event, please contact us at occupymadisoninc@gmail.com.

How to become a member/resident of Occupy Madison

Are you currently experiencing unsheltered homelessness?  Are you interested in living in a tiny house village?   If you are – here’s what you need to do!

Become a member.  Show up to two general membership meetings and express interest in becoming a member.  General membership meetings are the first Sunday of the month and we have been hold special GMMs to make the process go faster, the meetings are at 6pm at 1901 Aberg Ave.  Upcoming meetings are all at 6pm at 1901 Aberg Ave.

    • November 2nd
    • November 16th
    • December 7th
    • December 21st
    • January 17th
    • January 31st

Make sure to have an email address you can provide to the organization so you get notificaitons.

Show up to two orientations.  We hold two orientation meetings two times a month.  Orientations are at 201 S. Stoughton Rd. at 11am (1st orientation)and 1pm (2nd orientation)

Earn sweat equity hours.  You need 160 hours to be able to move into a house.  When you earn 500 hours you are eligible to become a steward and get a wooden house instead of a conestoga hut.

Get voted in to a village.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to us at admin@occupymadisoninc.com

Occupy Plant Sale Saturday!

Occupy Madison Tiny House Villages (three of them!) for people who have experienced houselessness is hosting our 10th annual Plant Sale on Saturday May 3rd from 10am – 4pm.

The event will feature music by our friends and awesome supporters Sunshine Daydrink noon – 3 . . . or so . . .

Along with tiny house village tours, food and drinks as well as plants, plants, plants and more plants!

You can pre-order your plants for pick up or come and choose the plants you desire.  Plant are available on our website.

Plants will be for sale through June.  If you miss the plant sale, you can order on line for pick or stop by the store weekly during store hours.

    • Tuesday 6pm – 8pm
    • Thursday 6pm – 8pm
    • Saturday 10am – 2pm
    • Sunday 10am – 2pm.

This is a fundraiser!  Funds raised from this sale help keep the villages paying their bills throughout the year.  The plant sale raises enough money each year to keep the 304 N Third St funded for 1/3 of the year . . . and more with your purchases!

If you aren’t into plants, check out the other things on our website for sale in our store or you can donate!

 

New items in the Store!

If its been a while since you stopped by the Occupy Madison store, its definitely worth stopping by and checking things out!

We have new houseplants

Soaps

Crafts

and succulents

As well as old and new wood products made in our woodshop!

The store, located at 304 N Third Street, Madison WI is open weekly:

    • Tuesday 6 pm – 8 pm
    • Thursday 6 pm-8 pm
    • Saturday 10 am – 2 pm
    • Sunday 10 am – 2 pm

Fundraising, fundraising, fundraising!

Our best guesses at what we still need to raise to finish the village at 201 S Stoughton Rd is about $100,000.  Increasing construction costs and the costs of materials is, at this point quite expectedly, throwing us off our budget!

So, we need you, more than ever, to help with whatever you can spare.  This community has been so generous to us during the construction of our first and 2nd villages, they are both paid off and mortgage free!  Village three is our biggest project yet, and we got assistance from the County with purchasing the land, financing and pre-development work, as well as $500,000 for construction.  Unfortunately, the budget for construction is likely about $750,000 – until it goes up again!

Please consider donating if you can.  You can donate here or by clicking on the donate button on the right of the screen at the top (if on computer) or by scrolling down on your phone and clicking on the button.

Or, if you’d like, checks can be sent to 304 N Third Street, Madison WI 53704.

Or, stop by our plant sale Saturday, May 3rd at 304 N Third Street to enjoy music, food, tiny house village tours, good company and of course, plants!  If you can’t make the plant sale, order on-line or stop by Tuesday or Thursday evenings 6pm – 8pm or Saturday or Sunday 10am – 2pm.

Now accepting volunteers!

We aren’t quite ready to start building houses, but we get closer and closer every day!  We know that is what most of our volunteers want to do and we’ll let you know when we are ready!

Meanwhile, we still need volunteers for a variety of other things including:

    • Helping with store shifts (Tuesday and Thursday 6pm – 8pm or Saturday and Sunday 10am – 2pm at 304 N. Third St.)
    • Helping with hanging drywall (Most Monday – Thursday 4pm – 8pm at 201 S. Stoughton Rd.)
    • Help with fundraising!!!

You can see the calendar for any of these events.  Or, to volunteer you can sign up by clicking on the button on the right hand part of your screen (on a computer) or at the bottom (if on a phone)

or this button to have us contact you!

Or just email us at occupymadisoninc@gmail.com and let us know what you are interested in!