Colin Droster
Kendra Deja standing outside Solace Home.
Kendra Deja is proud that everything is free for residents.
What happens when unhoused people get the diagnosis of a terminal illness? Madison is one of the rare cities in the United States where they can live out their last days comfortably in a group home, where they’re cared for and receive hospice services.
Solace Friends opened Solace Home, 4142 Monona Drive, in April 2024 and welcomed its first resident in May. Since then, 18 residents have been cared for before passing away, says executive director Kendra Deja. Solace Home accommodates four residents at a time. They must have received a diagnosis of six months or less to live, which makes them eligible for hospice, and be unhoused or experiencing housing insecurity.
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“All of our residents have come from different circumstances — 18 different wildly different stories,” says Deja. These range from “someone who had a job and an apartment and was evicted after her cancer became unmanageable” to “people who lived on State Street for the better part of 30 years.”
Another resident had been living out of his vehicle and was trying to “manage tube feedings by himself, going between the day and the night shelter.”
Deja is gratified that the word has gotten out; about half of Solace Home’s referrals come from hospitals, which are “doing a really good job about knowing who is a fit for us now.”
Other referrals come from the community, family members, and social service agencies, “and that feels important that people are sharing with each other, hey, this is a safe and good place to go.”
Each resident has a private room and 24-hour care; hospice services come in as they would to anyone’s home. There’s also a communal living room, TV/game room, dining area and back patio.
The home has five full-time staff and three others who can fill in when necessary, “just so we can manage it,” says Deja, noting that caregiving takes an emotional toll.
Some 130 volunteers do everything from help with food prep and errands to yard work. Whatever someone feels comfortable doing, Deja says, there’s a place for that volunteer.
Fundraising has been going well, but it is an ongoing need. “We offer our caregivers a living wage and that’s very important to our core values around equity,” Deja says. “Offering a living wage for 24/7 caregiving is expensive. Operating anything 24/7 is expensive.” The annual budget is $600,000 and most of that goes to caregiver salary and resident food, clothing, and supplies.
Deja says that Solace Friends is most proud that everything, including food and clothing, is available to residents at no cost. Sometimes people are able to pay something to cover costs. But, she adds, “Our core value is that all people, regardless of resources, substance use histories, mental illness, whatever challenge someone has experienced — that should not prohibit them from the dignity of compassionate, expert, end-of-life care.”
Solace Home has received 70 referrals in the last year and a half; 75% of the time there’s a waiting list, which has been as high as eight. Whenever the list is empty, it soon fills up again. The longest stay was 11 months and the shortest seven days; the average is about two months.
This is one of the few such facilities in the country. “It’s fair to say we’re doing something unique and I hope that people start to think, ‘This is really amazing that we have this in Dane County,’” Deja says.
