Max Smith loved the simple joys in life. Playing chess. Shuffling dominoes. Creating a new recipe. His face lit up when he visited his family, especially his nephew, whom he was always trying to teach about life.
It is that joy — the sparkle in his eyes, a face casting delight—that Smith’s family can only wish to see again.
In early August, Smith, experiencing homelessness, drowned in a manure pit on a dairy farm in Sun Prairie. His body was discovered when it surfaced, with a pair of sneakers alerting a farmhand to call authorities. Only a medical identification tag remained intact, listing details that could help notify his parents in Arkansas, but officials assumed they were dead.
Manure produces deadly gases, like hydrogen sulfide, methane and carbon dioxide. Exposure to these gases can lead to suffocation in just a few minutes, if not seconds. As a result, Smith’s family from Madison was warned against viewing his decomposed body due to the toxic fumes that had destroyed his skin.
October 10 is World Homeless Day, a time to recognize efforts against homelessness and advocate for better policies and funding that can help prevent and end homelessness.
There isn’t one factor that leads a person to homelessness. However, a combination of factors, including lack of affordable housing, job loss, health conditions or an unexpected crisis, can quickly create a calamity.
After graduating from Rivercrest High School in 1981, Smith joined the United States Army. For a long time, his life was good. But somewhere after leaving the army, as a disabled vet, his life became itinerant, often moving from place to place in search of shelter and belonging.
The 62-year-old sometimes stayed at the homes of family members and was a familiar face at Porchlight’s emergency men’s shelter and the Beacon Homeless Resource Day Center downtown.
After the medical examiner conducted an autopsy, initial investigation results suggested that Smith’s death was an accident, according to a statement by the Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 12. A month later, after a CAT scan, officials with the Medical Examiner’s Office finally notified his family in Madison
Smith’s cousin, Melanie Miller, loses sleep over her cousin’s whereabouts those first few days of August. She grapples with the lack of details. Without a car or a bus route to take him to the farm, how did he get there? Without video footage, she’ll never know.
In many ways, it was the failure of the system that killed Smith, just as surely as the chemical reaction that eroded his skin and smothered his lungs. Systemic failure due to neglect, disorganization and lack of coordination can lead to catastrophic endings like Smith’s case. By tracking individuals experiencing homelessness and using public and private resources to fund affordable housing, we can start with tactical plans that create change, starting small but leading to more significant improvements.
Let’s work together to locate, identify and support individuals facing homelessness and meet them where they are. Lets use coordinated outreach and data-driven strategies, such as tapping into the Homeless Management Information System, Medicaid and corrections data, where we can track their progress in real-time.
Officials must recognize the growing demand for affordable homes, a scarcity that has dramatically worsened over the past few years, particularly since the onset of COVID-19. Additionally, insufficient rental assistance programs leave many low-income families unable to pay for housing.
Nearly 800 people in Dane County were recorded as being homeless this year, a 7% increase from 2024, and a 20% increase since 2020, according to an annual point-in-time survey. The 20% increase alone should leave any official shellshocked and motivated to come up with a realistic plan.
The City of Madison and Dane County are building a new shelter for 250 people, but there’s a $4 million funding shortfall. While the Bartillon Shelter is set to open next spring, it will need private sector support to operate year-round, according to Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway.
Smith’s body was sent to his parents, the same mother and father who were assumed dead, but who are actually 81 and 88 years old, respectively. A few weeks ago, Miller and the rest of the Smith family flew to Arkansas to attend their loved one’s funeral.
Miller realizes she may never find out what happened to her cousin. She’s contacted television stations that don’t see the need for a follow-up story. She quietly understands that those experiencing homelessness are often overlooked.
“We just feel like it’s kind of getting brushed under the rug because he’s a homeless man, black and just poor, and it just seems like nobody even really cares other than us,” said Miller.