Homeless man dies in Madison cold

Keely Arthur by Keely Arthur

And a 60-year-old man died after being found outside near East Olin Avenue, Friday morning.

Jeffery Bracey had a faint pulse and wasn’t dressed for the weather according to Madison police Chief Mike Koval’s blog. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Officials at the men’s shelter Porchlight said Bracey had come to them in the past, but not recently.

Jessica Mathis, the development director said unfortunately some men choose the cold instead of shelter.

“It can be scary, scary, you’re carrying your life on your back and sleeping in a room with people you don’t know,” Mathis said of staying at Porchlight. “But it’s warm. You get a meal so that’s a lot better.”

Porchlight has 180 beds and does not turn anyone away once temps go below 20 degrees.

Bracey is one of three people who died this weekend due to exposure in separate incidents, the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

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