Monroe County Housing Coalition

The next meeting of the Monroe County Housing Coalition is April 30th from 8:30am to 10:30am at First Congregational Church, 115 W La Crosse Street, Tomah .

Why was the Housing Coalition Developed?

• Monroe County Planning Council has been in existence since 1994 and is comprised of representatives of many agencies/groups/organizations that work every day with low income individuals and families who are dealing with critical issues regarding housing, healthcare, food, transportation and other essential needs.

• It has been a known fact that housing issues, poverty, evictions, and homelessness have existed for many years in Monroe County.  Human service/helping agencies have been trying to deal with these critical, life altering issues utilizing existing programs and funding, and have not been able to make significant changes without the support of the community as a whole.

• After hearing at the 2006 Family Impact Seminar about Wisconsin counties as to what might be possible in the area of working collaboratively to establish sheltering programs, increase funding opportunities, and address family and individual needs, members of the Planning Council organized a Housing Summit in April 2007, at which nearly 80 concerned people were in attendance.

• The issues surrounding of safe, affordable housing for low-income people in Monroe County surfaced through discussions at the Summit.  A subsequent meeting was held in May 2007 to form the Monroe County Housing Coalition with a focus of determining what areas needed the most urgent attention and directing efforts toward alleviating these issues.  This meeting resulted in the development of three working sub-committees that have met regularly several times since May 2007:  Education, Existing Housing and New Construction, and Emergency Shelter.  A fourth sub-committee, Coalition Management, is helping to guide the bimonthly meetings of the full Coalition, as well as assisting with organizational issues.  These Sub-Committees are ready to initiate some projects in an attempt to effect change in housing related issues.

The Coalition is Focusing on Several Projects

Coalition Management Subcommittee:

• Next Meeting: TBA
• Contact Carin White (ctwhite@centurytel.net or 269-7853) for details about this subcommittee

Education:

• Next Meeting: Thursday, May 29th, 8:30am, UW-Extension, 14345 CTH B, Building D,2nd floor, Sparta.
• Contact Ed Miller (374-2592) for details about this subcommittee
• Hosted a Landlord Workshop on March 13th, 2008
• Schedule a 3-4 series of Rent Smart Curriculum for tenants in 2008
• Cooperate with current homebuyer education efforts (Fall of 2007 and Spring of 2008)
• Make community, as a whole, aware of housing issues – make presentations to community groups
• Conduct educational presentations and publish details about available resources

Existing Housing/New Construction:

• Next Meeting: Thursday, May 15th, 8:30am to 10:30am, Ginny's Cupboard, 127 N Water Street, Sparta.
• Contact Mary Masters(374-4141) for details about this subcommittee
• Share rental availability information and rental resources
• Organize available resources in a collective manner to make available with various groups, including tenants, landlords, agencies, and community
• Provide information about safety and health standards to tenants and landlords

Emergency Shelter:

• Next Meeting: Friday, May 16th, 9am to 11am, United Methodist Church, 210 N Court Street, Sparta - use K Street entrance behind the church.
• Contact Jean Bardeen (jmbardeen@centurytel.net or 374-4141) for details about this subcommittee
• Establish a program to serve homeless students and their families
• Coordinate services in the most conducive manner to serve population
• Research methods for improved transportation so families can access services
• Seek funding opportunities to enhance emergency shelter efforts

What Can Others do to Help the Coalition’s Efforts?

• Participate in the Coalition or Sub-Committees
• Volunteer to participate in Rent Smart and Homebuyer Sessions
• Check out the website for meeting dates/times/locations - www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/monroe/HousingCoalition.html
• Offer education at Landlord Workshop
• Open groups/agencies for presentations about housing issues and Coalition efforts
• Review rental/housing issues with the groups/agencies you are involved in; determine how they might assist
• Assist with publicizing and supporting efforts of the Coalition within the community
• Share your contact information (e-mail) to receive ongoing information about the Coalition

Questions about the Monroe County Housing Coalition?

Contacts:

• Cathy Abbott, Monroe County Human Services, 269-8627 or 372-8627, cabbott@co.monroe.wi.us
• Mary Master, Families First, 374-4141
• Jean Bardeen, Families First, 374-4141, jmbardeen@centurytel.net
• Karen Joos, Monroe County UW-Extension, 269-8722 or 372-8722, karen.joos@ces.uwex.edu