Economic Recovery in the counties of Crawford, La Crosse, Monroe, and Vernon

The Road to Recovery

Grace Jones, Executive Director

Email: Grace.Jones@couleecap.org Phone: 608-634-7366

March 2010

Couleecap’s Road to Recovery

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds were vital to many people struggling during this recent economic downturn. ARRA funds were a safety net to many local people facing homelessness, job loss, loss of health benefits, debt, and other issues. Couleecap’s ARRA funds made their way to those in need quickly and efficiently, and provided relief to people throughout the Coulee Region. Many people were seeking help for the first time in their lives. With the support provided by ARRA, Couleecap so far has been able to help 2905 people with services. It is our pleasure to share the results of our ARRA work with you. We have included stories from real people who have benefitted from the swift action of our government during a historic time of distress. Couleecap is pleased to have done what we could to ease suffering locally. We are continuing the proud tradition of Community Action Agencies and their ability to mobilize and respond quickly to the needs of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

Grace Jones Executive Director

John Young Board Chair

The Road to Recovery 1

Health Care Needs

“Daniel” is a fifty year-old man, who had been working at the same job for the last 12 years. He has lung cancer and was getting radiation and chemotherapy treatment from June to September 2009. As a result, he missed a lot of hours at work, causing him to fall behind on his rent payments. He applied for rental assistance in September 2009 and had a lung surgery scheduled for October 2009. He expected to be in recovery and unable to work for about 4-5 weeks. Couleecap was able to pay all of Daniel’s back rent, dated back to June when he was getting treatment, and to pay all of his rent through December. This allowed him to have the surgery and concentrate on his recovery without worrying about losing his home.

Health care and health care related expenses are enormous burdens for people. Serious illness may result in time off of work and can lead to job loss and homelessness.

ARRA at work in La Crosse County

Couleecap was able to utilize

ARRA funds to assist 99 people with health care related needs.

Couleecap, Inc. 2

Tom Mayne is excelling in his new position at Couleecap. As Field Supervisor he brings over twenty-three years of experience in the housing industry to his job. The housing department in which he works will weatherize over 500 homes throughout the Coulee Region this year. Low-income people will benefit greatly from increased energy efficiency and lower heating bills. But Tom admits that his new job was a culture shock. “I used to worry about whether the homeowners would like the granite countertops I had picked out. I was in a high end industry. To see how some people live and how they don’t have the means to make necessary home repairs is really eye opening,” Tom said. Tom devoted over twenty years to a company that manufactured panelized homes in the Madison area. Then the Madison

housing industry was hit by the economic downturn. The company Tom worked for went from building 500 homes a year to filing for bankruptcy in a matter of two years. “I figured if the market for new homes ever slowed down I could work for another contractor,” Mayne said. But, when Tom lost his job there were no jobs anywhere in the construction industry. “This hit everyone, an entire industry, and the only one I

ARRA at work in Vernon County

Continued on page 4

The Road to Recovery 3

Putting people back to work is critical to the economic recovery of the Coulee Region. Many of our counties were especially hard hit when manufacturing and construction businesses downsized their workforce.

Couleecap was able to utilize

ARRA funds to assist 406 people with employment or

training services.

Examples of Couleecap ARRA funds in action: 64 youth enrolled in the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program. 49 youth completed the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program. 41 youth reconnected to education through the Summer Youth Program. 17 reconnected to employment through the Summer Youth Program. 342 households received employment supports. ———————————————————————————— Coueecap Jobs 21.84 jobs were created and retained with ARRA funds.

Jobs

Couleecap, Inc. 4

had ever worked in,” he said. Tom had never been without a job, and never had to collect unemploy-ment. He was in unfamiliar territory and wasn’t sure what to do. Tom began his job search, but was realistic about finding work in the housing sector. “I saw guys I had worked with for years who were unable to find work. No one was building. Spec homes and foreclosures were flooding the housing market,” he said. Tom began his search in Grant County where he lives and found no jobs. He expanded his search to Crawford County with no luck, and then widened it to include neighboring Vernon County. The first listing that came up was for a field supervisor with Couleecap, the exact title printed on his old business cards. “My first thought was, who is this Couleecap and how are they hiring in the

housing industry when no one else is?” Mayne said. He remembered hearing President Obama proposing to put out of work housing workers back to work in green jobs weatherizing homes for low income people through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Here were ARRA dollars at work in Vernon County, Wisconsin. Today he supervises four weatherization crews doing work very different from what he had done for so many years, but he is enjoying this new opportunity. “All those years I was driving right by those houses, when I could have been using my skills to help,” he said. “Now that is what I do every day at Couleecap, help make a difference for people in need.”

ARRA at work in Vernon County Continued from page 2

The Road to Recovery 5

Housing

Access to affordable housing continues to be a struggle for people in our area. The limited amount of affordable housing options is compounded with issues of job loss and foreclosure. The number of those at risk of homelessness in our area continues to increase.

Couleecap was able to utilize ARRA funds to

assist 1489 people with housing.

Couleecap ARRA funds in action: 171 households received security deposit, rent, utility, or moving assistance. 93 households received housing counseling and resource coordination. 34 households received foreclosure intervention. 6 households received critical home repairs. 52 households received housing search, placement, and inspection assistance. 20 households received housing follow-up assistance. 250 nights of shelter were provided at New Horizons.

Couleecap, Inc. 6

A young father came to Couleecap. For the first time in his life found himself without a job and, as a result, without a home. He didn’t “want to bug us,” and expressed his embarrassment to even having to ask for help. He was sure there were people in more need than he was. He had a young child, and as a result he was having trouble paying the weekly rate at a hotel with his unemployment benefit. Couleecap was able to get provide assistance in a quick manner, and this father and his child were able to celebrate the holidays in their new apartment.

ARRA at work in Monroe County

Weatherization

Wisconsin has been a leader in the area of low-income weatherization and energy efficiency for many years. But, it is not only low-income house-holds that benefit from home weatherization—every household benefits when homes in a community use less energy.

Couleecap crews were able to utilize ARRA funds to

weatherize 181 homes.

Couleecap will weatherize 872 additional homes as a result of ARRA funds.

The Road to Recovery 7

Emergency Food

Couleecap has seen demand in its food pantries double since October 2008. Economic conditions are bringing new clients who have never accessed such services to our door. In 2009, Couleecap distributed over 2 million pounds of food to area residents.

Couleecap was able to utilize ARRA funds to

assist 511 people with emergency food.

This winter “Jennifer’s” family’s furnace needed immediate repair. The cost of the repair resulted in this family of four having almost no food, or money for food for the next month. Through Couleecap’s Food Pantry ARRA funds Jennifer, a high school senior, was given lessons in nutrition and budgeting, and a specific dollar amount to spend. She was able to go grocery shopping and reinforce the budgeting and nutrition information she had received. Staying within the specified monetary amount and choosing nutritious foods, Jennifer was successful in applying what she had learned, and her family was able to eat for the next month.

ARRA at work in Monroe County

Community Action Agencies Contribute to Economic Recovery & Provide Needed Services to Families

Cumulative Report for the Quarter Ending: 2/28/2010

Jobs Created, Total 2.90 12.50

Jobs Created/Paid with ARRA Funds 2.8950 12.50

Jobs Created/Induced by ARRA Funds

0.00 0.00

Jobs Retained, Total 1.47 20.00

Jobs Retained/Paid with ARRA Funds

1.47 20.00

Jobs Retained/Induced by ARRA Funds

0.00 0.00

# of Persons Assisted, total 1525 398

Employment or training services 342 0

Business Development 0 0

Housing 571 0

Emergency Food 511 0

Health Care 99 0

EITC/tax preparation/financial literacy

0 0

All Other Persons Assisted 2 0

# of Organizations Assisted 1 0

NPOs/CBOs provided ARRA funds 1 0

Ec. Development Projects Assisted 0 0

Weatherization Detail

# of Units Completed 181

# of Sub-contracts with vendors 10

Equip/materials/supplies purchased $233,576

Amount of ARRA Funds Expensed $332,590 $1,542,491

Couleecap, Inc. CSBG ARRA Funds Weatherization ARRA Funds

List Major ARRA-Assisted Projects/Activities

Employment supports; Emergency shelter, food, rent, utilities; Foreclosure

intervention; critical home repairs; Reproductive health education

Weatherization

3.95 19.35

3.9500 19.35

0.00 0.00

0.37 21.84

0.37 21.84

0.00 0.00

982 2905

64 406

0 0

918 1489

0 511

0 99

0 0

0 2

7 8

7 8

0 0

181

10

$233,576

$492,672 $2,860,427

All Other ARRA Funds Total

Summer Youth, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, FEMA, HPRP (Rent, Utility, Housing

counseling, etc.)

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Couleecap is an Equal Opportunity Em

ployer and Service Provider. Auxiliary Aids and Services Available Upon Request.