Dane County Executive Parisi Announces $2.25 Million to Address Affordable Housing
March 29, 2016
Stephanie Miller: 608-267-8823
County Executive
Fund Available to Apply For Today
Today, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced $2,250,000 to address affordable housing in Dane County is available to be applied for. The Affordable Housing Development fund was established in the 2015 County Capital budget and establishes a source of funding to assist in the creation of affordable housing in Dane County. There are two separate available funds one is for transitional housing for released offenders ($500,000) and the other for affordable housing for individuals who are homeless ($1,750,000).
“More people are moving to Dane county than any other county in Wisconsin,” said Dane County Executive Parisi. “We must continue to invest in affordable housing to help address the current housing challenges we face. No one entity can solve our housing challenges alone, we must continue to partner together to create solutions.”
The fund was passed as part of the Dane County 2015 budget. It allocates $2 million each year for four years to establish an Affordable Housing Development Fund. The purpose of the fund is to encourage the development of affordable housing in Dane County by using money from the fund to leverage additional funds.
This fund is one example of the County’s work on Affordable Housing. In 2015 the County teamed up with the City of Madison, Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, Heartland Housing, Heartland Health Outreach, U.S. Bank, BMO Harris, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, the Home Depot Foundation, and Enterprise Community Partners to fund a permanent supportive housing unit on Rethke avenue focused on chronic homelessness, including homeless veterans. The facility will open early this summer.
Located at 715 Rethke Avenue in Madison the $8.9 million, 60-unit building will provide housing for individuals who are chronically homeless, with a unique focus on veterans, for whom 25 of the units will be designated. Rethke is designed to serve those who would not be able to stay housed without a wide range of supportive services and who, conversely, need to be housed to be able to fully participate in these services. Many homeless individuals have a number of factors standing in their way, potentially including mental illness, a substance disorder, or chronic medical problem. Onsite services will be provided by Heartland Health Outreach and will include mental health services, links to other health care and employment providers, case management and social enrichment, all designed to improve stability and support economic self-sufficiency.
Dane County also works to keep families in their homes through eviction prevention funding. In 2015 our veterans service office kept 70 veterans stay in their homes through eviction and utility disconnect prevention. Dane County’s Department of Human Service kept 100 families and 209 children in their homes through eviction prevention funds. In the 2016 budget County Executive Parisi increased funding for eviction prevention from $25,000 to $75,000.
Application Process:
To apply for the funds apply at www.danepurchasing.com RFP number 115083.
2015 Awards:
In 2015, the first year of the program four organizations won the RFP process.
$500,000 was awarded to Nehemiah Community Development Corporation for use in expanding their network of transitional housing for persons released from custody from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. The money will be used to purchase two multiunit buildings. The overwhelming majority of ex-offenders returning to Dane County are youth and African-American. Well-documented racial disparities in our community place these ex-offenders at a high risk for re-entry failure, recidivism and homelessness.
The County will also award nearly $1.5 million to three projects for affordable rental housing. The County awarded $500,000 to Housing Initiatives, Inc. to purchase affordable rental housing targeted towards homeless veterans, the chronically homeless, and persons with mental illness. Housing Initiatives has been active for over 20 years. The organization owns and operates 98 rental units across the City of Madison.
An award of $554,000 was made to Gorman & Company to support its affordable housing project at the Union Corners development at Milwaukee Street and East Washington. This project includes a total of 90 units, 76 of which will be set aside for persons with incomes ranging from 30% to 60% of the County’s median income. Gorman has partnered with Lutheran Social Services to provide supportive services to low income residents.
The third award was made to Movin’ Out, Inc. for its Madison on Broadway project. Movin’ Out will combine the County’s $384,000 award with low-income tax credits and other financing sources to develop 48 income restricted housing units on the 2200 block of West Broadway and at 197 Lake Point Drive. Movin’ Out targets its units to persons with physical disabilities and veterans.