The event,
the third of four, is made possible through a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority and Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) to expand the supply of affordable, supportive housing in Wisconsin. Speakers include May yer (“mine-za”) Thao, assistant deputy director for WHEDA; Joy Fitzsimons, program director for Wisconsin Community Services, Inc.; Kate Bitney, senior program manager for CSH; and Johnna Lowe, a senior program manager for CSH.
In Wisconsin, residents with unmet mental health needs, physical challenges, and substance use recovery are among those facing great difficulties in finding affordable housing. The shortage of affordable, supportive housing affects rural and urban communities alike.
By connecting affordable housing with supportive services, WHEDA and CSH aim to create lasting benefits for communities statewide. On any given day in Wisconsin, more than 4,700 elderly residents, 2,100 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, 740 child welfare involved families and 420 transitional aged youth are in need of supportive housing, based on CSH data.
Tuesday’s webinar on supportive services will highlight service delivery design and contract management. The first webinar in the series provided an overview of supportive housing and the final event will cover property management. The sessions include content to help build understanding of the racial disparities and institutional barriers that affect housing for people facing the enormous and debilitating challenges of homelessness, disability and poverty.
For details and to register for the upcoming free, 90-minute events, follow the links below.
In addition to the training opportunities, WHEDA and CSH will implement a statewide survey to better understand the areas of greatest need for supportive housing and the biggest challenges in meeting those needs. WHEDA will also initiate a first-of-its-kind Wisconsin Supportive Housing Institute to provide technical assistance to developers and supportive housing providers as they navigate the complex process of developing affordable housing with access to supportive services. The institute is expected to reduce the timeline for supportive housing by improving planning and development.
To provide additional financing for housing with supportive services, WHEDA increased the preference scoring for these housing projects in the 2021-22 round of federal and state tax credit applications through the
Qualified Allocation Plan. To keep up with information about WHEDA resources, follow us on
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