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Four Madison Area Families Find a Home in Time for the Holidays

The Road Home Dane County Purchases Apartment Buildings for Homeless Families

(Madison) November 19, 2009. This Friday, November 20, four homeless families will finally have a place to call home as they move into apartments recently purchased by The Road Home Dane County. The organization now owns two eight-unit apartment buildings at 714 and 802 Vera Court on Madison’s north side and will provide 15 low-income families with affordable housing, a community room and on-site case management.

For Jason Hart & Melissa Milheiser and their two children Olivia (3) and Troy (1), this means a place to spend Thanksgiving together. “The Road Home has given our family hope for our future when we thought all was lost,” says Melissa. Melissa and Jay’s family are excellent candidates for the Housing and Hope apartments. They can’t qualify for any other housing because they have poor credit and housing records. But these days, both are employed full-time, working closely with their case manager and participating in counseling and other support services. They are taking excellent care of Olivia and Troy, who are their best motivations for a better future.

“The staff and volunteers are like family. They raise us up when we are down and celebrate our successes with us,” adds Melissa. “After dealing with homelessness for three years, affordable housing is part of the answer for us. With the help of our on-site case manager and the support provided through the program I have no doubt that our family will succeed.”

The Road Home, a United Way agency formerly known as Interfaith Hospitality Network, has been helping families for the past 10 years to find stable housing and to become independent by providing case management, connecting families with local resources, and collaborating with local faith communities and organizations to provide shelter, meals and support.

While The Road Home has been able to help about 90 families annually, the lack of affordable housing in Madison has meant that hundreds of other deserving families have been turned away. Nearly all of the families the organization serves have incomes well below 30 percent of the area median income and most can only afford to pay about $250 per month in rent.

“There is a desperate shortage of housing for the very lowest income families, but with the purchase of these two buildings, we can create supportive, safe neighborhoods where families can thrive,” says The Road Home Executive Director Rachel Krinsky. “Today we will make a difference in the lives of these four families, and we envision a future where many more families will be helped as we renovate the remaining units and purchase additional buildings.”

Families will pay rent on a sliding scale with the standard rental rate of 30 percent of income or $200 whichever is higher and will also participate in case management services.

In 2008, the Road Home launched “Housing and Hope” a capital campaign created for the purpose of raising $4.5 million to buy and renovate 30 apartments and to create an endowment called the “Forever Fund” to ensure that the units remain affordable. Wisconsin School of Business Dean Mike Knetter is chairing the campaign which has raised $3 million towards its goal from local foundations, individuals and corporations. A key community partner, Meridian Group, Inc. facilitated the purchase of the buildings and will renovate and manage the properties.

The “Housing and Hope” campaign still needs to raise $1.5 million to complete the second phase of the housing project. Those interested in helping homeless families by becoming involved with The Road Home should visit www.trhome.org. Individuals can donate to the “Housing and Hope” campaign, volunteer or donate items on the agency’s wish list.

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The Great Pumpkin Giveaway

The event was held on Saturday, October 10th from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Oak Bank located at 5951 McKee Road in Fitchburg, WI and raised $2,015 in donations. In addition, the attendees brought diapers, wipes, personal care items, cleaning supplies and more! 

The event was generously sponsored by: Oak Bank and Melius Schurr & Cardwell, Physcians for Women.

On May 17th, 2009 we celebrated our 10th Anniversary! Many supporters, volunteers, host and budy congregations, and staff gathered at Covenant Presbyterian Church to celebrate 10 years of serving housing needs of people in Dane County. We took a physical tour of the Covenant Presbyterian shelter site.

1st Annual Making a Difference in Dane Golf Scramble & Raffle
The 1st Annual Making a Difference in Dane Charity Golf Scramble and Raffle was a fundraiser for The Road Home which benefits families in need.  This event took place on Monday, September 15, 2008 at The Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.  (www.golftheoaks.com).

HOUSEWARMING PARTY!
The board of directors and staff of The Road Home, formerly known as Interfaith Hospitality Network, held a housewarming party and tours of our new day center and offices on

Sunday July, 27th. If you haven't seen our new facility please arrange for a visit!

Location: 128 E. Olin Avenue, Suite 202 Madison, WI 53713
Please contact Cyndi Wood, Development Director at
608.294.7998 x311 or cyndiwood@tds.net

Thank you for supporting Interfaith Hospitality Network / The Road Home

Wisconsin State Journal:
Housing Planned for the Very Poor

By Patricia Simms
608-252-6492
psimms@madison.com
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/276218

With an economy gone soft and money and credit tight, a local nonprofit is developing housing for very poor families.

Calling the effort "Housing and Hope, " the Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Madison Area is trying to raise $4 million to buy, renovate and operate four existing eight-unit buildings that would be rented to homeless families that can pay about $250 a month or less for a place to live.

"Nearly all of our families have incomes well below 30 percent of the area median income, " said IHN Executive Director Rachel Krinsky. In Dane County, 30 percent of median income is $23,280 for a family of four, according to state figures.

"In other words, most of our families can afford to pay about $250 per month, which is about one-third of the average market rent for a two-bedroom apartment, " she said. "Normal forms of financing and property development simply cannot reach this level of affordability. "

What makes the project more urgent is a rental market fanned by weakening home sales, wary mortgage lenders, a desperate local need for housing for this income level and the difficulties of keeping such projects afloat financially, experts say.

FOREVER FUND

An unusual feature is the Forever Fund, an endowment expected to provide annual subsidies to make sure the units stay affordable for the very poor.

"To produce housing for very low income people, a developer like Interfaith Hospitality Network has to get lucky by finding less expensive property to buy, lower the cost of building or rehabilitating the housing as much as possible, and raise a lot of grant money or secure rental subsidies, " said Bill Perkins, executive director of the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development Inc.

Tom Landgraf, a consultant the city hired for the redevelopment of Allied Drive, said a weak economy creates special problems for the very poor. "When the economy is in the tank, the number of people who need affordable housing grows, but it gets tougher to do it, " Landgraf said.

Landgraf, who serves on the Dane County Housing Authority Board, said federal housing vouchers for the poor work, but waiting lists to get a voucher in Madison and Dane County are long.

"The quick math is that there are almost as many people on the list to get them as have them, which shows me that in a cursory view of the market, the housing voucher program is maybe dealing with half the need, " Landgraf said.

SLIDING SCALE

The units the hospitality network is proposing would be available to at least some families who can 't pay any rent, Krinsky said, though she said families would have to agree to participate in services to help them find a job and make money.

Families would pay rent on a sliding scale. The standard rental rate will be either 30 percent of income or $200, whichever is higher. If a family reaches 50 percent of adjusted median income and maintains this income level for six months, they will need to move out within a few months to make room for another very low income family.

The difference between what the unit costs to buy and renovate -- estimated at $75,000 per unit -- and what a family can pay in rent will be supplied by the endowment. "The Forever Fund ' endowment ... will ensure that these buildings are subsidized and have support services for decades to come, " Krinsky said.

"Most low-income housing projects have a period of affordability -- usually 15 or 30 years -- after which the housing will revert to market rate. Few such projects include support services, and those that do must raise funds annually to continue them.

"This forever ' guarantee of affordability and services is very unique and probably the most cutting edge part of the initiative. It means that, once it is in place, Housing & Hope will be a community legacy that can support itself. "

Krinsky said the agency hasn 't yet found the buildings to be purchased, but the plan envisions there would be two buildings close together in one neighborhood and two in another, for a total of 30 living units and two case management offices on site.

She said $2.3 million of the $4 million has already been raised.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVE

What's happening: The Interfaith Hospitality Network is trying to raise $4 million to buy and renovate four eight-unit apartment buildings for very low-income families.

Partner: Meridian Group, Inc., a for-profit affordable housing developer.

Location: As yet undetermined neighborhoods in Madison.

What's unusual: The units will be subsidized by a   Forever Fund, an endowment designed to make sure the units remain affordable for the very poor.

This article was published on March 8, 2008 in the Wisconsin State Journal.

IHN Launches $4 Million Housing and Hope Campaign

Funds will Create More Affordable Housing and Services

Madison, WI - Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Madison Area (IHN) today announced the kick-off of a $4 million Housing and Hope Campaign to help homeless families in the Madison area. This bold initiative will provide funds to develop 30 affordable apartments, supported with on-site case management services, to help families achieve long-term stability and success.

Mike Knetter, Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business at UW, is chairing the aggressive fund-raising effort and believes that as more businesses and individuals learn about the Housing and Hope Campaign, IHN will reach their goals.  He was first introduced to IHN through his church, which is one of 50 congregations that provide shelter and support to IHN families.

The Kick-off Celebration of the Housing and Hope Campaign is being held at the Blackhawk Country Club, tonight, Wed. Feb. 13 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tony Galli, Channel 27's well-known reporter, will be the emcee ! for the event. He is also an IHN volunteer.

Virginia Bartelt, IHN Board president stated, "This innovative project will give hope and security to children and parents who are now without a home. I'm proud to be involved in this community effort because we will be helping families build a better and brighter future."

IHN works with 50 local faith communities, United Way of Dane County, Salvation Army, the YWCA and many other community organizations to serve homeless families.  Over 1,000 Dane County families are homeless each year.  The United Way has identified reducing homelessness in their "Agenda for Change" initiative, as one of seven community priorities in the Madison area.

According to Lau Christensen, United Way Volunteer Leader and Vice Chair for the Vision Council,   "As United Way works to reduce family homelessness in Dane County by 50%, we are excited about The Housing and Hope initiative..  This is an innovative a! nd effective approach, drawing from the best practices and successes o f other communities, and it will have an impact on the critical issue of homelessness in families.  We are proud to support this important program and look forward to seeing more children in our community living in a secure home."

The Housing and Hope Campaign will provide the resources to create accessible, affordable, permanent housing and services in the Madison area. IHN will purchase and rehabilitate four existing eight-unit apartment buildings with the help of the Meridian Group, Inc. Meridian will then manage the properties. IHN has identified several criteria for the buildings' locations, including neighborhoods with mixed-incomes, close proximity to bus lines, and access to grocery stores. The buildings will have a mixture of two and three bedroom apartments. Meridian Group has already identified two potential neighborhoods. The purchase and rehabilitation cost of the buildings is expected to be approximately $2 million dollars.  

IHN has als! o created an endowment fund at the Madison Community Foundation that will allow the 30 apartments to be permanently affordable. This permanent fund, capitalized with $2 million of the total funds raised will offset rents, assist with maintenance and provide case management services for families living in the apartments. The fund is needed to assure that families can truly afford decent and safe housing.  The rent will be based on a sliding scale.   

According to Kathleen Woit, president of The Madison Community Foundation, "Our recent gift of $150,000 to help launch the Housing and Hope Campaign is the latest of several gifts given over the years, and is testimony to the great admiration our board and staff have for the work of IHN. This initiative will address our family and community development focus areas by creating affordable housing that is so critically needed. We expect that our major gift will encourage many other donors to support this campa! ign."

Rachel Krinsky, Executive Director of IHN, stated, "The Housing and Hope initiative will create an innovative permanent housing solution for families and children who, today, cannot access any housing at all. We are grateful to Mike Knetter for his leadership and to each of the donors, volunteers and partners who are helping us realize this vision. I am honored to work with so many talented people who are dedicated to this important and long-needed community goal."

Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Madison Area (IHN), has been serving homeless families in the area since 1999. IHN is supported by 50 local congregations, a number of corporations and 1,500+ volunteers who provide shelter and resources to homeless families. A United Way agency, IHN also works with other agencies through the Homeless Services Consortium of Dane County. IHN programs include: a Shelter Network, Housing Stabilization, Second Chance Apartment Project and the Tenant Advocacy Group (T.A.G.). For further information, visit: www.ihnmadison.org or c! all IHN at 608-294-7998.

UW Dean Mike Knetter to Chair IHN's Capital Campaign

Housing and Hope - Helping Families Succeed

Madison, WI - Wisconsin School of Business Dean Mike Knetter has signed on to chair an ambitious $4 million capital campaign, Housing and Hope - Helping Families Succeed, being launched by IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Madison Area), a local organization that has been helping Madison area homeless families since 1999.

Knetter, who recently orchestrated the unique $85 million naming gift from UW alumni to retain the Wisconsin School of Business name for the next 20 years, learned about IHN through his local church, Covenant Presbyterian, and friends who were involved with the program.  The church is one of 50 local congregations that provide shelter, volunteer support and donations to IHN homeless families on a regular basis.  
    
"We are so grateful to have Mike's leadership in this project, knowing the many other responsibilities he deals with on a daily basis.  His fundraising successes combined with his passion for helping people provide incredible gifts to the campaign," said Rachel Krinsky, Executive Director of IHN.  

Dean Knetter and his wife, Karen, hope that donors will join together to help IHN provide the support Madison area homeless families need to stabilize themselves and regain self-sufficiency.  According to Knetter, "I was impressed by the holistic approach IHN takes to addressing the underlying problems faced by families through their intensive case work and by the dedicated leadership of Rachel Krinsky.  I hope to help Rachel and her team find the resources they need to help more families."  

IHN's Housing and Hope capital campaign goal of $4 million dollars will be used to rehabilitate 30 apartments in several locations in the Madison area and to endow the apartments and the case work program to make them "affordable forever."  IHN, a United Way agency, was given a start-up grant to help them begin the planning process and organize the campaign.  

IHN is working with Meridian Group, Inc., an established developer and manager of affordable housing, to purchase, rehabilitate and manage the apartment buildings so IHN can continue to focus on providing effective support services for families such as shelter, case management, access to education and health care financial management and other services and resources.  

A kick-off reception event for the Housing and Hope campaign will be held at the Blackhawk Country Club from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13, and will be hosted by well-known Channel 27 News Reporter Tony Galli.  Those interested in attending the event or wishing to find out how they can support the campaign, should contact: Cyndi Wood, Development Director, IHN at: cyndiwood@tds.net. or call her at: 608-294-7998, ext. 311.   

IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Madison Area) has been serving homeless families in the area since 1999. IHN is supported by 50 local congregations, a number of corporations and 1,500+ volunteers who provide shelter and resources to homeless families. A United Way agency, IHN also works with other agencies through the Homeless Services Consortium of Dane County. IHN programs include: a Shelter Network, Housing Stabilization, Second Chance Apartment Project and a Tenant Advocacy Group (T.A.G.). For further information, visit: http://www.ihnmadison.org or call IHN at 608-294-7998.