Housing

Counseling

The UCP Housing Counseling Program utilizes a person-centered and barrier-free approach to support and empower our vulnerable and marginalized populations to obtain and maintain housing.

This can include:

  • Assessing a household's housing circumstances to create a housing plan.

  • Exploring rental options and homeownership.

  • Identifying financial resources, housing type and location preferences, accessibility, and modification needs.

  • Locating available housing.

  • Individualized tenancy education skills.

  • Setting members up for success by familiarizing them with local resources such as food pantries, libraries, parks, senior centers, etc. once they are housed.

  • Meeting members where they are at and helping them move forward with various and unique situations.

  • Helping members overcome barriers that have stopped them in the past from receiving housing.

  • Working with both the landlord and tenant to help create a more positive landlord-tenant relationship.

  • Assisting with filling out rental applications and going through the rental process so that members aren’t facing everything alone.

  • Working with members’ caseworkers to ensure they are receiving what they need.

Location and Team Breakdown:

  • We have a total of fourteen Housing Specialists, two Housing Supervisors, one Program Manager, and one Program Director. We are currently experiencing intentional growth and we are adding one more Housing Specialist and Housing Supervisor soon.

  • Our Housing Counseling team is split up into pods, each serving certain counties. Our Housing Supervisors oversee multiple pods.

  • Our Housing Specialists have a varying caseload dependent on what their area needs, where each member is at in the housing process, and what the Housing Specialist feels comfortable handling. UCP values a healthy work-life balance to ensure we are taking care of both our employees and members.

  • Six Housing Specialists serve Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn, Buffalo, and Trempealeau County.

  • One Housing Specialist serves Monroe, Jackson, and La Crosse County.

  • One Housing Specialist serves Portage, Wood, and Marathon County.

  • One Housing Specialist serves Winnebago, Brown, Outagamie County.

  • One Housing Specialist serves St. Croix and Pierce County.

  • Three Housing Specialists serve Sauk and Richland County.

Average Amount of Referrals, Signed Leases, and Current Members:

  • Our Housing Counseling Program typically has an average 19 new referrals and 12 newly signed leases per month. We currently serve about 105 total members per month.

Click here to read about what our Housing Specialist say about the work they do every day!

Questions? Contact Tricia Dresel, our Housing Counseling Program Manager:

(715) 214-7133 | tdresel@ucpwcw.org

Our UCP of West Central Wisconsin Baraboo office view from the outside; street view.






 

“Our UCP Housing Specialists take a person-centered and barrier-free approach to supporting members through what can otherwise be an overwhelming and complicated search for housing and other resources.”