Community Action Coalition For South Central Wisconsin, Inc.

Geographic areas served: Dane, Jefferson, and Waukesha Counties

Programs: Housing and homelessness prevention: Community Action Coalition For South Central Wisconsin, Inc. (CAC) provides a wide variety of services focused on preventing homelessness and helping low-income families to secure safe, and affordable housing that is sustainable and permanent. CAC has two permanent housing programs in Dane County (Home for Good and Shift) and a transitional housing program in Jefferson County, which provides intensive case management to households who are working their way out of homelessness. CAC has been providing supportive services for veteran families funded by the Veterans Administration in Dane County and Jefferson County since 2012. This program provides case management and temporary financial assistance that allows veterans in poverty to obtain and maintain stable housing assisting in local and national efforts to end homelessness. A variety of family development programs provide similar assistance to people receiving section 8 housing vouchers, people with disabilities and other low-income community members. The Dane County Housing Crisis Hotline continues as a collaboration with the local continuum of care to provide the latest housing information on available permanent supportive housing, emergency shelters and access to youth and domestic abuse hotlines. Approximately 2,580 households received services such as housing consultation, tenant/landlord mediation, supportive housing, utility assistance, case management and financial assistance in 2014. In addition, CAC provided over 16,776 referrals to other community programs. Food Security Programs: As an emergency food operator, CAC receives and distributes food free of charge to pantries, meal sites, homeless shelters, and senior centers in Dane, Jefferson and Waukesha Counties. CAC procures food from two federal food programs - The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and FEMA/Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). Additionally, CAC receives and re-distributes donated foods from a myriad of resources, such as the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp out Hunger food drive in May. Food procured by CAC totaled 2,648,854 pounds and fed over 52,000 unduplicated individuals in 2014 according to the reports received from meal sites and pantries. CAC provides coordination and technical assistance, as well as access to funding for food handling equipment, to the food pantries and meal sites in the three counties we serve. CAC coordinates the 39-member Dane County Food Pantry Network, which supports and organizes efforts to fight hunger in Dane County. CAC organizes a total of 91 food pantries and meal sites in Dane, Jefferson and Waukesha counties. Community Relations Programs: CAC mobilized 747 volunteers in 2014 to help meet the basic needs of low-income individuals and families. These volunteers provided over 12,629 hours of service. CAC works to inform the public about poverty-related issues and to promote community solutions to ending poverty.