As you curse the garbage trucks and moving vans and dig through the piles of trash to find goodies, I’d ask you to think. What would Madison be like without the Tenant Resource Center? What would happen if we stopped helping students with their housing issues?
Unfortunately, it’s something we ask ourselves more and more lately. The decision by SSFC to determine that after funding us for 10 years, that we did not meet their re-created definition of “student organization” has left the Tenant Resource Center $55,000 short, it was nearly 20% of our budget.
Our board made a commitment to try to find a way to keep our doors open, maintain our level of service and work hard to raise the money we need to keep our doors open. And, re-apply for funding from the University this year. However, best case scenario, we won’t receive funding until July 2008.
Meanwhile, we may have to
- cut back our service hours and instead of being open until 6:00 so people can stop by after typical work hours we will have to close earlier; and
- stop answering emails; and
- we won’t be able to return calls in 24 – 48 hours and instead it may take up to a week; and
- stop presentations in the residence halls for first-time renters; and
- stop tabling and outreach on campus making our services more accessible for students; and
- we won’t be doing Tenant Education Week; and
- and we won’t be putting ads in the campus newspapers to let students know about our services; and
- we don’t really want to think about what else we might need to do, but we’ve lost two part-time student staff positions and we just won’t have the time to do some of the things that we do because its the right thing to do, even tho we don’t always get funded to do it.
It’s a mess. We hope to not cut services and continue do some of the things listed above, but we can only do so with your help. You can help in two different ways.
1. Make a donation. We’ve been getting $10, $12, $20 checks and it all helps. The $100 checks help more, but its all equally appreciated. You can donate on-line, or you can send your donation to Tenant Resource Center 1202 Williamson St Suite A, Madison WI 53703 or donate through your workplace giving campaign this fall through Community Shares of Wisconsin; or
2. If you’re a student, join the Student Tenant Union. We can only get funding back to provide services on campus, if students make the case they need these services and help us figure out how to make it most effective for students. If you’re interested in joining, email uwmadstu@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, take a deep breath, leave a little extra time to travel through the downtown area and be grateful that way back in 1969 the Madison Tenant Union and the Student Tenant Union came into being and later in 1980 the Tenant Resource Center was born. We’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people throughout the years, and we with your help, we will stick around and help hundreds of thousands more.
asktrc@tenantresourcecenter.org
257-0006
1-877-238-RENT (7368)
1202 Williamson St Suite A – walk-ins welcome, no appointment necessary M – F 9 – 6
Open until 7:30 tonight (August 15)
Mediation – 257-2799
Housing Help Desk – 242-7406 or walk-in, no appointment necessary M – F 8 – 4:30
1819 Aberg Avenue (Dane County Job Center) Room 2
