This is the blog post/press release I’ve been dreading for about 2 years, we knew the day was coming . . . We’ve gone from 7.5 staff to 3.75 staff at the end of August, we’re furloughing/laying off what’s left of staff over the summer and generally just really grateful for the volunteers we have and the donations that we have received from individuals in the community. Lack of federal and state funding, years of flat funding from the county (we got $98,000 in 1998 and get $99,000 in 2011) and not getting real cost of living increases from the city as well as continued cuts in state and federal pass through money have made it extremely difficult at a time when individual giving is also down and landlords don’t have extra resources for trainings and purchasing books. Thankfully, the students at UW-Madison are once again funding services, but our efforts are focused on opening an additional campus office.
Here’s the press release:
Starting immediately, the Tenant Resource Center (TRC) will be reducing services to those residing outside Dane County due to dwindling capacity to serve people. “TRC funding has been shrinking over time and despite our best efforts we have had to dramatically reduce staff and will have to also prioritize residents of Dane County over those outside the county,” said Brenda Konkel, Executive Director.
TRC previously received funding from US Dept of Housing and Urban Development and State of Wisconsin Dept of Commerce in addition to its local funding sources. Currently, TRC only receives funding from Dane County Human Services and the City of Madison Community Development Division, which is supplemented by agency fundraising from individual donors, fees for services and donations through Community Shares of Wisconsin.
“We have no choice at this point to prioritize people inside the area for which we do have funding. We are considering whether to permanently discontinue our statewide toll-free number and will probably make a decision around the end of the year. We will also have to close our Milwaukee office in September unless we can raise the funds for it to keep going,” continued Konkel. People outside Dane County can still call the toll-free number but return calls are delayed for a week or more. People can also still find information on the website (www.tenantresourcecenter.org) and submit questions via e-mail (asktrc@tenantresourcecenter.org).
What can you do?
On a more personal note, I really, sincerely want to thank the many volunteers and donors to our organization over the years, you’ve kept us going this long and we’ll keep going with your support, it just will have to look a little different. The need out there is greater than ever, SB107 is further confusing things for tenants and the work we do is important to those affected. We know you recognize that and we really, really thank you!!! Forward.
Brenda,
Very sad news to hear. Thank you and all of your staff, volunteers and supporters for your commitment to doing the right thing.
In a City that has a high percentage of renters, increasing poverty, too many bad landlords, poor housing conditions that aren’t adequately monitored by City and other Municipal government agencies, your Mission and services are more important today than they have ever been.
Madison’s “Progressive” tradition and self perception are at a crossroads…hopefully City leadership and many others will step up and do the right thing.
Thank you for all of your passion and commitment to doing the right thing.