According to the Wisconsin State Journal, evictions in Dane County and across the state are on pace to reach or top pre-pandemic levels. Housing experts say that a lack of rental assistance money could make things worse after Wisconsin’s emergency program stopped accepting applications earlier this year.
Contributing to evictions is a lack of reliable safety nets, as living costs rise faster than wages. In 2019, the state saw 27,026 eviction filings. Last year, that number was 17,727, and this year so far, there have been 25,019. Dane County alone saw 2,015 eviction filings in 2019, 1,674 last year, and 1,317 so far this year.
The state’s emergency rental assistance program was set up with federal money to provide support during the COVID-19 pandemic, but money is running out. For Dane County residents, emergency rental assistance is still available through the Tenant Resource Center on Williamson Street through its Eviction Diversion and Defense Partnership. Included groups are Madison legal service Community Justic Inc., Legal Action of Wisconsin, UW–Madison’s law school, and nonprofit the People’s Law Center. To be eligible for this financial aid, however, renters must be going through the eviction process or have faced an eviction in the past six months.
The Tenant Resource Center has $5 million in assistance and a city of Madison and Dane County commitment for funding through 2025.
