In this 40th year of service, we need your help more than ever to ensure that our mission "Housing Justice in Wisconsin" remains a reality. 

Please consider becoming a monthly sustainer or donating to our  HOUSING CRISIS FUND

Dane County CARES Eviction Prevention Partnership

We are proud to be partnering with Dane County to provide our community with rental assistance funds to prevent evictions due to COVID-19. We are facing unprecedented times and the County has committed an unprecedented amount to prevent evictions for residents of Dane County.

There are a few important things for community members to know:

1. Dane County CARES funds will not be available until July 2020
2. TRC will have an automated application system available for community members to use beginning in June 2020.
3. TRC is not open for walk-ins, but is returning calls as quickly as we can. Our call volume is at an all-time high, so please be patient as we work to return calls.
4. If you are facing eviction, and have no or extremely low income, and have received a notice that you are at risk of losing housing from your landlord, we may be able to provide rental assistance before July, particularly if you have a trial date notice. Please work with one of our Eviction Prevention Clinic team members.
5. Many tenants and landlords have federal protections in place that they are unaware of. Please check here to see if you are covered by these new federal protections.

Due to COVID-19 we have had to close our offices to walk-ins until July 2020. We are providing all services via call back service. Please call 608.257.0006 to get answers to your questions about Wisconsin Tenant-Landlord law, requesting assistance for eviction prevention, mediation and general assistance related to housing security.

**Due to extremely large call volumes our response times may be longer than normal. Please let us know when it is best to call you back. **

Our mission remains the same as it has for the last 40 years:

• Real Life, Real Solutions
• Keeping Families Safe in their Homes
• Unlocking the Doors to Affordable Housing

The Tenant Resource Center is a nonprofit, membership organization dedicated to promoting positive relations between rental housing consumers (tenants) and providers (landlords) throughout Wisconsin. By providing information and referrals, education about rental rights and responsibilities, and access to conflict resolution, we empower the community to obtain and maintain quality affordable housing.

Our Programs

Click here for a printable brochure with information about our programs.  All our services are free and for Wisconsin clients unless otherwise noted.

• Housing Counseling: We provide free information on rental rights and responsibilities to Dane Countyy tenants and landlords who call or email (our offices are cloed until July 2020. We have sample letters, forms, and brochures on most major topics. Services are available in English and Spanish.
  • Note: This service was previously available statewide. Unfortunately, due to recent funding cuts, this service is only available for those living in Dane County. Want to help us restore this service statewide? Visit our Help TRC page for more information.
• Campus Office: We offer services especially for UW Madison students.  We have an office at the Student Activity Center (currently closed due to COVID-19). We offer free presentations around campus when in regular session. Please Contact us if you are interested in a campus presentation.
• Community Outreach and Education:  We provide outreach and education through a brochure series and local workshops. We give informative presentations around Wisconsin, are available for media interviews and participate in community coalitions. Contact us if you are interested in working with us in any of these capacities. A fee is required for these workshops outside Dane County.
• Housing Law Seminars: We teach biannual Housing Law Seminar series for landlords and service providers throughout Wisconsin. A participation fee is required. 
• Eviction Prevention Clinic (aka EPC): 
  • We provide free information about tenant and landlord rights/responsibilities, relevant housing laws, and basic information about the court process to tenants and landlords at eviction court in Dane County. Services are available before the eviction hearing or mediation. Please note that our housing counselors are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice or represent anyone in court.
  • If tenants are evicted, we help those tenants look for housing, make a plan so they don't end up in a homeless shelter, and help them understand what services might be available to in Dane County.
  • If tenants enter into a payment plan at court, we can work with those tenants for up to three months to help make sure they meet that agreement.
  • Limited funds may be available for nonpayment of rent for those who have been homeless in the past 5 years, have a large family (5 or more) or who need an accessible unit.
• Housing Mediation Service: Our trained mediators assist by helping to negotiate workable, fair agreement between tenants and landlords both during the Small Claims Court eviction hearings and out of court (prior to eviction filings) in order to prevent homelessness. Mediation services are only for Dane County residents (free service of charge).
• Housing Services: We offer assistance finding housing, including limited case management, eviction prevention services and rapid rehousing services. These services are only available through direct referral from the Dane County Coordinated Entry system.

Looking to connect with us about our programs or services? Please contact our Executive Director, Robin Sereno: <Robin@TenantResourceCenter.org>

Our Staff

• Abbey C., Housing Case Manager, Rapid Re-Housing (Spanish)
• Debra P., Program Director, Mediation
• Kora S., Housing Case Manager
• LaToya G., Housing Specialist
• Luke S., Program Director, Tenant Services
  
• Matt K., Finance Director 
  
• Melinda D., Program Director, Tenant Services 
  
• Molly W., Program Director, Housing Services (Spanish)
  
• Niko M., Bilingual Housing Counselor (Spanish)
• Robin S., Executive Director
  
• Sarah B., Housing Specialist
• Sawyer J., Housing Counselor
• Rose M., Housing Case Manager
• Zachary O., Housing Case Manager, Rapid Re-Housing

Our Volunteers

Housing Counselors

• Caitin 
• Erik 
• Gordon
• Jamada
• Jane
• Jasmin
• Joan
• John
• Jonathan
• Justin
• Larissa
• Maggie
• Maria
• Mary
• Matt
• Wenda

Office Assistants

• Drew
• Scott
• Susan
• Stacy

Mediators

• Allison
• Danielle
• Howard
• Sue

Our Board of Directors

• Andrea Singletary, president
• Laura Dixson-Kruijf, vice-president
• Paris Foster, treasurer
• Zeb Patek, secretary
• Crystal Banse
• Joan Kemble
• Anders Zanichkowsky
• Enzo Ciarletta
• Erin Lethlean

Interested in serving on our Board of Directors? Fill out our Board Member Application and return it to board@tenantresourcecenter.org

Our Funding

The TRC is funded by:

 AND of course, we are funded by the extraordinary ordinary people who see our value and then send us a few of their hard-earned dollars. Please consider donating if you are able.

We Help Tenants, Landlords and Service Providers!  

The Tenant Resource Center offers information to tenants, landlords and service providers interested in learning more about their rental rights and responsibilities. The first step is getting you the right information for your area - please tell us where you (or your rental question) are:

I am in the City of Madison

- OR -

I am in Fitchburg (under construction)

- OR -

 I am in Wisconsin, not Madison or Fitchburg

All of our written materials (forms, brochures, seminar registration and books) are available on our Publications & Forms page.

If you can't get your questions answered from our online resources, please contact us:

• Walk-in, no appointment necessary: 
  • 1202 Williamson Street, Suite 102, Madison, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM OR
  • 333 East Campus Mall (Student Activity Center), Room 3156, Madison, WI 53715 (hours vary, see here for details)
• Phone in Dane County: (608) 257-0006 
• Toll-free (from anywhere outside of Dane County): 1-877-238-RENT (7368)
• En Español: (608) 257-0006 x 1
• Hmoob: (608) 257-0006 x 2
• UW-Madison Students: (608) 216-2321
• Via Rental Rights email
• Via UW-Madison Office email

Not from Wisconsin? 

Here are some other resources you might be able to use:

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Right to the City
National Housing Law Project
National Alliance of HUD Tenants

ARIZONA
Arizona Tenants Advocates

CALIFORNIA
Causa Justa/Just Cause
Tenants Together
Housing Rights Center
San Francisco Tenants Union
Housing Rights Committee of SF
Coalition for Economic Survival

ILLINOIS
Illinois Tenants Union
Center for Renters' Rights
Metropolitan Tenants Organization
UIUC Tenant Union
Champaign-Urbana Tenant Union

IOWA
Home, Inc.

KANSAS
Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc.

MARYLAND
BNI (originally Baltimore Neighborhoods, Inc.)

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Tenant Coalition
HAP Housing
Vida Urbana/City Life

MICHIGAN
Michigan Tenant Counseling Program

MINNESOTA
HOME Line

MISSOURI
The Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council

NEW JERSEY
New Jersey Tenants Organization

NEW YORK
Good Old Lower East Side
Mothers on the Move
Picture the Homeless

RHODE ISLAND
Olneyville Neighborhood Association

VIRGINIA
Tenants and Workers United

WASHINGTON
Solid Ground - Tenant Services
Tenants Union of Washington State