Security Deposit funds available now through Sept 30,2021

The TRC currently has ~$58,000.00 in funds for security deposit for eligible renters. These funds are limited and come with several requirements per federal regulation. 

Eligibility criteria is:

• The rental unit must be in Dane County
• Applicant has been approved to move into unit by property management/landlord (but lacks funds to move in); AND
• Will have a signed lease and keys by Sept 30, 2021; AND
• The rental agreement is a written lease with a 1 year term; AND
• The monthly rent amount must be within Fair Market rates allowable under HUD guidelines; AND
• Household income under 50% Area Median Income; AND
• Lack sufficient resources/support networks needed to obtain permanent housing.

AND have any of the below:

• Have an eviction notice, nonrenewal, or a court date; OR
• Currently lives in the home of another person (and is not on the lease) because of economic reasons; OR
• Currently living in a hotel/motel that is not being paid for by a government, charity, or non-profit organization; OR
• Have had to move for economic reasons two or more times within the last 60 days; OR
• Are currently fleeing or attempting to flee a domestic violence situation.

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE SECURITY DEPOSIT PRE-SCREENING FORM

DANE CORE 2.0 APPLICATION PORTAL NOW OPEN!

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR CORE

Dane CORE is a partnership between Dane County, the City of Madison, Urban Triage, Tenant Resource Center, Community Action Coalition and other community partners. The goal of the partnership is to assist eligible households in need of rental and utility assistance with funding to ensure those bills can be paid.

Who do I contact with questions now that the new application portal is open?

For Dane County residents outside of the City of Madison, contact Urban Triage - 608-520-0741

For City of Madison residents, contact Community Action Coalition - 608-237-1255

For Dane County residents with an Eviction Court date, contact Tenant Resource Center - 608-257-0006 x7

THE CDC EVICTION MORATORIUM IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT

Thursday August 26, 2021 the US Supreme Court ruled that the CDC exceeded its authority thereby blocking the temporary moratorium on evictions. Read more here: NPR news story on end of CDC Moratorium.  While this is concerning for many renters, we want to remind renters and property owners alike that there are still millions of dollars available in assistance funds via the Dane CORE program. We urge you to apply now even if it is for next month (September) rent. Assistance requests are being processed in real-time and staff are available to help if you find the online application challenging. 

TENANTS: If you've received an eviction notice please do not pack up and leave your unit - apply for rental assistance ALSO be sure to call our Housing Counselors to best understand your rights and responsibilities before making a decision ("Payday" loans are never the answer - nor is entering into an agreement without having all the information needed about your rights/responsibilities).

LANDLORDS: If you have an updated ledger please email it to [email protected] OR you can now simply update your open application instead of filling out a whole new application. If you have a question about payment or a check you received email [email protected] If you need help with creating a ledger or need one of our outreach staff to engage with your tenants to apply for assistance funds please give us a call or email - we have staff dedicated to assist you.

Call 608.257.0006

Direct extensions:

 press x1 Spanish

 press x3 UW Students

 press x4 City of Madison residents

 press x5 Dane Co. residing outside the City of Madison

At this time we cannot assist tenants/landlords outside of Dane County due to loss of state funding.

If you are interested in mediation, we also provide those services (free of charge) 608.257.0006 x8 or fill out our mediation interest form to get started.

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

Your donations help keep our community members and our staff stabily housed. We are in unprecedented times. Even before COVID-19, Dane County was suffering a housing crisis, but now we are witnessing our community members lose their housing, employment and health at alarming rates. Each day we receive hundreds of calls from folks in need of financial assistance and advice about housing law. Each night as we leave our offices we bear witness to the growing number of community members - men, women and children at intersections asking for help and in the parks setting up a tent to sleep in because they've lost employment and housing. Please consider donating if you can or volunteering if you are willing - we are grateful to be able to serve our community and to fight for Housing Justice!

**Due to extremely large call volumes our response times may be much longer than normal. We are working as quickly as possible to return calls, but please expect long delays in us returning your call. In your message, please let us know what time of day is best for us to call you back. **

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 County tenants and landlords who call or email (our offices are currently closed due to the COVID 19 pandemic). We have sample letters, forms, and brochures on most major topics. Services are available in English, Spanish and Arabic.
  • Note: This service was previously available statewide. Unfortunately, due to 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 a 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 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: <[email protected]>

Our Staff

• Abbey C., Housing Case Manager (Bilingual - Spanish)
• Alli B., Housing Specialist - Eviction Prevention
• Allison S., Housing Specialist - Dane CORE
• Amy N., Housing Specialist - Dane CORE
• Arik G., Housing Specialist - Dane CORE
• Bob M., Housing Counselor
• Bryan A.,Housing Specialist - Eviction Prevention
• Chrisbelly A., Housing Counselor (Bilingual - Spanish)
• Debra P., Program Director, Eviction Prevention Clinic
• Denyse J., Housing Specialist - Dane CORE
• Drew W., Data Specialist
• Emma F., Housing Specialist - Eviction Prevention
• Gretchen E., Housing Specialist - Eviction Prevention
• Josh E., Housing Specialist - Dane CORE
• Kora S., Housing Case Manager
  
• Maggie J.D., Housing Counselor
• Matt K., Finance Director 
  
• Maria B., Housing Specialist - Dane CORE (Bilingual - Spanish)
• Melinda D., Program Director, Tenant Services 
  
• Mya S., Housing Specialist - Dane CORE
• Nathan W., Housing Specialist
• Nazka S., Housing Specialist - Dane CORE (Bilingual - Spanish)
• Nik N., Housing Specialist - Eviction Prevention
• Niko M., Housing Specialist - Dane CORE
• Robin S., Executive Director
  
• Rose M., Housing Case Manager
• Sarah B., Housing Specialist (Arabic)
• Shenise M., Program Director, Eviction Prevention

Our Board of Directors

• Laura Dixson-Kruijf, President
• Hannah Renfro, Vice-President
• Erin Lethlean, Treasurer
• Megan O'Connell, Secretary
• Saundra Brown
• Enzo Ciarletta

Interested in serving on our Board of Directors? Fill out our Board Member Application. Paper copies available through [email protected]

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