MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Eviction Data Project shows the state had 28,196 eviction filings in 2023. That is 1,170 more than 2019 and 2,377 more than 2022.
Wisconsin’s court system tallied 4,961 eviction filings from Jan. 1 through March 1 of 2024. It tallied 4,624 eviction filings within the same time frame last year.
As evictions continue to rise across the state, organizations such as the Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin (CAC) are experiencing more people and families needing help.
“We have programs that range from assisting veterans to HUD-funded programs and all of these housing programs come with supportive services, or case management,” CAC Executive Director Meghan Mietchen said.
CAC has 37 programs and nearly half of them address housing needs. Five of those 15 programs focus on eviction and eviction prevention.
The SIEMER program is for families with school-aged children who are facing an eviction or an eviction threat.
“We’re working with local school districts and families in need to prevent them from entering homelessness,” Mietchen said. “The difference is we’re not capturing people who have already experienced homelessness. It’s preventing them from becoming homeless.”
Esmeralda Mejia’s family is one of those success stories. She lives in Fitchburg with her husband and four children, ranging in age from 6 to 16. Her 10-year-old daughter, Itzel, has autism.
Mejia said her husband needs to drive Itzel to school every day, causing him to be consistently late for work. He eventually lost his job.
Mejia’s caseworker through CAC’s SIEMER program, Cielo Lazo, translated her responses for Spectrum News 1 from Spanish to English.
“She said she was stressed because they couldn’t keep money,” Lazo said on behalf of Mejia. “She said once they fell behind on rent, they received the five-day notice letter and a court date letter for two weeks after that.”
Mejia and her husband, Armando Gonzalez, had an eviction notice filed against them on Jan. 17 by Franklin Square Condominiums LLC, DBA Fitchburg Square Apartments.
Assistant Property Manager Mary Beth Jurewicz declined to be part of this story.
This eviction is one of 445 filed in Dane County this year, through Feb. 29. The state’s court system shows that is two more than the same time frame last year for that county.
“There are not a lot of resources in the community for families,” Lazo said. “Compared to 2023 and 2022, there are more evictions now.”
“The rental market is very tight right now and most landlords are looking for people who have three times the income,” Mietchen added. “Landlords are able to choose who they’re renting to so if you have been evicted or recently experienced homelessness, the landlord has 14 other applicants they’ll look at before they look at you.”
Mietchen said prevention helps to break this cycle.
“Prevention allows us to come in right away to not only provide the dollars, but the mediation with the landlord,” she said. “We’re also connecting other resources to that household that hopefully will cause them to not have to use our funding again.”
Without the nonprofit’s help, Mejia said her family would likely be homeless today and would need to rely on family members nearby for a place to stay.
CAC paid the family’s rent and got the eviction thrown out. Mejia’s husband also found another job.
“She says her husband is responsible to pay rent on time,” Lazo said on behalf of Mejia. “This was the first time they were in this situation.”
The SIEMER program expanded the number of households it’s able to assist this year, up from 65 to 90.
Mietchen also said CAC is working with funders to increase the amount the organization can assist with per household.
“An average of $1,200 per household has now increased this year to $2,000 per household,” Mietchen said. “That’s what families are already coming to us asking for is for a minimum of $2,000 per household for rent and utilities.”
CAC covers Dane, Waukesha and Jefferson counties.