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Leanne Grover, EBS for Barron County, was recently contacted by a resident of Section 42 subsidized housing who received notice from the housing authority that a review of electronic wage databases showed that she had received two quarters of wages from an out-of-state employer. Leanne worked with her program attorney to determine steps the client needed to take to appeal the incorrect information and to prepare letters she could provide to the housing authority and the reporting employer. After receiving the letter, the employer identified the problem, corrected the information in the reporting system, and provided a letter confirming that she had never been employed with the company. The housing authority accepted that information as best available evidence and decided not to move forward with any effort to evict or non-renew the client's lease.
10/31/2023
Story #124
Mindy Shrader, EBS in Sauk County, recently helped a client whose spouse is in a nursing home request an additional income allocation at a fair hearing. Although the client is still working, she and her husband have high monthly expenses. Mindy helped the client put together a budget that showed how much additional income she would need in order to afford her living expenses. The ALJ found the budget reasonable and allocated the additional money the client requested.
9/29/2023
Story #113
Jessica Flores, EBS in Door County, helped a gentleman who was brought from the other side of the state and dropped off in Door County with a few bags of possessions and nowhere to go. Jessica worked with the I&A staff at her ADRC to get him find employment and a place to stay. She also helped get him all the benefits for which he qualified, and she helped him get set up with a new representative payee for his SSDI benefit. However, his SSDI benefit was reduced one month which left him without enough money to pay his rent. Jessica worked with the Veteran Outreach and Recovery Program and hosted the VA staff to come meet the client in her office. They were able to get him funding so he was not kicked out of his short-term residence. The VA was also able to help him move to one of their Housing & Recovery transitional houses where they will work to get him into HUD-VASH for stable ongoing housing, transportation to doctor appointments, meals, and recovery support (which they predicted would cost him $0). They will also work to get him a non-service-related pension so he will see a good increase to his income.
7/27/2023
Story #94
Cathy Duesterhoeft, EBS for Waushara County, recently helped a client secure a Homestead Tax Credit refund for $804. So far this year, Cathy has helped 42 clients get Homestead Tax Credits for a total amount of $16,664.
Monetary Impact = $804
6/29/2023
Story #92
Laura Killian, EBS in Douglas County, was contacted by a client whose apartment complex had come under new management. When the client received her first utility bill from the management company, she was shocked to see that her water bill was much higher than any she had received before. Laura called the utility company to determine how the bill should be calculated. With a picture of the client's water meter reading, she calculated the expected charges and called the utility company back to confirm her calculations. As it turned out, the management company was calculating her bill based on units of 100 cubic feet when the client should only have been charged for one unit per 10,000 cubic feet of water use. That resulted in a water bill 100 times higher than it should have been! Laura made a three-way call to the property manager with a representative from the utility company to explain the error. The property manager grudgingly conceded to the mistake and agreed to correct the invoices not only for the client, but for every other resident of the apartment complex!
2/28/2023
Story #64
Carol Martin, EBS in Sawyer County, was contacted by a homeowner facing foreclosure due to being far behind in property tax and mortgage payments. Carol provided information about assistance through Rural Housing and the Help for Homeowners Program. The homeowner received more than $1,500 to cover back property taxes and was approved for a forgivable loan of more than $24,000 to pay off the remainder of his mortgage balance.
Monetary Impact = $25,500
2/28/2023
Story #58
Fawn Armstrong, EBS of Rusk County assisted a client to get an eviction dismissed from her record. The client came to Fawn after her landlord died, and his children immediately issued a 28-day notice to terminate tenancy followed by an eviction action in small claims court. The client desperately wanted to stay in her home and actually purchase the property from the children. After many months of negotiations with the children and their attorney, and four hearings in small claims later, Fawn and her supervising attorney were able to get the eviction dismissed. The client was ultimately not able to purchase the home as she'd hoped, but she now has time to move, no longer has an eviction on her public record, and has secured a USDA loan to purchase a different property. This client uses a wheelchair and is unable to leave her home. Fawn was instrumental in meeting with the client, gathering documentation, and conducting investigative work to further the hearing process.
Monetary Impact = $
1/25/2023
Story #51
Bettina Rinard, EBS of Marathon and Wood Counties, recently helped a client get a $2,000 deposit refunded from an assisted living facility. The client had initially paid $2,000 to secure her mother's spot in an assisted living facility. Unfortunately, her mother passed away before she was admitted. The client tried for months to get the facility to refund the deposit, with no luck. Bettina, with the assistance of her supervising attorney, drafted a demand letter to the facility to refund the money, which they finally did, in less than two weeks. The client was so appreciative to finally have the issue resolved.
Monetary Impact = $2,000
1/25/2023
Story #50
Pam Fuchs, EBS in Sauk County, recently helped a client work with her landlord for approval of an emotional support animal. The client had taken in a neighbor's cat when the neighbor became unable to care for the animal. However, soon after that, the landlord instituted a policy that required pet owners to pay a $1000 fee. The client obtained a letter of support from her doctor, and Pam helped the client write a letter to the landlord explaining that the cat was an emotional support animal and not a pet. The landlord agreed that the client did not have to pay the pet fee for her cat.
Monetary Impact = $1,000
10/30/2022
Story #36