May 18, 2021

NEW Report Highlights How American Rescue Plan is Keeping Wisconsin Housed

May 18, 2021

With federal eviction moratorium on shaky ground, new federal funding is helping to prevent a worsening crisis

Wisconsin received $306 million to help low-income renters pay back rent

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

MADISON, Wis.— Opportunity Wisconsin today released a new report highlighting how the American Rescue Plan is keeping Wisconsin housed during the pandemic, especially as the federal eviction moratorium faces an uncertain future. The nationwide ban on evictions for nonpayment of rent is set to expire on June 30, 2021.

Highlights from the report include:

As of April 2021, 155,000 (13%) of Wisconsin renters are not current on rent.
Wisconsin received $306 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) to help low-income renters pay the mounting backlog of rent.
Wisconsin received $90 million in grant funding for homelessness reduction programs.

“COVID-19 poured gasoline on Wisconsin’s housing crisis and the American Rescue Plan has quite literally been a lifesaver for so many across the Badger State,”said Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin program director.“Whether it’s homeowners, renters, or those experiencing homelessness—the American Rescue Plan makes major investments on behalf of those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic. This would not have been possible without our elected leaders like Senator Baldwin, who helped deliver this critical relief. Unfortunately, instead of joining the fight on behalf of Wisconsin residents, folks like Senator Johnson and Wisconsin’s Republican congressional representatives fought against this important funding.”

A copy of Opportunity Wisconsin’snew reportis posted below.

Members of the media wishing to speak with Wisconsin residents benefitting from the American Rescue Plan should emailpress@opportunitywisconsin.org.

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How the ARP Keeps WI Housed

The pandemic has resulted in immense hardship for all Wisconsinites, including homeowners, renters, and those experiencing homelessness. Mortgages have become harder to pay, rent is late, and we’re all struggling to pay our basic bills. There is currently a federal eviction moratorium, but the situation could become dire if the moratorium is lifted and large numbers of Wisconsinites are still late on payments. The American Rescue Plan makes a major investment in assistance across the spectrum of housing to prevent this crisis when the federal moratorium is eventually lifted.

ARP in Wisconsin

As of April 2021, 155,000 (13%) of Wisconsin renters are not current on rent.
Wisconsin received $306 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) to help low-income renters pay the mounting backlog of rent.
Wisconsin received $90 million in grant funding for homelessness reduction programs.

ARP Provisions

Homelessness
On April 8th, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sent$4.9 billionto states to help people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness via the HOME investment partnership program. HOME-ARP funding provides grants to 651 state, local, and insular area governments with the flexibility to implement programs to best meet local housing needs, like the development of affordable housing options or the construction of non-congregate shelters.

Housing and Rental Assistance
Stopping the housing crisis is essential in a world where we are all being asked to stay at home. By preventing foreclosures and evictions, we can keep people safe in their own homes and prevent them from getting sick. The ARPinvestsin several major programs that help homeowners, renters, and public housing tenants to ensure that nobody is forced from their housing during a global health crisis. This effort includes:

$5 billion emergency housing vouchers
$21.5 billion in emergency rental assistance
$10 billion for the homeowners assistance fund
$750 billion for housing assistance and support services to Native Americans
$100 million in emergency assistance for rural housing
$100 million for housing counselors to provide services to households facing housing instability
$39 million for USDA section 502 and 504 direct loan borrowers
$20 million for Fair Housing Initiatives Programs
$4.5 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Impact on Wisconsin

Hardship

As of March 2021, 155,000 (13%) of Wisconsin renters are not current on rent.
An estimated 4,515 people experienced homelessness in Wisconsin in 2020, including 1,838 people in families with children, 193 unaccompanied youth, and 337 veterans.
Milwaukee, WI ranked 8th in the nation for cities with the most eviction filings during COVID-19. Milwaukee has the highest Black population of any city in Wisconsin, and housing instability already disproportionately impacts non-white renters and homeowners. The pandemic has exacerbated a longstanding issue of racism in the Milwaukee housing market.

State-Specific Allocations

The American Rescue Plan allocates $306 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) to Wisconsin for low-income renters experiencing hardship.
Wisconsin will receive over $210 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding to help families with energy costs.
The American Rescue Plan has already distributed the first allocation in the homelessness reduction program, sending Wisconsin state and local governments a total of $90 million in grant funding that can be used to provide rental assistance, build affordable housing, develop non-congregate sheltering, and provide support services.

Location Allocation

Eau Claire - $ 1,140,076

Green Bay - $1,948,216

Kenosha - $1,963,911

La Crosse - $1,097,432

Madison - $5,076,197

Milwaukee - $20,309,464

Racine - $2,080,178

Dane County - $2,255,364

WI Non Entitlement - $41,859,563

CNSRT-Milwaukee County - $4,499,862

CNSRT-Waukesha County - $5,293,334

CNSRT-Janesville - $2,442,156

WI Total - $89,965,753

May 12, 2021

Elisabeth Montemurro

[ICYMI] Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How President Biden's Rescue Plan Could Help Poor Kids in Wisconsin

May 12, 2021

Elisabeth Montemurro

American Rescue Plan gives historic boost to Wisconsin families, benefitting 92% of all Badger State children

May 12, 2021

MADISON, Wis.— In case you missed it, last week the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published an opinion article from Tim Smeeding, a Professor of Public Affairs and Economics at the La Follette School and former director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

KEY POINT: “Passed in March, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan offers the most sweeping anti-poverty package for children in U.S. history. The greatest benefit comes in the form of an expanded child tax credit, which estimates suggest will benefit 92% of all children in Wisconsin, including 140,000 poor kids.”

Read more about how the American Rescue Plan helps Wisconsin families in this updated report from Opportunity Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Opinion: How President Biden's rescue plan could help poor kids in Wisconsin
May 5, 2021
By Tim Smeeding

The COVID-19 recession has increased poverty and insecurity, especially for minority and female-headed families in Wisconsin. But the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan will have significant benefits for these families, and particularly for Wisconsin’s children.

A study from UW-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty showed that Wisconsin’s Black child poverty in 2018 was four times that of white child poverty — above 30%. Hispanic and other minority child poverty rates were almost twice as high as for white children. When the American Rescue Plan goes into effect, though, the state’s Black child poverty rate is expected fall below 15%, while the Hispanic Latino child poverty rate should fall to 7% or 8%.

Passed in March, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan offers the most sweeping anti-poverty package for children in U.S. history. The greatest benefit comes in the form of an expanded child tax credit, which estimates suggest will benefit 92% of all children in Wisconsin, including 140,000 poor kids.

The Biden administration first added billions for hunger relief, including a substantial increase in “food stamps,” known as FoodShare in Wisconsin. More importantly, the legislation increased the child tax credit from $2,000 per child per year to $3,000 for those 6 to 17 years old and $3,600 for younger children. It made the child tax credit fully refundable to all families who qualify, with monthly payments for children from lower-income and working-class families starting this summer. The plan also added substantially to subsidized child care benefits such as Wisconsin CARES to allow lower-income families to more easily increase their work effort.

These policies will cut child poverty by more than half nationally and increase earnings among the lowest-income families. The child tax credit stabilizes incomes and reduces economic uncertainty month to month, at least for one year (though the Biden administration has pending legislation to extend it far beyond that). And while higher earnings mean paying a bit more for child care and receiving less in FoodShare benefits, the child tax credit is not reduced until incomes exceed $112,000 a year.

Every low-income child in the United States with a Social Security number, including the 6.3 million children of immigrants born here, will benefit from the refundable child tax credit. The benefit also helps support 14 million children who are living in multigenerational “grandfamilies,” many of them struggling to raise grandchildren when parents are not capable of doing so alone. The effects are especially helpful to poor Black children and other minorities.

Read more here: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/solutions/2021/05/05/how-president-bidens-rescue-plan-could-help-poor-kids-wisconsin/4925343001/

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May 4, 2021

Elisabeth Montemurro

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Opportunity Wisconsin relaunches “NO” as a reminder that Senator Johnson stood in the way of the Badger State’s recovery

MILWAUKEE, Wis.— As Vice President Kamala Harris visits the Badger State today to discuss policies that uplift Wisconsin workers and families, Opportunity Wisconsin is making sure Milwaukee residents know that Senator Ron Johnson has stood in the way of the state’s recovery through a relaunch of its digital ad, “NO.”

“We’re excited to welcome Vice President Harris to Milwaukee today and grateful for this Administration’s bold leadership that has put Wisconsin on the road to recovery,” said Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin program director. “Senator Johnson and Republicans in our congressional delegation have voted against money in pockets, shots in arms, and getting Wisconsinites back on the job. Wisconsinites can’t forget who fought for us and who failed us. They continue to stand in the way of Wisconsin’s recovery and we must hold them accountable for it.”

Opportunity Wisconsin originally launched the ad in March to hold Senator Johnson accountable for opposing the American Rescue Plan. The ad was part of a six-figure digital ad campaign, following a three-week, $1M statewide TV ad campaign featuring WIsconsin residents urging Senator Johnson to stop blocking COVID relief checks.

Learn more about how the American Rescue Plan is helping Wisconsin.

“NO” Full Script:

COVID relief is on the way.

But Senator Ron Johnson voted NO.

$1,400 relief checks? NO.

Funding for vaccines? NO.

Support for small businesses? NO.

Tell Ron Johnson to stop blocking our recovery.

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April 29, 2021

Elisabeth Montemurro

100 Days of Building Back Better in the Badger State

April 29, 2021

Elisabeth Montemurro

April 29, 2021

Wisconsin is finally on the road to recovery with the American Rescue Plan’s historic investments

MADISON, Wis.— Today Opportunity Wisconsin released the following statement as the Biden-Harris administration marks 100 days in office.

Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin program director:

“Over the last 100 days, we’ve seen bold leadership, decisive action, and a clear commitment from the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of Wisconsin’s workers and families. Whether it’s shots in arms, money in pockets, small businesses reopening, students returning to the classroom, or simply seniors hugging their grandchildren again—Wisconsin residents are seeing real, tangible results after years of stalled progress and broken promises. Now it’s time to build on this progress and create an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.

“We urge our elected officials to continue this momentum by supporting policies that invest in Wisconsin’s future as we recover from the pandemic. The time to act is now. We’re calling on Senator Ron Johnson and Wisconsin’s Republican congressional representatives—all of whom voted against the American Rescue Plan—to stop standing in the way of Wisconsin’s recovery.”

Learn more about how the American Rescue Plan is helping Wisconsin:

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April 27, 2021

Elisabeth Montemurro

NEW Report Highlights How $2.1B for WI from American Rescue Plan Helps Schools Safely Reopen

April 27, 2021

Elisabeth Montemurro

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

MADISON, Wis.— Opportunity Wisconsin today released a new report highlighting how the American Rescue Plan is making historic investments to help Wisconsin schools safely reopen, a crucial first step for students and families to overcome this pandemic.

“The pandemic has left Wisconsin children feeling isolated and frustrated with school work, transformed the jobs of teachers, and forced parents and caretakers to pull triple-duty. Working a full-time job, caring for children, and functioning as in-home educators would be exhausting under normal circumstances; in a pandemic that job is nearly impossible,” said Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin program director. “The American Rescue Plan not only provides Wisconsin schools with the necessary resources to reopen safely, but it helps address some of the existing inequities in schooling and access that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. This historic investment would not have been possible without our elected leaders like Senator Baldwin, who helped deliver this critical relief. Unfortunately, instead of joining the fight on behalf of Wisconsin students, teachers, and families, folks like Senator Johnson and Wisconsin’s Republican congressional representatives fought against this important funding.”

A copy of Opportunity Wisconsin’s new report is posted below.

Members of the media wishing to speak with Wisconsin residents benefitting from the American Rescue Plan should email press@opportunitywisconsin.org.

The American Rescue Plan Helps Wisconsin Schools Safely Reopen

American Rescue Plan in Wisconsin

Wisconsin received $2.1 billion in funding for schools, including $1.5 billion for K-12 schools and $556.7 million for higher education.
Milwaukee Public Schools, the largest school district in the state and the school district in the county with the highest share of Black students and students of color, received $798 million, amounting to over $11,000 per student.
Wisconsin had cut $67 million in higher education funding from FY 2020 to FY 2021, so the $556.7 million in federal funding will be critical for higher education institutions.
Total funding and funding per student for Wisconsin local education agencies (LEAs) can be found in this memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
The ARP allocates more than $15.5 million for Head Start pre-kindergarten programs in Wisconsin. Head Start currently serves 15,441 Wisconsin children through 276 program locations, and this money will be crucial in expanding this life-changing program to more of Wisconsin’s children.

Federal Support for Public Education During COVID-19

The American Rescue Plan provides over $170 billion to K-12 schools and higher education institutions across all states.

K-12 Schools

The ARP includes $128.6 billion to elementary and secondary schools, the largest-ever single federal investment in K-12 schools. State and local governments have suffered tremendous economic loss as they have tried to combat the pandemic while supporting their constituents, and especially while supporting educational institutions. Approximately 26 percent of state budgets are allocated to K-12 education. The funding from the American Rescue Plan will be critical for states to ensure that schools are able to make the financial decisions needed to keep students, teachers, and staff safe as they return to in-person learning.

Schools will be able to spend this money over the next three-and-a-half academic years as they work to ameliorate the effects of the pandemic on students, teachers, and faculty. This crucial federal funding is flexible, allowing states and schools to spend as needed, such as on repairing ventilation systems, reducing class size to allow for social distancing, and hiring support staff to care for the health of students, educators, and staff. However, it does require that states set apart a portion of the funding for learning loss programs, summer enrichment programs, and after school programs. This money will also help offset unexpected costs that many schools and state governments had taken on when the pandemic began and students transitioned to remote learning on things like technology and PPE.

Higher Education

The ARP allocates $39.6 billion to institutions of higher education. This relief will be crucial to these institutions – since the pandemic began, 22 states have cut a total of $1.9 billion in funding for higher education, resulting in hundreds of thousands of layoffs. Public universities and colleges have faced budget cuts and loss of revenue from decreased enrollment and diminished athletic events while having to contend with the costs of COVID-19 testing and associated health accommodations. The burden of job loss and decreased wages/hours has not been felt equally: the average salary of those who lost their jobs was just $40,000, usually those in administrative positions.

This funding will ensure that these establishments can pay their workers while continuing to provide their students with high-quality education. Institutions of higher education are required to allocate at least half of their funding to emergency financial aid grants to students as they navigate changes in their financial situations due to COVID-19. The ARP includes certain provisions to ensure that this federal funding goes where it’s most needed, requiring states to avert cuts specifically to schools and school districts with high numbers of children living in poverty.

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With federal eviction moratorium on shaky ground, new federal funding is helping to prevent a worsening crisisWisconsin received $306 million to help low-income renters pay back rent

How the ARP Keeps WI Housed

ARP Provisions

Impact on Wisconsin

Senator Ron Johnson Again Shows He’s Far Outside What Wisconsinites Expect from Elected Leaders in Washington

Opportunity Wisconsin calls on Johnson to confirm Andrea Palm in final vote tomorrow morning

The American Rescue Plan Helps Wisconsin Schools Safely Reopen

With federal eviction moratorium on shaky ground, new federal funding is helping to prevent a worsening crisis

Wisconsin received $306 million to help low-income renters pay back rent