Homeowners in need of help with home repairs, improvements related to medical needs, or who have critical home performance issues can now access zero percent interest loans to help them complete the work that needs to be done. Certain households who have residents 55 or older can also access repair grants. This funding, provided by Rock County, allows income-eligible homeowners to complete necessary repairs and repay the funds when the house is sold or transferred. Grant funds do not need to be repaid.

In order to qualify, homeowners complete a home rehab application, available at www.wphd.org/rehab. Homeowners must be income qualified and have a qualifying house. Federal rules guide what types of work can be done and what work must be prioritized. Homes must be located in Rock County but cannot be in the City of Janesville or the City of Beloit. Residents of those communities should contact their municipality to find out about available programs.

Rock County contracts with the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development to administer the program. Completed applications can be submitted via email or US mail. Once applications are reviewed, program staff contact the applicant to discuss eligibility and review the process. Work must be completed by a licensed contractor. Recipients cannot be paid for working on their own homes.

Assistance funds are limited, so households are encouraged to apply early in order to secure help. Individuals with questions may contact Heather Boggs at heatherboggs@wphd.org or 608-258-5560 x32.

WPHD delivers affordable housing throughout the state with a focus on creating and preserving single-family homeownership and affordable rental opportunities. Over the past ten years, WPHD has created more than 100 affordable housing units across Wisconsin with a focus on small and rural communities.

Marissa Downs, the President of the WPHD Board of Directors, enthusiastically endorsed Mr. Mandel’s appointment, “Todd has a passion for housing and housing issues as they impact low-income families and individuals. His focus on how housing, and through housing how our treatment of one another, can define a community has us excited for the next chapter in the organization’s development.” Todd has previously served on the WPHD Board of Directors for six years before being hired as the executive director.

Todd succeeds Nicole Solheim who helped lead the organization through the challenges of COVID-19 and was instrumental in reconfiguring the organization’s operations to deal with the realities of remote work and a distributed workforce as well as leading an effort to refinance some of the organization’s properties to enhance the non-profit’s operating capacity.

Todd brings deep experience in affordable housing, particularly in rural and small communities. He previously oversaw development of more than $12 million in affordable ownership and rental housing, mostly in communities of less than 10,000 people. He is an experienced grant writer with more than 20 years of experience in the governmental and non-profit sectors. He has previously been a member of the Community Investment Advisory Council at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago as well as a member of the Great Lakes Advisory Council for the Minneapolis Federal Reserve. In 2020, Mr. Mandel completed a Master of Arts in Servant Leadership degree from Viterbo University in La Crosse.

His volunteer leadership positions have included serving as the Director of Cadet Programs and as the Director of Marking and Communication for the Wisconsin Wing of the Civil Air Patrol as well as serving as the National Grants and Research Manager for the Civil Air Patrol’s National Headquarters located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. He also is a member of the La Crosse Boychoir Board of Directors.

“The Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development has long been a champion for affordable housing in all corners of our great state. To be a part of an organization that can bring housing opportunities to rural communities, which are often overlooked or forgotten in discussions around affordability and housing, is an honor,” said Mandel.

seeks reforms so that the lowest income individuals and families have access to affordable housing.

They produce data and information that is used all over the United States to advocate for affordable

housing. For example, they do a study each year using Census data that lets us know the hourly wage

required to afford a rental unit in every state and county in the United States. September is membership

month, so you should consider joining this organization—you have access to this type of data and get

weekly updates on legislation and research impacting affordable housing! Join by going to

www.NLIHC.org

in real dollars. Over the same period, income has gone DOWN by 11 percent. So it is not surprising that

families are having more trouble affordable their rent. And, that the need for affordable housing has

grown, despite federal investment in housing programs. It also makes it surprising that the current

federal budget proposal includes a 90 percent CUT to the HOME program. The HOME program is one of

the only programs financed by the federal government that actually produces affordable housing, so we

need it more than ever! But, with current sequestration caps in place, there is no room in the budget for

the program. It just seems wrong that we can’t provide the opportunity for stable housing for everyone.

classroom. I have been reading a lot lately about the link between housing and education. Did you know

that every time a child moves, he or she loses somewhere between 3 and 6 months of educational

achievement?

In Dane County approximately one-third of households pay more than 30 percent of their income for

housing—when households pay too much for housing, they can’t afford food, health care,

transportation. This means that any emergency (car breaking down, health care emergency or loss of

hours at their job) or even a slight increase in rent can result in the need to move to even more

affordable housing—if you can find it. If you can’t find it, your family may become homeless. These

children, who have to move from place to place, are much less likely to have the opportunity to succeed

at school now and in the future. For our students to succeed in school, we need to provide affordable

housing options to their families in communities across Wisconsin.