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La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds at the REACH Center third anniversary celebration - contributed photo

La Crosse homelessness collaborative ‘REACH Center’ celebrates three-year anniversary

Oct. 30, 2024

LA CROSSE, Wis. — It’s time to celebrate a very special milestone in La Crosse. The REACH Center, a place where local nonprofits gather to collectively serve low-income households experiencing homelessness and other challenges, is marking its third year of collaboration and service. To commemorate the occasion, REACH Center partners released an impact report highlighting client stories, programs at REACH, and results since the building opened.

REACH Center staff hosted a three-year anniversary party at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the REACH Center, 212 S. 11th St., La Crosse. Local officials including Mayor Mitch Reynolds and Senator Brad Pfaff spoke at the event.

Founded in the Fall of 2021 by a coalition of nonprofits, including Catholic Charities, Couleecap, Independent Living Resources, New Horizons, Salvation Army, and YWCA La Crosse, the group developed the concept of one building for all agencies to jointly address the needs of the homeless together. This group leased and later purchased the REACH building on 11th Street, which Mayo Clinic formerly used as a behavioral health treatment center, thanks to a $1 million grant from Senator Tammy Baldwin and an anonymous $100,000 donation. Other original funding for the project included grants from Mayo Clinic and the WI Department of Administration.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds, CouleeCap Executive Director Hetti Brown and Kim Hawthorne, CEO of Scenic Bluffs Community Health Center at the three year anniversary celebration of the REACH Center – contributed photo

More than 6,127 households have been helped thanks to the REACH Center, and case managers and other staff from 33 agencies have used the building to serve La Crosse area residents. The REACH Center assists with a range of needs from homelessness and domestic violence to the phone and internet services. To view the REACH Center impact report, visit https://reachcenterlacrosse.org/.

Programming continually evolves, as does collaboration between agencies. Hetti Brown, executive director at Couleecap, calls it a “next level partnership,” as agencies learn from each other, share expenses and create better outcomes for users. The model is replicable for other parts of the state, and state officials are watching.

“We’ve changed how we serve people in our community,” said Brown. “It’s just how we do business now.”

Rosanne Northwood, executive director of YWCA La Crosse, agrees. YWCA La Crosse operates their agency headquarters in the building. “Within REACH, connection, assistance, and basic needs are met daily. The collaborative service model offers immediate connection to services for consumers as they work toward their self-determined goals.”

THE BEGINNING

The REACH Center came about as a result of Covid-19. The concept for the REACH Center had been discussed among nonprofit agencies working together to address housing insecurity and homelessness in La Crosse for years. While the agencies were already collaborating through case referrals, frequent phone calls and meetings, and community data management, it was difficult for people to navigate between agencies spread across a large geography. During the pandemic, housing insecurity rose quickly, and the need for a coordinated response grew. When funding became available to address the need, agencies worked together to apply.

By the fall of 2021, the coalition of six nonprofits utilized a new grant from the Department of Administration to open the REACH Center. This group leased and later purchased the REACH building on 11th Street, which Mayo Clinic had been using as a behavioral health treatment center. Mayo Clinic provided funding and other donations to help launch the project.

“Having a ‘one-stop’ in which folks can receive a number of services and supports by multiple agencies has been something our community has needed for a very long time,” said Heidi Svee, director of programming and personnel at New Horizons. “It can get very defeating for a client to be referred to multiple people at multiple agencies; even more so if they have mobility issues, lack of transportation or children who are not in school or child care.”

REACH PARTNERSHIPS

Some amazing collaborations are taking place at the REACH Center. A Total Navigation Team (TNT), made up of staff from New Horizons, St. Clare Health Mission, Salvation Army, YMCA, La Crosse School District, La Crosse Area Family Cooperative (includes La Crosse County), Couleecap, and Independent Living Resources, work together to help house people weekly. Additional agencies come in as needed.

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, this TNT team meets with households that have challenges to get and stay housed or sheltered. Staff brainstorm with applicants, landlords and each other to help identify ways to get and keep people housed.

Last winter, a $50,000 grant from the La Crosse Area Community Foundation and Great Rivers United Way was provided to TNT to support housing and case management efforts. Those funds helped stabilize 73 households by providing: 7 motel stays; 40 late rent payments; 25 payments of 1st month rent and/or security deposit; 2 cases of utility arrearages and other miscellaneous support like bus passes. All TNT clients are connected to supportive case management services that stay with the person.

Of these 73 homeless households, 70 remain housed today (an average of $654 per household was spent), or a 96% success rate. That group hopes to reproduce that success again this winter.

“The community members that our agencies serve often must address complex personal situations with access to limited resources. It can be overwhelming and exhausting for someone who is facing housing challenges to have to tell their story repeatedly to multiple organizations in the hope that someone is able to help while navigating a complex service system on their own,” states Sara Eckland, executive director at Independent Living Resources. “TNT was designed as an innovative, low-barrier resource for people so they can meet with multiple service providers during one meeting, needing only to share their stories once. The partnering agencies can then work together with the community member for education and connection on local resources,” said Eckland. “It helps our community members with receiving comprehensive supports in a timely manner and helps the partnering agencies work more efficiently with their own limited resources.”

Another innovative program is called Rent Ready. This program provides education and support along with financial assistance. It will help pay for credit reports and apartment application fees once individuals and/or households have a sustainable plan in place to pay rent.

The REACH Center Tenant and Landlord Resource Office is operated by a Landlord Liaison (CouleeCap) and attorneys from Legal Action of WI. They can help potential renters write “Second Chance Letters” to landlords, mitigate conflicts, educate on tenant and landlord rights, and more.

Scenic Bluffs Community Health Center began offering behavioral health services at the REACH Center a year ago, and it hopes dental services won’t be far behind. “To empower people to lead healthier lives, we emphasize preventive integrated primary care that addresses mental, dental, and social well-being as integral components of overall health,” says Kim Hawthorne, CEO of Scenic Bluffs Community Health Center. “Targeting health disparities in our community by improving access to dental and behavioral health care in an integrated setting is our top priority.”

The REACH Center Team welcomes any partner who can provide a valuable service to community members. It has become known for its inclusive service.

“REACH is important because it is a hub for resources in our community,” said Katlyn Becker, lead case manager II with The Salvation Army of La Crosse County. “Being able to have a centralized location for our clients to receive services is imperative to working toward their goals, especially for those working with people not in shelters.”

To learn more about the REACH Center visit https://reachcenterlacrosse.org/. The REACH Center is open on a walk-in basis Monday and Wednesday from 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and Tuesday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Friday is by appointment only. All are welcome at the REACH Center.

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