This is an evolving list of resources for people seeking help with their housing concerns: wrongful eviction, problems with landlords or notices of other programs that might help with down payments for new houses, to name a few. This list was compiled by Madison Commons reporter Noah Maze during the 2024–25 academic year. We will continue to add to the list, which is part of Madison Commons’ collaborative storytelling project centered on housing affordability and housing insecurity. For more information about the series, please see the project overview. For questions or comments, please contact Sue Robinson at robinson4@wisc.edu.
2-1-1 Wisconsin, a free and confidential service that connects people with thousands of local programs and services.
Contact: Dial 2-1-1
Website: www.211wisconsin.org
Catholic Charities Diocese of Madison - The Beacon Day Shelter, a daytime shelter and resource center operated by Catholic Charities to help men, women and children who are experiencing homelessness in Dane County.
Contact: (608) 826-8040
Website: www.catholiccharitiesofmadison.org
Community Justice Inc. is a nonprofit law firm working to close the justice gap in south central Wisconsin.
Contact: (608) 204-9642
Website: https://www.communityjusticeinc.org/
Dane County Tenant Resource Center provides resources and information for tenants, landlords and service providers; advocates for safe, affordable housing for all genders, races, ethnicities, disabilities, ages and more, with the aim of ending housing discrimination.
Contact: (608) 257-0006
Website: www.tenantresourcecenter.org
Freedom Inc. is an organization of advocates who help victims and survivors of domestic violence, intimate partner violence and/or sexual assault get the help they need, including help with finding housing assistance.
Contact: (608) 716-7324
Website: https://freedom-inc.org/index.php
Legal Action of Wisconsin - Madison Office helps clients find and keep safe and affordable housing, among other services.
Contact: (608) 256-3304
Website: http://legalaction.org/services/housing/
Porchlight, Inc. offers a variety of services to provide individuals and families with safe, affordable, stable housing.
Contact: (608) 257-2534
Website: www.porchlightinc.org
Salvation Army Dane County offers a range of housing and supportive health services, along with an emergency family shelter and a single women’s shelter.
Contact: (608) 250-2203
Website: https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/danecounty/shelter/
St. John’s Lutheran Church - Emergency Outreach Program, in partnership with Porchlight, Inc., and other local churches, helps with housing-related emergencies, including rent, security deposits and utility bills.
Contact: (608) 256-2337
Website: https://www.stjohnsmadison.org/emergencyfund
Stoughton Area Resource Team, Inc (START) helps community members in crisis to prevent homelessness and overcome the impacts of poverty; services include eviction prevention and housing stability, support in accessing child care, education, employment, food, health care, transportation, utilities and other basic needs.
Contact: (608) 577-5650
Website: http://www.startstoughton.org/
Sunshine Place, along with offering assistance with housing navigation, assists people in Sun Prairie and northeastern Dane County who are experiencing a loss of income, eviction, legal issues and language barriers.
Contact: (608) 825-3875
Website: https://sunshineplace.org/services/human-services/#porchlight
Tellurian offers a broad range of substance abuse, housing and homeless services.
Contact: (608) 204-8447
Website: https://www.tellurian.org/programs/housing-homeless-services
The Elizabeth House, a group home offering shelter for pregnant women and new mothers.
Contact: (608) 259-1605
Website: https://www.elizabethhousedane.org/
The Road Home Dane County helps families locate existing housing in the community and collaborates with others to build new, affordable housing; offers a range of supportive services to help people maintain housing; provides rapid rehousing programs to help families overcome short-term crises or roadblocks and get rehoused as quickly as possible.
Contact: (608) 294-7998
Website: https://trhome.org/
University of Wisconsin Law School Neighborhood Law Clinic provides a broad range of services, including rental housing law issues.
Contact: (608) 890-0678
Website: https://law.wisc.edu/eji/nlc
Urban Triage offers housing navigation resources, among other supportive services.
Contact: (608) 299-4128
Website: https://urbantriage.org/
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Emergency Assistance provides a payment and a connection to resources for families facing a setback due to a housing emergency, including impending homelessness and domestic violence, natural disaster, fire or an energy crisis.
Contact: (855) 757-4539
Website: https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/ea
