Fond du Lac’s housing shortage is impacting seniors and those with low income the most.
'Cost-burdened' and fixed-income residents often have to choose between paying rent, getting medication and other expenses.
Daphne Lemke- Fond du Lac is experiencing a housing shortage that particularly impacts low-income residents.
- Rising rent prices and limited housing options make it difficult for low-income individuals and families to find affordable and stable housing.
- Seniors on fixed incomes are especially vulnerable to the housing crisis, as their income often falls short of covering rising housing costs.
- Local organizations are collaborating to address the issue, but advocate for greater involvement of low-income individuals in finding solutions.
FOND DU LAC – A housing shortage affects many ages and income levels, but a ripple effect to low-income individuals has been affecting homelessness in Fond du Lac.
The final report of the city's Housing Study & Action Plan found that Fond du Lac has a "tremendous demand" for more housing supply because of a low vacancy rate in its apartments and lack of new house construction since the 2007-2009 recession.
How this affects the low-income community is that someone looking for stable housing on their own could face ever-increasing rent prices, selective landlords and long waiting lists at the shelters and the Fond du Lac Housing Authority.
According to the housing study, only half of rental voucher recipients successfully use them.
Anything that comes close to being affordable gets filled in a snap, according to Tony Beregszazi, deputy director of community action agency ADVOCAP.
ADVOCAP Executive Director Tanya Marcoe said helping people find housing had taken a turn during the pandemic for the area's low-income and homeless population because of raised rent prices and unavailability. It used to be more common for someone to move from one apartment to something better as their income grew, but now, that dollar isn't stretching anymore.
"They're not able to necessarily move out of their current living environment, so then there's just no movement," she said. "Then, there's no availability for anybody else to move into."
Many people experiencing homelessness are seniors on fixed income
The general guideline for housing being affordable is if it costs 30% of a household's income — anything higher than that indicates a household is "cost-burdened."
According to the housing study, a third of renters are cost-burdened, and almost 60% of seniors are cost-burdened.
"We see people coming through our Opportunity Center that we're trying to help get into housing, and they're working," Beregszazi said. "We have people working multiple jobs. They can't find anything they can afford."
Marcoe said that among the local homeless population right now, they're seeing a lot of seniors. They're on fixed Social Security and Medicare or Medicaid funding for disabilities, which doesn't keep up with inflation.
For instance, if someone's getting $1,000 a month, their one-bedroom apartment could also cost $1,000 a month, leaving very little, if anything, left for food, clothing and other necessities.
"They have to make choices between, do I pay for my rent? Do I go get my medication? Do I have a change of clothes? Can I even afford to get anywhere and do anything?" Marcoe said. "They're having to make these very difficult choices, and it's just not fair and it's not right."
The most vulnerable community members are facing predators
Landlords are in a position to be selective about who they sign leases with, but ADVOCAP created a Housing Navigator role to develop relationships with landlords so they're more confident rent will be paid.
This is an example of case management being important to the people who go to ADVOCAP for help, following the organization's goal to help people reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency.
Without case management involved in something for low-income individuals, such as an apartment complex, Marcoe said someone can get caught in cycles of either bad choices or community misconceptions.
"I always feel like they just have this target on their back, inherently," she said. "Like, 'Oh, you live in those projects,' you know? There's this automatic stigma of who lives there."
The stigma often focuses on the low-income population being lazy or addicted to drugs or alcohol. In reality, they are very hardworking, Marcoe said.
Beregszazi added that ADVOCAP utilizes a community integration model with their housing development, because otherwise, a low-income complex can be a target for dealers, scammers and anyone else seeking to prey on the residents to "make a buck."
Something they've seen from people at the Opportunity Center is that some of them have lost their income because they have been preyed upon for their Social Security benefits.
"This population is vulnerable. They want to trust somebody," Marcoe said. "They want to believe that somebody isn't lying to them and preying on them, so they take them at their word, and then they ended up with all their money taken."
Fond du Lac has available partners as local government takes the lead
The local housing shortage has been a topic of conversation among local leaders long before the housing study was conducted, and last year, the issue of homelessness faced renewed conversation after a new city ordinance prohibited camping on city property.
Throughout these conversations, several local organizations have expressed willingness to be part of the solution, including ADVOCAP, the Solutions Center, St. Vincent de Paul, Hope on the Block and Holy Family Catholic Community.
So, what can be done?
Many of the possible solutions depend on local government taking the lead on the issue, such as the City of Fond du Lac conducting the housing study.
General housing development would open opportunities for movement, but one challenge highlighted in the housing study is constraints in ordinances, as developers would like to see more flexibility in zoning.
For any solution, Beregszazi said he'd like to see low-income people have a seat at the table to give a better understanding of poverty in the Fond du Lac area, what people can afford and what they need.
"The community struggles with having low-income people at the table, and I think that's so important if you want to hit the mark," he said.
Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at dlemke@gannett.com.