CARES Relief Funds – Rental Assistance Beginning February 22, 2021, Wisconsin residents that have experienced a significant loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and need help with their rent or utility payments can apply for the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance (WERA) program. In general, eligible applicants must be an adult Wisconsin resident with a household income at or below 80% of the county median income in the month of or prior to the application date. For more information about your local CAP agency and their services, visit the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association's website. Public Assistance If you do not have enough money to pay your bills and you need help finding and keeping a job or help applying for SSI, you may be eligible for the Wisconsin Works (W-2) program. You may also be eligible for monthly cash payments while you work with the W-2 program to look for a job or do other activities that will help you get a job or SSI. To apply for W-2, contact your local W-2 agency: Find Your Local W-2 Agency Emergency Assistance If you are a low-income parent and are facing an emergency, you may be eligible for Emergency Assistance—a one-time payment that can help pay an emergency housing or utility related expense. An emergency could be due to fire, flood, or natural disaster; homelessness or impending homelessness; or an energy crisis. To find out if you are eligible and to apply for Emergency Assistance, contact your local W-2 agency: Find Your Local W-2 Agency Attention: Because of COVID-19, if you are looking for help with programs like W-2 and Emergency Assistance, call the W-2 agency phone number to find out if they are open and how you can apply for assistance. Job Access Loans If you are a low-income parent and have emergency needs to keep your job or take a job, like paying for car repairs or have required employment clothing/uniform or equipment expenses, you may be eligible for a Job Access Loan (JAL). To apply for a JAL, contact your local W-2 agency. Food Assistance FoodShare helps people with limited money buy the food they need for good health. If you need help buying food, visit the Department of Health Services website to see if you are eligible for and to apply for FoodShare. Medical Assistance The Department of Health Services (DHS) administers many programs that provide high-quality health care coverage, long-term care, and other services. If you need health care coverage or other medical care assistance services, more information can be found on the DHS website. Other Employment Assistance Programs DCF is dedicated to helping everyone who wants to work find meaningful employment and has several subsidized employment programs to help parents in the transition to unsubsidized, family-supporting careers. Find out if one of our subsidized programs is available in your area and is right for you. Transform Milwaukee Jobs (TMJ) Transitional Jobs (TJ)
