Family Keys

Approximately one in ten children separated from their families in the child welfare system are removed due to housing instability.

Wisconsin's Family Keys approach – first piloted by La Crosse, Marathon and Wood counties – provides flexible funding for communities to co-design programs and supports that meet the needs of families experiencing housing instability so that children do not need to unnecessarily enter foster care.

Family Keys is rooted in research that shows stabilizing families with targeted supports prevents the further harm of unnecessary family separation.

Why this approach?

In 2020, during the statewide pandemic-related eviction moratorium, Wisconsin saw a 33% reduction in the number of children being removed from their parents due to housing instability. The data showed that when families have stable housing, children are less likely to enter out-of-home care.

Graph showing the correlation between evictions and inadequate housing.

Leaders in Wisconsin at the state, county agency and local community level wanted to identify what other interventions may better serve families with housing challenges. Together, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the pilot counties used flexible funding with the following goals:

  • To prevent child removals specific to housing instability.
  • To identify how better to serve families experiencing these challenges.
  • To return children more quickly to their parents when housing was a barrier to reunification.

Key learnings

Innovative practices

The communities involved took a “what will it take?” approach to meeting the needs of families in their community. They were encouraged to try new approaches to serving families and were able to learn what worked best for their community. Some of these approaches included:

  • Employing housing navigators, who support families in accessing housing resources in their community and building relationships with landlords.
  • Applying flexible funds to tailored resources that would stabilize the family’s housing circumstances.
  • Prioritizing new housing options in their community.
  • If necessary, providing support and training to participants to strengthen skills that can help them maintain stable housing in the future.
  • Providing landlord risk mitigation funds to incentivize renting to families who may have a challenging rental history or background.

Flexible funding

Funding for community programs often has specific eligibility requirements that limit how the funding can be used and who can access it. Family Keys found that when the funding is more flexible, communities can better meet the needs of individuals who might not qualify for other existing supports. 

Collaboration

Between counties

The pilot county teams collaborated to share and learn about new ways of approaching similar problems. 

With parents

The teams also worked closely with parents who used the service. They used the parents’ feedback to improve their approach to families’ housing challenges.

With community partners

The teams built relationships with landlords, law enforcement and other community members who wanted to support families in their area. 

As DCF continues to evaluate the outcomes of Family Keys, early findings suggest that this approach allows for more families to stay together at a reduced cost (compared to the cost of an out-of-home care placement). Pilot counties also report that their community partners remain largely supportive of the program and its continuation. 

Want to learn more?

Send a message to the Putting Families First inbox asking to be added to the Family Keys email list, where we share occasional updates and new publications.

Videos
  • It Takes a Village (short film, 2024): Explores how collaboration between child welfare agencies and community partners – of which the Family Keys approach is an example – can better support families.
  • Momentum (short film, 2024): Parents reflect on how Family Keys was critical to their families staying together.
  • Family Keys Anthem (short film, 2024): Parents, child welfare professionals and community partners share how innovative approaches like Family Keys are an investment – not only financially but in families and communities.
Additional resources