Shelter

Low Income Energy Assistance Program

The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) provides assistance for heating costs, electric costs, and energy crisis situations. Operating with federal and state funding, the program provides assistance to approximately 225,000 Wisconsin households annually.

Refugee Assistance

Refugee Assistance is a cash assistance and medical assistance program available to eligible refugees.

You may apply for any of these services at the Workforce Development Center at 1717 Taylor Avenue, Racine OR 209 North Main in Burlington.

The Refugee Assistance Program provides temporary assistance to help arriving refugees while they become self-sufficient. “Refugee,” includes refugees, asylees, Cuban-Haitian entrants, Victims of Trafficking and any other categories eligible for refugee benefits under federal law.

Persons receiving Refugee Assistance are referred to refugee employment and training services. Families with children under age 18 are generally eligible for support under Wisconsin Works (W-2). Refugees who are aged, blind and disabled may receive assistance from the federally administered Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Refugees eligible for these two programs may be enrolled in the Medicaid program which provides medical assistance for low-income individuals and families.

Refugees who meet the income and resource eligibility standards of the W-2 or Medicaid programs, but are not otherwise eligible – such as single individuals, childless couples, and two-parent families with no children under 18 years of age – may receive benefits under special programs. Eligibility for these special programs is restricted to the first eight months in the U.S., except for asylees and victims of trafficking.

Emergency Assistance for the Homeless

Emergency Assistance (EA) is designed to meet the immediate needs of eligible persons facing a current emergency. The emergency must be due to fire, flood, natural disaster, energy crisis, homelessness or impending homelessness.

EA is intended to avoid destitution of a child and provide living arrangements for the child in a home. EA is not linked to the receipt of any other public assistance.

For homelessness and impending homelessness, EA may be used to pay for obtaining or retaining permanent housing accommodations. It can be used to pay for temporary shelter in cases of fire, flood or natural disaster, but cannot be used to pay for temporary shelter for homelessness and impending homelessness. If there are additional needs beyond obtaining or retaining housing for homelessness and impending homelessness, EA can pay for those as well.

You may apply for any of these services at the Workforce Development Center at 1717 Taylor Avenue, Racine OR 209 North Main in Burlington.

Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization

The Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization, Inc. (HALO) is a 120 bed emergency shelter located at 2000 DeKoven Avenue in Racine, WI. HALO meets emergency shelter needs for all men, women and children who are experiencing homelessness, coordinates supportive services that help homeless adults become self-sufficient, provides community leadership to prevent chronic homelessness and ensures children get positive support through stable living and learning environments. HALO also leases 20 independent apartments in Racine for families transitioning from homelessness to independence.