At a glance: Outreach on Family Financial Health
SoHE Professor and students save $$$ for low income families. For several years, Prof. Mike Gutter has led the Volunteers in Tax Assistance project, in which his students provide free, tax season assistance to low income families. Last year, they helped in the preparation of over 3,800 tax returns, saving over $800,000 for low income families that qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Prof. Gutter’s students helped create over $3 million in total returns to local families.
Promoting consumer and business co-ops across North America and the globe. Prof. Ann Hoyt has for many years led the most important (just about the only) training institutes for leaders of consumer co-ops and business co-ops in North America. From co-ops of fishermen in Door County (Newfoundland?) to consumer food co-ops in the heartland, this SoHE project leads to community economic vitality.
Prof. Goebel’s classroom is large, 11,190 square miles to be exact. For the last quarter century, Prof. Karen Goebel has been delivering 30-50 presentations per year, all over the state, teaching an average of 1,500 to 2,000 public citizens each year. Kenosha? Been there. Superior? Been there. LaCrosse, Green Bay, Eagle River? Yep, she’s been there too. An economist with an Extension appointment in the School, Prof. Goebel’s main topics have been marital property reform, family estate planning, identity theft, and advance directives for health care. Says the Extension Agent in LaCrosse, "Karen's style and method of presentation always result in a full house. Participants want to know when she will be returning for additional programs.”
Using community-based research to help reduce hunger in Wisconsin. The step before hunger is food insecurity, and many Wisconsin families live in chronic insecurity about having enough food by week’s end. To help local government and non-profits that address the needs of low-income families, Prof. Judy Bartfeld’s Food Security Project gathers local data from around Wisconsin to chart statewide trends in food insecurity.
Health care for children from low-income families. One of the problems in health care coverage is that existing programs are not utilized by many eligible, low income families. Headed by Prof. Roberta Riportella, Wisconsin Covering Kids and Families was created to generate greater awareness and utilization of these health care programs. The project works primarily through existing health care organizations, in concert with county Extension offices, and has built a coalition of more than 75 organizations associated with Medicaid and BadgerCare. Initial funding was from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. CKF continues with funds from the Wisconsin Partnership Fund, The Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program, and a smaller Evjue grant.
Creating stability of housing for low income families. Emeritus Prof. John Merrill developed the Rent Smart curriculum, used throughout the upper Mid- West in community-based renter education programs. The program helps renters know their rights and responsibilities, and helps them learn how to stabilize their housing by keeping a good relationship with their landlords. Prof. Merrill also produced easy-to-understand materials for new home owners, called About the House. Many people, when they own their first home, know little about how to maintain, protect, and improve their castle, but doing so is one of the keys to getting ahead. Merrill’s work is aimed at this crucial family transition to home ownership. Both of these series have won national awards, and you can see them, in English or Spanish, at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/house/.