WC Wisconsin News

Michelle Manzy represents everything the Couleecap Homeownership Program stands for.  

Couleecap is a nonprofit agency that works to provide more affordable housing options across its four-county service area, according to WEAU. This area includes the corner of 6th and Winnebago Streets in La Crosse, which long stood vacant following a house fire but now is the site of a new three-bedroom home for Manzy and her family.

“We’ve been renting for a while, and where we’ve been renting, every year, the rent goes up,” Manzy told WEAU. “It’s just nice to have your own place where you can just have space; we have space now for our kids.”

Construction of the home was facilitated by Couleecap. Ashley Lacenski, community development director, said many people were interested in the home.

“We had a lot of applicants for this property, and I heard from numerous prospective home buyers and realtors about how hard it was to find a home," Lacenski told WEAU. “We serve La Crosse, Monroe, Vernon, and Crawford counties. A lot of our work has been focused in La Crosse County and the city of La Crosse, but we also have an obligation to help our other communities.”

Becky Koske, Couleecap assistant director of housing and community services, said a growing number of people are struggling to find long-term places to live in.

“I think we’ve seen housing costs rise, particularly during the pandemic; people have been hit very hard,” Koske told WEAU. “It’s been a struggle to maintain and afford housing and all of the other things that go along with safe and stable living.”

Couleecap is doing all it can to help others, but the agency needs funding. Great Rivers United Way allocated $45,000 from its 2021 campaign for Couleecap’s Homeless Prevention, Supportive Housing, and Healthy Homes programs, WEAU reported.

“It’s important that the money is there to fund programs that are bringing resources to people who struggle with housing," Mary Kay Wolf, United Way executive director, told WEAU.

Couleecap’s next housing project is currently under construction in Prairie du Chien, according to WEAU. 

The United Way also provided funding for safe and affordable housing initiatives to organizations such as Independent Living Resources, the Salvation Army of La Crosse, Western Dairyland, and the YWCA of La Crosse.