Westcap outlines food, housing and energy services for Polk County

Tim Mather, executive director of Westcap Community Action Agency, presented the agency's 2024 service results and funding to the Polk County Board of Supervisors on June 17 at the Government Center Building.

Mather said Westcap serves seven northwestern Wisconsin counties and described major programs that touch Polk County residents, including food access, energy assistance, housing development and weatherization. "Westcap gets about $400,000 a year in CSBG funding," he told the board, adding that the agency's overall annual budget is about $18,000,000.

The presentation outlined the agency's scale and priorities and why the county continues to contract some services. Westcap highlighted emergency and senior food programs, energy assistance opened to eligible households, housing development using Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), and workforce training tied to a nursing program. The information provides a snapshot of services the county relies on for low-income residents.

Mather gave county-specific figures drawn from Westcap's 2024 activity. He said food-access programs in Polk County served 2,167 individuals with services valued at about $202,000. Housing services reached 171 households with a stated value of roughly $710,000. For energy assistance, Mather said Westcap served 2,766 Polk County households with an average benefit of about $325 (paid directly to utility companies), representing about $900,000 in cumulative payments. He also described weatherization work and an emergency response service: "We responded to 56 first responses to no heat," he said.

Mather described housing-development activity using LIHTC financing administered through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, and said Westcap has partnered with private developers to win awards for rural projects. He characterized the LIHTC process as competitive and noted that applications tend to score better for urban projects but that Westcap has placed projects in Pierce and Saint Croix counties in recent years.

On workforce and training, Mather said Westcap runs a nursing-skills program that typically enrolls 10 to 15 people at a time and shared one success story of a participant who advanced to a registered nursing degree and now earns about $78,000 a year.

Mather closed by summarizing Polk County totals for 2024, stating a total service value to the county of $2,850,000 and listing the agency's Polk County caseload figures as reported to the board. He left printed handouts for supervisors and said he would remain after the meeting for follow-up questions.

The presentation did not request formal action by the county board; it served as an informational briefing and a reminder of services Westcap provides under existing county arrangements.