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Residents and Staff Urge County to Make HELP Homelessness‑Prevention Positions Permanent
Summary
Multiple public commenters and agency letters urged Winnebago County to include permanent HELP program positions in the 2026 budget to continue eviction prevention and housing stability work; County Executive highlighted permanent positions in his presentation.
Several public commenters and a written submission from an Aging & Disability Resource Center supervisor urged the Winnebago County Board to fund permanent positions for the HELP homelessness and eviction prevention program as part of the 2026 budget discussions.
What speakers said: Brian Nagler, program supervisor at the ADRC, (read by the county clerk) wrote that the HELP team serves hundreds of clients daily and that eliminating positions would shift work back to ADRC staff, reducing capacity for long‑term care enrollment assistance. Leah DeShaney and other public commenters described recent spikes in housing displacement and supported continued HELP funding.
Why it mattered: County Executive Gordon Hintz highlighted in his budget presentation that five previously county‑funded HELP positions were being moved onto the table of organization as permanent positions in response to rising housing instability, SNAP benefit reductions and demand for services. He said HELP had discharged 74% of cases with stable housing (674 families cited) and that the county added a position to administer $200,000 in tenant‑based rental assistance vouchers.
Budget action: The executive budget included making the HELP positions permanent; committee discussions and public comment supported the request. The board adopted funding measures during the overall budget process that kept HELP positions intact and supported transition of project positions to permanent status as described in the executive presentation.
Follow‑up: County staff will continue implementation and report on HELP caseload and voucher administration; supervisors said they will monitor the effect of SNAP benefit reductions on county services.
