At WayForward Resources, we are continually evaluating our programs, listening to the needs of people in our community, and surveying the most recent research to learn how we can make the greatest impact. Our housing programs provide case management, referrals, and financial assistance, and focus on providing critical resources to keep families in their homes, prevent eviction, and avoid the trauma of homelessness. To better support our clients, WayForward has shifted to a two-track approach to housing support this year.

​Case management is at the heart of both support tracks. Based on both our experience and extensive research, we know households who receive case management alongside financial assistance are more likely to remain stably housed and experience better long-term outcomes. Research also shows that the most cost-effective way to provide supportive services is to customize the level of services to the needs of individual program participants. Our updated two-track model matches households to the level of support their circumstances require.

WayForward’s Crisis Prevention Services are designed for households who only need brief interventions to return to stability: 1–3 case management appointments, sometimes combined with financial assistance. With this short-term support, clients facing a temporary setback–like a reduction in work hours, missed income due to a child’s illness, or a sudden expense like a car repair—can avoid the trauma of eviction and return to stability.

While some households who visit WayForward only need short-term support, our experience has been that some households who access our Crisis Prevention Services would actually benefit from–and often ask for, longer–more intensive case management. Without those services available to help them more permanently remove barriers and gain stability, they continue to experience repeated emergencies, frequently accessing our short-term services without having the tools they need to work toward long-term stability.

Our Ongoing Stability Programs provide a longer-term case management track for households that are facing more complex challenges. In these programs, families work with a case manager over 6–12 months to address barriers, build stability, work toward long-term goals, and may receive financial assistance spread out across their program enrollment. The goal is to move the family gradually toward independent stability by the end of the program.

​Our goal is to create deeper, lasting impact—helping families not just regain stability, but sustain it over time. With the continuously rising cost of living in Dane County, programs like ours are more important than ever before. Thank you for partnering with us to continue to create paths to stability for our neighbors.