Poverty Matters Workshop Session Descriptions

Wednesday, October 9

Welcome Keynote – 8:30a – 10:00a

Workshop Title – Newcap’s Journey to Transform Service Delivery using the Whole Family Approach

Workshop Description: 

• Join Jessica DeGrave, VP of Whole Family Implementation, and Tina Hudson and Val Paasch, Family Advisory Board (FAB) members, to learn about Newcap’s efforts to incorporate the Whole Family Approach into service provision by using the Community Health Worker service delivery model, which focuses on the Social Determinants of Health. Discover the impressive outcomes of their 2022 and 2023 Success Coaching Pilot and the practical implementation plan for replicating and initiating your design plan. Our service delivery model treats individuals and families holistically, wrapping participants in services, addressing the social determinants of health, and promoting economic and social upward mobility through internal and external care teams. We emphasize participant-centered care, ensuring participants are involved in all aspects of the decision-making process, from assessing community needs to developing services, service delivery, and continuous improvement processes. Our vision is to build whole-family communities in which key stakeholders and service providers deliver equitable, holistic, and high-quality care.

Room – Salon A, G, F, E

Presenter –Jessica DeGrave, VP of Whole Family Implementation, and Tina Hudson and Val Paasch, Family Advisory Board (FAB) members

Presentation

Wednesday, October 9

Session 1 – 10:15a – 11:30a

Workshop Title – Healthy Sheboygan County Community Health Assessment

Track

• Education
• Advocacy
• Community Health Assessment

Workshop Description: 

• Overview of the 2023 Healthy Sheboygan County community health assessment process which included quantitative and qualitative data collection including an online survey focusing on the social determinants of health and listening sessions with minority populations. This resulted in the Healthy Sheboygan County coalition prioritizing housing and child care for the first time.

Room – Salon D

Presenter – Jenny Vorpagel, Health Strategist, Sheboygan County Division of Public Health & Coriann Dorgay, Health Strategist Sheboygan County Division of Public Health

Presentation

Session 2 – 10:15a – 11:30a

Workshop Title  – Philanthropy Farming- Making a difference through agriculture.

Track

• Strengthening Community Resilience,
• Other (please specify):
  • Food insecurity as well as mental health care

Workshop Description: 

• To educate and inspire participants about the concept of philanthropy farming, share the mission and operations of CC Cattle Company, and demonstrate how sustainable farming practices can effectively address food insecurity.

Room – Salon C

Presenter  – Samuel J Cooke – President/Founder, CC Cattle Company

Presentation

Session 3 – 10:15a – 11:30a

Workshop Title – Reentry Ready: Focus on Finances

Track

• Housing & Homelessness,
• Education,
• Workforce Development,
• Strengthening Community Resilience,
• Advocacy,
• Racial Equity

Workshop Description:

• Having the tools and confidence to effectively manage money is a key factor in preventing recidivism in those previously incarcerated. Participants in this session will learn about three tools the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension created to help returning individuals succeed in acquiring and managing their finances:
  1. an 8-session curriculum that is delivered ideally six months before release;
  2. a website filled with information on how to find a job, housing, healthcare, and many other resources; and
  3. an action plan checklist that returning individuals can complete to help them stay on track. All tools were informed by feedback from probation officers, social workers, sheriffs, and other personnel in the corrections system

Room – Island Room

Presenter – Todd Wenzel, Human Development & Relationships Extension, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension

Presentation

Session 4 – 10:15a – 11:30a

Workshop Title – Job Corps

Track

• Education

Workshop Description:

• What Job Corps is. History, Eligibility, Perks and contact information

Room – Penninsula Room

Presenter – Phillip Simonsen, Admissions Counselor, Blackwell Job Corps Center

Presentation

Session 5 – 10:15a – 11:30a

Workshop Title  – How DEHCR Programs Help Solve the Housing Crisis in Your Community

Track

• Housing & Homelessness

Workshop Description:

• Learn about DEHCR programs – what the programs are able to do and how your agency can layer programs and/or collaborate with other agencies for maximum benefit. Bring your questions and ideas for group discussion.

Room – Salon B

Presenter  – Robyn Thibado, Section Chief, DEHCR, Dana Wallace, Grants Specialist Advanced DEHCR, Sarah Isaak, Grants Specialist Advanced DEHCR

Presentation

Session 6 – 12:45p – 2:00p

Workshop Title – Home Equity Preservation-Why Post Purchase Education Matters

Tracks

• Housing & Homelessness,
• Strengthening Community Resilience,
• Racial Equity

Workshop Description:

• With both home values and interest rates up current homeowners are choosing to stay in their homes longer than in the past. This is leading to an increase in home equity borrowing which also means more borrowers running into trouble with home equity. This workshop will discuss efforts to educate homeowners on responsible equity borrowing and ways for them to increase and preserve their equity.

Room – Salon D

Presenter  – Emmett Gross, Home Preservation Manager, Housing Resources Inc., Tracy Polk, Tool Loan Center Manager, Housing Resources Inc.

Presentation

Session 7 – 12:45p – 2:00p

Workshop Title  – Closing the Justice Gap – providing legal services through lay advocates

Tracks

• Housing & Homelessness,
• Workforce Development,
• Strengthening Community Resilience,
• Other (please specify): Income maintenance

Workshop Description:

• “Every day, millions of low-income Americans grapple with civil legal problems, which often involve basic needs like safe housing, access to health care, child custody, and protection from abuse. Most ‘go it alone’ when dealing with these problems – without the legal information, advice, or representation to help them resolve their problems in the civil legal system.”
  • From The 2022 Justice Gap Study conducted by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).
• 9 million low income people turn to LSC funded entities like Judicare every year. On average, 1 in 2 of those applications must be rejected due to inadequate resources in both funding and personnel. The number of general practice lawyers in small or solo firms, particularly in rural areas has been steadily declining in the past decades. In response, a number of legal aid providers in various states have undertaken programs designed to utilize non-attorney advocates to assist unrepresented litigants in addressing their legal issues. In 2023, Judicare Legal Aid, under the supervision of its Director of Advocacy and Legal Services, Kristin Slonski, began a civil legal advocate program. There is a surprising amount of assistance that can be provided by non-attorney advocates properly trained and supervised by licensed attorneys. This presentation will present models for community organizations to partner with legal aid or volunteer attorneys to provide training and supervision for lay advocates to to help bridge the justice gap in the provision of legal assistance to low income people.

Room – Salon C

Presenter – Kristin Slonski, Director of Advocacy and Legal Services, Judicare Legal Aid

Presentation

Session 8 – 12:45p – 2:00p

Workshop Title – Appreciation V Appropriation

Tracks

• Racial Equity

Workshop Description:

• We will lead a respectful conversation amongst the session’s attendees highlighting the differences between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Videos and discussion questions will be used to guide the conversation.

Room – Salon B

Presenter  – Kayla Oestreich, Program Manager, Community Action Inc of Rock and Walworth Counties, Staci El-Amin, Program Manager, Site Supervisor, Community Action Inc of Rock and Walworth Counties

Presentation 

Session 9 – 12:45p – 2:00p

Workshop Title – Divorce Quest: Navigating the Legal Maze of Divorce

Track

• Housing & Homelessness,
• Racial Equity,
• Other (please specify):
  • interconnectivity of community resources and the legal system and the impact on divorce litigants

Workshop Description:

• This interactive workshop aims to educate participants about the challenges faced by domestic violence survivors and their families within civil courts across the state, highlighting the financial strain of divorce, especially for already under-resourced individuals.
• Participants will navigate family court through the lens of a domestic abuse survivor and learn about the impact of reporting abuse in divorce proceedings, the intersection of restraining orders and divorces, communication with guardians ad litem, and the complexities of varying understandings of abuse that exist within the family court system. They will also explore legal representation options, including the reality of legal deserts and available legal aid.
• Simulated court scenarios offer insights into divorce processes based on survivor’s experiences and resources, such as income and housing. Emotional support resources are also highlighted.
• The simulator aims to raise awareness of how a survivor’s identities and experiences can impact their experiences in family court, educate users about available legal resources, and discuss how other community resources impact the outcomes in a divorce setting. The discussion during the simulation includes the impact of race, language, education, and other parts of identity on the divorce experience.
• This workshop aims to increase awareness and gain a deeper understanding of the multifaceted challenges faced by domestic violence survivors seeking a divorce, such as poverty, access to community resources, and access to housing. They will learn about the difficult decisions survivors have to make, such as whether to report abuse, and the complexities involved in navigating the legal system while dealing with trauma. Through the simulated court experience and follow-up discussion, participants will be better equipped to recognize and address barriers survivors may face in family court, and to advocate for more trauma-informed court practices.

Room – Peninsula Room

Presenter  – Amanda R Mayer, Deputy Director, Judicare, Megan Lee, Communications & Development Director, Judicare and Karlie Merkel, Legal Advocate Judicare

Presentation

Session 10 – 12:45p – 2:00p

Workshop Title – How Non-Profits Can Help Protect Older Adults From Ruinous Financial Exploitation and Scams

Tracks

• Education,
• Strengthening Community Resilience,
• Advocacy,
• Other (please specify):
  • Financial Exploitation and scams

Workshop Description:

• Older adults, regardless of their economic status, are being targeted by scammers and family members, endangering their independence. Social security checks are deposited into joint bank accounts and then taken. Abusive use of financial Power’s of Attorney results in the draining of bank accounts. Rep payees fail to provide needed services. Adult children sell the home that was quit-claimed to them by parents hoping to live their lives being cared for by their adult children. Scammers manipulate people into transferring their money for a variety of nefarious reasons. Victims are often left shocked, scared, ashamed, and confused on how to navigate their post victimized lives. They often need the assistance of many service providers. But how do you find the necessary resources? Could the situation be avoided or mitigated? How do we get them the help they need to protect what they do have, assist them if they fall victim, and how do we prevent re-victimization so that they can continue to live independently without fear?
  • Modest means victims don’t have access to friends or family that are doctors, lawyers, bankers or tax professionals. They don’t have the money to hire attorneys at $300, 400, 500 per hour and because they know they don’t have the money for estate planning, drafting of powers of attorney, they rely on service providers that are do the best they can to fill in the gaps in services that exist. What can be done to ensure greater access and better outcomes? What can be done to ensure that older adults retain the resources they possess to live independently for as long as they are able to?

Room – Island Room

Presenter  – Sonia Komisar, Victim Service Attorney, CWAG Elder Financial Empowerment Project

Presentation

Session 11 – 2:15p – 3:30p

Workshop Title  – Nia Imani Family — Principles and Practice Training

Tracks

• Housing & Homelessness
• Strengthening Community Resilience
• Racial Equity
• Afrocentric practices for empowerment

Workshop Description:

• This is an interactive workshop intended to orient stakeholders to the Afrocentric philosophy guiding the work of Nia Imani Family, a holistic housing and education organization working with pregnant and parenting young women in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Room – Salon D

Presenter – Amy Horst, 2^nd Year Masters School Student, UWM Masters of Sustainable Peacebuilding

Presentation

Session 12 – 2:15p – 3:30p

Workshop Title – Food Leaders Lab: Building a strong network of advocates

Tracks

• Strengthening Community Resilience,
• Advocacy

Workshop Description:

• Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin runs an advocacy and leadership development program called Food Leaders Lab. We work with people who have current or recent experience with food insecurity and provide professional coaching, skill and network building trainings. Graduates are community leaders who have identified a local problem in their community and have now built a campaign to solve it. Last year’s panel was a full house at the 2023 Poverty Matters conference in La Crosse. This year, our panel will include residents who have found ways to build and leverage a network to make a difference in their community. Graduates have created a blueprint on how to work with partners to cut through red tape and build a grocery store in a food desert, how to find new ways to teach youth about healthy eating, and how to start new meal programs in their local schools. Panelists will provide real-world tips to the audience on how they can build their own network, and will share how they tell powerful stories to grow partnerships and create lasting solutions.

Room – Salon C

Presenter  – Matt Stienstra, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Programs, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Brooklyn Gray, Program and Partnership Coordinator, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin

This session was conversational, no presentation shared.

Session 8 – Continued 2:15p – 3:30p

Workshop Title – Appreciation V Appropriation

Tracks

• Racial Equity

Workshop Description:

• We will lead a respectful conversation amongst the session’s attendees highlighting the differences between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Videos and discussion questions will be used to guide the conversation.

Room – Salon B

Presenter  – Kayla Oestreich, Program Manager, Community Action Inc of Rock and Walworth Counties, Staci El-Amin, Program Manager, Site Supervisor, Community Action Inc of Rock and Walworth Counties

Presentation – Coming Soon

Session 9 – Continued 2:15p – 3:30p

Workshop Title

Divorce Quest: Navigating the Legal Maze of Divorce

Track

• Housing & Homelessness,
• Racial Equity,
• Other (please specify):
  • interconnectivity of community resources and the legal system and the impact on divorce litigants

Workshop Description:

• This interactive workshop aims to educate participants about the challenges faced by domestic violence survivors and their families within civil courts across the state, highlighting the financial strain of divorce, especially for already under-resourced individuals.
• Participants will navigate family court through the lens of a domestic abuse survivor and learn about the impact of reporting abuse in divorce proceedings, the intersection of restraining orders and divorces, communication with guardians ad litem, and the complexities of varying understandings of abuse that exist within the family court system. They will also explore legal representation options, including the reality of legal deserts and available legal aid.
• Simulated court scenarios offer insights into divorce processes based on survivor’s experiences and resources, such as income and housing. Emotional support resources are also highlighted.
• The simulator aims to raise awareness of how a survivor’s identities and experiences can impact their experiences in family court, educate users about available legal resources, and discuss how other community resources impact the outcomes in a divorce setting. The discussion during the simulation includes the impact of race, language, education, and other parts of identity on the divorce experience.
• This workshop aims to increase awareness and gain a deeper understanding of the multifaceted challenges faced by domestic violence survivors seeking a divorce, such as poverty, access to community resources, and access to housing. They will learn about the difficult decisions survivors have to make, such as whether to report abuse, and the complexities involved in navigating the legal system while dealing with trauma. Through the simulated court experience and follow-up discussion, participants will be better equipped to recognize and address barriers survivors may face in family court, and to advocate for more trauma-informed court practices.

Room – Peninsula

Presenter  – Amanda R Mayer, Deputy Director, Judicare, Megan Lee, Communications & Development Director, Judicare and Karlie Merkel, Legal Advocate Judicare

Presentation

Session 13 – 2:15p – 3:30p

Workshop Title- Another Chance At Life

Track

• Housing & Homelessness,
• Transportation,
• Education,
• Workforce Development,
• Strengthening Community Resilience,
• Advocacy,
• Racial Equity,
• Other (please specify):
  • Vivitrol Program,
  • Behavioral Health, and
  • Community Services

Workshop Description:

• I would like to inform attendees about the impact that has taken place with the Vivitrol program, Mental Health Services, Group therapy, Case Management, and other assistances with transitioning individuals back into the community.

Room – Island Room

Presenter  – Jatonn Gee, Corrections Crisis Case Manager, Health and Human Services Department Sheboygan County

Presentation

Afternoon Keynote – 3:45p – 5:00p

Workshop Title – The Art of Asking Better Questions; How The Right Questions Lead To More Efficient and Effective Outcomes

Keynote Description:

• This full participatory presentation is designed to assist in creating inter-culturally inclusive work and service environments for all. This learning journey will focus on the Professional Development of participants aimed at increasing knowledge and ability to utilize critical thinking skills to make authentic inquiry, apply appropriate meaning to terms and phrases , problem solve, communicate confidently, and foster more collaborative work environments rooted in authentic relationships.

Room – Salon A, G, F, E

Presenter  – Dr. Alonzo Kelly