Thursday, October 2
Session Titles & Descriptions

Welcome Keynote
8:15a – 9a
Room: Kalahari Ballroom A, B, G, H

Jeff Pertl, Wisconsin Dept. of Children & Families Secretary
Join Jeff as he shares how we can all stay the course during uncertainty – and how the department will continue to connect the dots across agencies and programs

Workshop Breakout Sessions 16-20
9:15a – 10:30a

Session 16
Title: Black Neighborhoods Near Freshwater and the future of Poverty during Climate Change
Room: Wisteria
Cancelled

Presenters: Nicole Robinson – NNR Evaluation, Planning & Research and Dr. David Pate – University of Wisconsin-Madison

Track(s): Advocacy

Session Description – Nonprofit and social service organizations working to end poverty and provide needed supports to low-income individuals and families will soon need to consider how climate change is impacting their work. This interactive workshop will provide space for participants to anticipate pivots and re-think their organization’s core theories of change, strategies, and programs in the context of climate change and poverty. Grounding the discussion will be a case study on Black neighborhoods near freshwater using Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a case example. The case study will explore where poverty is “moving” (e.g., to the far north-west side) and what this means for different sectors (e.g., organizations will have to re-locate to serve populations in the city outskirts, policing will follow low-income residents). Participants will learn how American democracy and the erosion of safety nets are related to climate change and the creation of a permanent, intergenerational renter class. Such that, even “affordable” housing redevelopment strategies as practiced in Milwaukee may actually re-create the environmental conditions causing intergenerational poverty. In part, school closures are both a cause and product of mass migration of Black families out of the central city. Such closures leave Black children with fewer educational institutions inside their neighborhood at a time when educational resources will be even more scarce given changes in federal policy. We argue climate change is the backdrop undergirding these societal shifts, which will likely deepen entrenched poverty. This is a must-see training. Everyone who witnesses the examples is changed forever. Neighborhoods near freshwater (i.e., the entire coast of Lake Michigan) will be impacted by climate change and can learn from how poverty is changing in Milwaukee.

Session 17
Title: Stacking IRA Home Energy Rebates with Weatherization Programs
Room: Guava
Presentation 

Presenters: Brady Steigauf – Focus on Energy and Trinity Fuss – APTIM

Track(s): Housing & Homelessness, Energy Efficiency & Affordability

Session Description – In this session, we would like to offer the opportunity for CAP agencies to partner with Focus on Energy to better serve energy burdened households. Especially households heating with electric resistance, fuel oil, and propane and household e incomes between 60% SMI and 80% AMI. We will share information about rebates, projects eligibility, and participation. We will share aggregated data, provided by ESI, showing opportunities to efficiently electrify rural homes using utility-and-federally funded rebate programs. This can stretch WAP funding to cover new projects and drive deeper energy efficiency; while serving low-income and rural households experiencing energy poverty. We will also invite Couleecap, Inc. to share their experience leveraging Focus on Energy and IRA Home Energy Rebates to serve low-income households lower their energy burden through energy efficiency, beneficial electrification, and in some cases solar PV installations.

Session 18
Title: The County Bounty: County-Based Medical Debt Collection in Wisconsin
Room: Tamarind
Presentation

Presenters: Tim Hennigan – ABC for Health, Madeline Guthrie – ABC for Health

Track(s): Workforce Development, Strengthening Community Resilience, Local Economic Development / Wealth Building

Session Description – Low-income populations in Wisconsin often struggle with medical debt from hospitals, clinics or other health providers and collection agencies. What most people don’t realize is the significant amount of medical debt that is held and pursued by counties or state agencies in Wisconsin. These bills come from municipal ambulance rides, inpatient behavioral health treatment and even more. These government-generated debts and lesser-known collection procedures also create ongoing stress and financial strain for low-income Wisconsin families. They lurk in the background, but they are as devastating as more recognizable medical debts and raise unique concerns of transparency and due process. Attorneys Madeline Guthrie and Tim Hennigan of ABC for Health will help attendees identify county-based debts and will emphasize the need for further research into understanding how to stop or prevent these debts. They will provide background information on the sources of county-based medical debt and the collection methods by which those debts are collected, including the state’s Tax Refund Intercept Program and State Debt Collection Initiative. They will also discuss the recent successful elimination of over $70M in county-based Birth Tax debts by Wisconsin’s two largest counties.

Session 19
Title: Technology that Advances Access to Justice
Room: Portia
Presentation Coming Soon!

Presenters: Grace Kube – Judicare Legal Aid and Alberto Prado – LIFT Wisconsin

Track(s): Advocacy, Education and Technology Tools

Session Description – With increasing pressure to do more with less, organizations that do Poverty work are stretched thinner than ever. The legal sphere of Poverty work is no exception. Wisconsin is facing an Access to Justice crisis, especially in rural areas. The term “access to justice” describes the ability of any person, regardless of income, to use the legal system to advocate for themselves and their interests. At this workshop, Attendees will learn how to use the online Legal Tune Up and the Wisconsin Law Help’s website, two legal technology tools that are working to address this ever-growing need. As a local nonprofit LIFT Wisconsin offers the online Legal Tune Up tool to allow access to justice to citizens of Wisconsin. Legal Tune Up is designed to help Wisconsinites identify and clear civil legal problems on their own or with help from trusted professionals. As a mobile first web-based application, it uses publicly available data (driver’s license, criminal, eviction, court, and child support records) to help people identify and address legal needs. Low-income individuals face the greatest challenges when it comes to accessing justice for civil legal barriers to their economic success which the Legal Tune Up tool seeks to address. Wisconsin Law Help at https://www.wislawhelp.org/ is a growing statewide website with guided tools to connect pro se litigants with relevant and accurate legal information and referrals. The guided interview and referral tool allows end-users to easily identify resources that can help them with their legal need. Currently WLH mainly offers online assistance in three areas of civil actions statewide, Housing Law, Consumer Law, and Family Law. This program will discuss access to justice issues in civil actions, teach the basics of the tool, and seek partnerships with other organizations to guide users to greater access to information.

Session 20
Title: The Power of Storytelling in the Realm of Nonprofits
Room: Mangrove
Presentation

Presenters: Lexi Tintlemann – Community Action Inc. of Rock & Walworth Counties

Track(s): Education, Strengthening Community Resilience, Advocacy

Session Description – This interactive workshop explores how nonprofit professionals can harness the power of storytelling to deepen engagement, inspire action, and amplify the impact of their mission. Participants will learn how to craft compelling narratives that highlight program successes, elevate the voices of those served, and bring attention to critical poverty-related issues in their communities. Key topics include: The essential elements of effective storytelling Using visuals to enhance narrative impact Creating emotional resonance through personal stories Leveraging social media for storytelling Practical tips and tools for nonprofit communicators By the end of the session, participants will walk away with a toolkit of storytelling strategies they can immediately apply to strengthen donor relationships, increase community awareness, and drive meaningful change.

Workshop Breakout Sessions 21-26
10:45a – 12p

Session 21
Title: Plain Language Opens Doors
Room: Wisteria
Presentation

Presenters: Shannon Mason Young – Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. and Kimberly Wild – Wisconsin Literacy, Inc.

Track(s): Education, Strengthening Community Resilience

Session Description – Plain language is communication your audience can understand and use the first time they read or hear it. It breaks down barriers for clients to access community resources and economic opportunities. Through strategies around word choice, organization of content, document format, structure, and tone, plain language is a communication style that increases understanding and engagement. Participants will learn how to improve access to community resources for underserved populations through clear and effective communication. This 2 hour session blends lecture and hands-on practice that you can immediately put to use.

Session 22
Title: Research for Policy and Practice: Exploring Causes and Consequences of Poverty for Wisconsin Families
Room: Guava
Presentation

Presenters: Hallie Lienhardt – Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Hilary Shager – Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lisa Klein-Vogel – Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Molly Costanzo – Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison 

Track(s): Strengthening Community Resilience

Session Description – The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a nearly 60-year-old nonpartisan, interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to producing and disseminating rigorous evidence to inform policies and programs to combat poverty, inequality, and their effects in the United States. IRP does this work through the orchestration of a national research, training, and dissemination agenda grounded in extensive collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. In this workshop, IRP researchers and staff will provide an overview of some our recent work focused on Wisconsin families and arm workshop participants with resources and opportunities to engage with IRP. Workshop participants will learn about IRP’s collaborations with Wisconsin state and local agencies, including its development and maintenance of the Wisconsin Administrative Data Core (WADC), which links a large array of administrative data covering a long period of program history. This unique data resource supports evidence-based policymaking and allows for research and evaluation across multiple programs and outcomes that would not be possible using only a single agency’s data. IRP will also share findings from recent applied family policy research, including work conducted through the Child Support Policy Research Agreement (CSRA) between the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) and IRP, as well as studies of Wisconsin’s workforce development and child care systems. Specifically, presenters will share learnings from three projects. First, they will discuss findings from the ELEVATE (Empowering Lives through Education, Vocational Assessment, Training, and Employment) evaluation, a project intended to test the effectiveness of a package of services to noncustodial parents (NCPs) behind on their child support obligations, in lieu of more traditional, enforcement-oriented approaches. Presenters will focus on the characteristics of low-income noncustodial parents in Wisconsin and their service needs as well as custodial parent perspectives on how child support services could best support the well-being of custodial parents and children. Second, presenters will share results from the WisconSays Survey, focusing on families’ experiences and challenges with accessing high quality childcare in Wisconsin and related impacts on their work and well-being. A third presentation will share findings from a qualitative study of Wisconsin’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) system. This study includes interviews of regional Workforce Development Board directors, staff, and participants, and focuses on potential ways to improve workforce development services for Wisconsinites, especially those experiencing multiple barriers to employment. IRP workshop presenters will close the presentation portion of the session with an overview and invitation for workshop participants to connect with IRP through its virtual learning series and webinars, podcast channel, website, and multiple other avenues for engagement. Our hope is to encourage future research partnerships and the continued production of useful data, research, and information that supports the work of conference participants.

Session 23
Title: Local Government Advocacy
Room: Tamarind
Presentation

Presenters: Courtney Hayward – WISCAP

Track(s): Advocacy

Session Description – Local government advocacy is a powerful tool for organizations seeking positive change within their communities. Whether you’re advocating for improved infrastructure, enhanced public services, or social justice initiatives, engaging with local government is a crucial step toward creating meaningful impact and the sustainability of services provided to the most vulnerable.
This training will help agencies:
1. Examine the structure of local government and identify its key roles in shaping legislation to effectively navigate and engage in local policy-making.
2. Apply strategies for engaging with community leaders and policymakers to advocate for legislative changes that reflect Community Action agencies values and address community needs.

Session 24
Title: Why don’t they just get a job?
Room: Portia
Presentation Coming Soon!

Presenters: Jamie Pennington – Community Action Inc. of Rock & Walworth Counties and Tiffany Knight – Community Action Inc. of Rock & Walworth Counties

Track(s): Workforce Development

Session Description – Why don’t they just get a job? The question most of us wonder. This workshop will discuss the barriers people face in preventing them from getting a job and keeping a job. These barriers include current and past trauma, addictions, generational patterns, mental health, substance abuse, and lack of housing.

Session 25
Title: The Power of Community Action
Room: Mangrove
Presentation

Presenters: Dr. Susan Wolfgram – JONAH, Joining Our Neighbors In Advancing Hope

Track(s): Housing & Homelessness, Strengthening Community Resilience, Advocacy

Session Description – Relationship is at the core of everything. This workshop tells the story of one community’s advocacy for housing justice and provides tools for advocates/agencies to create systemic and structural change. Community action activities fall into several categories, including base building, research support, and policy change, and have resulted in shifts toward housing justice. Addressing housing-related systems and structures, focusing on tenant and rental protections, and shifting power to directly impacted communities are ongoing priorities for strengthening community resilience.

Session 26
Title: Best Practices to Address Nutrition and Food Security: Research Update
Room: Aralia
Presentation Coming Soon!

Presenters: Sarah Smith, UW Madison-Division of Extension

Track(s): Food Insecurity

Session Description –

Our Wisconsin neighbors are facing challenges to putting both enough food on the table as well as making sure they have access to quality and nutritious food. Food banks, food pantries, and community based organizations continue to be a lifeline for many Wisconsin residents, ensuring that they can access nutritious food that meets their needs. It is important that we continue to share out the latest best practices for how food security organizations can meet the needs of their communities. This workshop will update participants working on the latest evidence for how communities can address food and nutrition security. The workshop will cover topics such as:

How food pantries support the health and well-being of a community
Supporting fruit and vegetable consumption.
Identifying the food needs and preferences of your community

Participants will leave the workshop with:

Increased knowledge of supporting fruit and vegetable consumption.
Increased knowledge of how to learn about and respond to the various needs of their community
Increased understanding of the role that food pantries play in supporting healthy communities.

Closing Keynote
12:15p – 1:45p

Title: Honorable Reverend Judge Mitchell
Room: Kalahari A, B, G, H
Presentation

Session Description – The Honorable Reverend Everett Mitchell is a fierce advocate for education and equity. Judge Mitchell was elected to the Dane County Circuit Court as a juvenile court judge and presides over cases involving family re-unification, juvenile delinquency, and other civil and criminal proceedings. He often tells the children in his court, “I am not your judge, I am your reflection.” He received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and religious studies from Morehouse College in 2000, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2003, a Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2004, and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in 2010. Mitchell was an assistant district attorney in Dane County, Wisconsin, from 2010 to 2012. From 2012 to 2016, when he was elected to the Dane County Circuit Court, As of 2022, Mitchell was an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and had been the senior pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church since 2011.

The Honorable Reverend will deliver an encouraging address to participants from across the state to discuss a better path for individuals to feel valued and supported and remind everyone to remain resilient during uncertain times.