Rent Smart

On March 12, 2011, 20 individuals received training that will prepare them to find and keep a decent, safe, sanitary place to live. The program, developed by UW-Extension, is specially designed to help those individuals likely to encounter difficulty obtaining rental housing. This difficulty may arise from lack of experience, a stigma associated with previous residency in public housing, poor rental and/or credit history, or other issues that may cause potential landlords to perceive such individuals as high-risk tenants.

This is the second time this workshop has been offered in Racine County, through the collaborative efforts of Racine County UW-Extension, Racine Kenosha Community Action Agency, Legal Action of Wisconsin, the Housing Authority of Racine County, and with the assistance of an AmeriCorps*VISTA working with Racine Kenosha Community Action Agency. This workshop was held at the Racine YMCA and sponsored by Runzheimer Foundation of Waterford, WI.

The day long workshop covered topics such as budgeting, understanding a lease, and communicating with landlords and neighbors. The Goals of the program is that participants will:

Better understand the benefits of developing a cooperative relationship with their landlord
More easily find adequate housing
Improve their ability to resolve problems with their neighbors and landlords
And move less frequently, thus increasing housing stability.

The participants reported a 16% increase in their overall knowledge, on the topics presented, at the end of the training. One participant stated, “I learned lots of things about renting that I would have never known and look forward to using these tools and skills on my next place”.