1 00:00:06,139 --> 00:00:10,744 >> The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original 2 00:00:10,811 --> 00:00:13,647 production. >> The partisan blame 3 00:00:13,714 --> 00:00:17,217 continues to go around as the federal shutdown has no 4 00:00:17,284 --> 00:00:22,256 end in sight, but cuts coming from Washington are 5 00:00:22,322 --> 00:00:24,324 having real impacts back home. 6 00:00:24,391 --> 00:00:26,727 [MUSIC] I'm Frederica Freyberg 7 00:00:26,793 --> 00:00:30,531 tonight on "Here& Now". Hundreds of thousands could 8 00:00:30,597 --> 00:00:33,333 lose their food share benefits. Advocates urge 9 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,303 action from state lawmakers cuts that the U.S. 10 00:00:36,370 --> 00:00:39,773 Department of Education leave special education 11 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,844 students more vulnerable as the deficit of affordable 12 00:00:43,911 --> 00:00:46,813 housing continues, more communities are turning to 13 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,884 land trusts to ease the strain and how to address 14 00:00:50,951 --> 00:00:55,389 an increase in lives lost due to domestic violence. 15 00:00:55,455 --> 00:00:58,625 It's "Here& Now" for October 17th. 16 00:00:58,692 --> 00:01:01,562 [MUSIC] >> Funding for Here and Now 17 00:01:01,628 --> 00:01:05,232 is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and 18 00:01:05,299 --> 00:01:09,303 Friends of PBS Wisconsin. >> If the federal 19 00:01:15,709 --> 00:01:18,745 government shutdown continues, food assistance 20 00:01:18,812 --> 00:01:23,016 programs in Wisconsin could run short of funds by next 21 00:01:23,083 --> 00:01:26,854 month. Foodshare serves more than 700,000 people in 22 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,591 Wisconsin, with the average monthly benefit of about 23 00:01:30,657 --> 00:01:33,961 $160. The state health department is now asking 24 00:01:34,027 --> 00:01:37,531 the legislature to approve nearly $70 million to cover 25 00:01:37,598 --> 00:01:42,035 federal cuts and add staff to administer new 26 00:01:42,102 --> 00:01:44,738 eligibility requirements. This potential funding 27 00:01:44,805 --> 00:01:48,208 cliff could hurt people who depend on the assistance. 28 00:01:48,275 --> 00:01:51,778 We turn to Doctor Dipesh Navsaria, a physician 29 00:01:51,845 --> 00:01:54,248 member of the Wisconsin Historical Society and 30 00:01:54,314 --> 00:01:57,217 policy chair of the Wisconsin chapter of the 31 00:01:57,284 --> 00:01:59,353 American Academy of Pediatrics. And doctor, 32 00:01:59,419 --> 00:02:01,522 thanks very much for being here. 33 00:02:01,588 --> 00:02:03,757 >> Thanks for having me. >> As a pediatrician, how 34 00:02:03,824 --> 00:02:06,560 do you see the importance of food share assistance? 35 00:02:06,627 --> 00:02:09,429 >> It's something that's absolutely critical to 36 00:02:09,496 --> 00:02:12,399 families. I mean, to put it simply, right, hungry 37 00:02:12,466 --> 00:02:16,003 family members is just not a good thing. It's not good 38 00:02:16,069 --> 00:02:17,571 for adults. It's not good for children. And having 39 00:02:17,638 --> 00:02:20,340 adequate nutrition is important for everything 40 00:02:20,407 --> 00:02:24,545 else we do in our lives learning, working, enjoying 41 00:02:24,611 --> 00:02:27,748 time with one another. All of these things are much 42 00:02:27,814 --> 00:02:30,551 harder to do if you don't have adequate nutrition. So 43 00:02:30,617 --> 00:02:33,687 when we see challenges to programs like Foodshare, 44 00:02:33,754 --> 00:02:37,624 which is also known as SNAP at the federal level, we 45 00:02:37,691 --> 00:02:39,593 see that it creates all sorts of ripple effects 46 00:02:39,660 --> 00:02:42,729 that will end up paying for in other ways. 47 00:02:42,796 --> 00:02:45,666 >> Does $160 a month stretch far enough to 48 00:02:45,732 --> 00:02:48,635 provide nutrition for families? 49 00:02:48,702 --> 00:02:51,738 >> Oh, it never does. So the Snap program, as it's 50 00:02:51,805 --> 00:02:54,074 known federally, which is the Supplemental Nutrition 51 00:02:54,141 --> 00:02:56,243 Assistance Program, I want to highlight the word 52 00:02:56,310 --> 00:02:59,513 supplemental. It's not meant to provide all 53 00:02:59,580 --> 00:03:04,084 nutrition for families needs. It's meant to assist 54 00:03:04,151 --> 00:03:06,553 with it. So but it does make a difference. 55 00:03:06,620 --> 00:03:10,757 >> You spoke to this, but how important is access to 56 00:03:10,824 --> 00:03:13,927 healthy food in combating chronic illness or child 57 00:03:13,994 --> 00:03:18,098 development even? >> We know that many things 58 00:03:18,165 --> 00:03:20,667 go into child development in terms of staying healthy 59 00:03:20,734 --> 00:03:23,537 and so on. One of them is having all the building 60 00:03:23,604 --> 00:03:27,508 blocks in. Nutrition is how we take in sources of 61 00:03:27,574 --> 00:03:30,677 energy and the building blocks for our brains and 62 00:03:30,744 --> 00:03:33,847 for our bodies to be able to do all the things we do. 63 00:03:33,914 --> 00:03:36,750 There's actually some great research that was done some 64 00:03:36,817 --> 00:03:40,621 time ago. It's well known showing that when you timed 65 00:03:40,687 --> 00:03:44,558 the standardized testing in elementary school kids, 66 00:03:44,625 --> 00:03:47,628 where in the month that was mattered as to whether the 67 00:03:47,694 --> 00:03:50,664 children were hungry or not. Right. So just did they 68 00:03:50,731 --> 00:03:53,600 have adequate food in the home actually affected 69 00:03:53,667 --> 00:03:56,403 their test scores significantly? We've seen 70 00:03:56,470 --> 00:03:58,605 many, many studies showing these sorts of things. 71 00:03:58,672 --> 00:04:01,575 >> Does food insecurity also affect children's 72 00:04:01,642 --> 00:04:05,445 mental health? thinking of of scarcity, 73 00:04:07,147 --> 00:04:10,450 right. Will I have enough to eat when I go home? The 74 00:04:10,517 --> 00:04:13,287 panic that many families would have thinking about 75 00:04:13,353 --> 00:04:17,958 summer before summer programs were introduced 76 00:04:18,025 --> 00:04:22,429 can really create a huge challenge for children. 77 00:04:22,496 --> 00:04:25,766 Will I have enough to eat? Do I know where where I'm 78 00:04:25,832 --> 00:04:29,469 going to be able to eat tonight? And it can create 79 00:04:29,536 --> 00:04:32,072 this mindset that's always worried about not having 80 00:04:32,139 --> 00:04:34,975 enough? regularly say they are food 81 00:04:35,042 --> 00:04:37,511 insecure and is that growing? 82 00:04:37,578 --> 00:04:41,381 >> It is certainly growing. And the reason they say it 83 00:04:41,448 --> 00:04:43,884 is because in healthcare we've become much better 84 00:04:43,951 --> 00:04:46,653 about asking. As you can imagine, there's there's 85 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,456 often a stigma, right, of saying, I can't provide for 86 00:04:49,523 --> 00:04:53,060 my family, we don't have enough to eat and so on. So 87 00:04:53,126 --> 00:04:56,463 we're often asking simple two question screeners to 88 00:04:56,530 --> 00:04:59,366 be able to find out, because you can't tell just 89 00:04:59,433 --> 00:05:02,135 by looking. And that's one of the other things that I 90 00:05:02,202 --> 00:05:06,039 think is important about this SNAP and Wikler 91 00:05:06,106 --> 00:05:09,376 coverage. Usage is highest in rural counties in 92 00:05:09,443 --> 00:05:12,045 Wisconsin, but it is a statewide issue that this 93 00:05:12,112 --> 00:05:14,548 creates. >> What are the most 94 00:05:14,615 --> 00:05:17,150 nutritious foods that could go lacking without food? 95 00:05:17,217 --> 00:05:20,354 Share. >> There's no such thing as 96 00:05:21,755 --> 00:05:23,590 one particular nutritious food or anything like that. 97 00:05:23,657 --> 00:05:26,326 But what you'll find is that families will often 98 00:05:26,393 --> 00:05:29,930 turn to what is cheapest in an effort to stretch 99 00:05:29,997 --> 00:05:33,934 whatever dollars they have more processed foods, 100 00:05:34,001 --> 00:05:36,537 possibly fast food and things like that, because 101 00:05:36,603 --> 00:05:39,506 they are a lot cheaper because of all sorts of 102 00:05:39,573 --> 00:05:42,709 reasons. What you will see is that they're less likely 103 00:05:42,776 --> 00:05:45,345 to get foods that will spoil, so you're not going 104 00:05:45,412 --> 00:05:47,781 to see fresh fruits and vegetables on the same 105 00:05:47,848 --> 00:05:50,450 level, maybe dairy, things like that, because they're 106 00:05:50,517 --> 00:05:53,754 not sure when they'll be able to afford more. 107 00:05:53,820 --> 00:05:56,423 >> As a policy matter. What is your reaction to 108 00:05:56,490 --> 00:06:00,260 potential cuts to snap or food Share, and definite 109 00:06:00,327 --> 00:06:03,897 restrictions placed on the programs? 110 00:06:04,531 --> 00:06:07,534 make it harder for families to feed themselves. It'll 111 00:06:07,601 --> 00:06:11,305 make it harder for them to care for their children, to 112 00:06:11,371 --> 00:06:14,241 be able to go to work as adults, not hungry and 113 00:06:14,308 --> 00:06:17,511 things of that nature. And we're going to see the 114 00:06:17,578 --> 00:06:20,681 ripple effect as a result. In other areas, we end up 115 00:06:20,747 --> 00:06:24,351 paying more. Frankly, SNAP allows us to not only feed 116 00:06:24,418 --> 00:06:26,486 Wisconsin families, but put money back into the economy 117 00:06:26,553 --> 00:06:28,722 of local farmers and producers and stores. 118 00:06:28,789 --> 00:06:31,391 producers and stores. >> Dipesh Navsaria, thanks 119 00:06:31,458 --> 00:06:33,594 very much. >> Thanks for having me. 120 00:06:33,660 --> 00:06:36,830 >> There's more fallout from federal cuts and 121 00:06:36,897 --> 00:06:40,767 layoffs for Wisconsin, this time with cuts to the U.S. 122 00:06:40,834 --> 00:06:43,871 Department of Education. In the midst of the government 123 00:06:43,937 --> 00:06:45,806 shutdown, the Trump administration laid off 124 00:06:45,873 --> 00:06:49,543 more than 450 employees in the department, nearly all 125 00:06:49,610 --> 00:06:52,946 of them in the office that oversees special education 126 00:06:53,013 --> 00:06:56,617 requirements for states. While a federal judge 127 00:06:56,683 --> 00:06:59,853 temporarily paused the mass layoffs, deep concerns 128 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:03,524 remain, including for Beth Swedeen, executive director 129 00:07:03,590 --> 00:07:06,326 of the Wisconsin Board for people with Developmental 130 00:07:06,393 --> 00:07:08,395 Disabilities. And thanks a lot for being here. 131 00:07:08,462 --> 00:07:10,998 >> Thank you. >> So a federal judge, 132 00:07:11,064 --> 00:07:15,402 midweek, as we just said, temporarily halted mass 133 00:07:15,469 --> 00:07:18,739 layoffs in federal agencies. to the consequence relating 134 00:07:18,805 --> 00:07:22,142 to special education in Wisconsin? 135 00:07:22,976 --> 00:07:25,779 concerned because, as you know, everybody is off 136 00:07:25,846 --> 00:07:30,117 anyway, with the government being shut down. And we 137 00:07:30,184 --> 00:07:32,686 just don't know what those people will come back 138 00:07:32,753 --> 00:07:35,889 in a timely way. And then, of course, when you don't 139 00:07:35,956 --> 00:07:38,725 know if your job is secure, we are assuming a lot of 140 00:07:38,792 --> 00:07:41,929 those people might be going elsewhere anyway. So 141 00:07:41,995 --> 00:07:45,232 there's always a concern when there's this kind of 142 00:07:45,299 --> 00:07:47,467 threat that you don't bounce back from it very 143 00:07:47,534 --> 00:07:51,104 quickly. employees stand, what would 144 00:07:51,839 --> 00:07:54,875 the staff cuts in the Office of Special Education 145 00:07:54,942 --> 00:07:59,246 and Rehabilitative Services mean for children here in 146 00:07:59,313 --> 00:08:01,715 the classroom? >> We think that almost all 147 00:08:01,782 --> 00:08:04,618 of the positions were cut with the exception of a 148 00:08:04,685 --> 00:08:08,522 handful. So from several hundred down to, you know, 149 00:08:08,589 --> 00:08:11,892 under ten. So those are the folks who, when a family 150 00:08:11,959 --> 00:08:15,896 can't get redressed in the state, or if a school 151 00:08:15,963 --> 00:08:18,732 district has a question about interpretation of the 152 00:08:18,799 --> 00:08:21,702 law, that's where they went. And so that means that even 153 00:08:21,768 --> 00:08:25,439 though we have this federal statute in place, this 154 00:08:25,506 --> 00:08:28,642 federal law that's 50 years old this year, there's 155 00:08:28,709 --> 00:08:31,712 nothing to enforce it if those cuts go through. 156 00:08:31,778 --> 00:08:34,748 >> So this law, the Disabilities Education Act 157 00:08:34,815 --> 00:08:39,086 or Idea, guarantees public special education services 158 00:08:39,152 --> 00:08:43,357 to nearly 130,000 students in Wisconsin. What was it 159 00:08:43,423 --> 00:08:45,626 like for students with disabilities before the 160 00:08:45,692 --> 00:08:48,595 federal law was passed in 1975? 161 00:08:49,596 --> 00:08:53,400 >> Well, those students weren't students. So before 162 00:08:53,467 --> 00:08:57,604 1975, if you had a significant disability or 163 00:08:58,939 --> 00:09:00,741 developmental disability, but like a physical 164 00:09:00,807 --> 00:09:03,944 disability, a school district did not have to 165 00:09:04,011 --> 00:09:06,613 serve you. So we know almost all students were 166 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:09,917 either at home with their families or unfortunately 167 00:09:09,983 --> 00:09:13,720 in institutions because medical doctors were saying 168 00:09:13,787 --> 00:09:15,756 there's really nothing, no future for your child. Why 169 00:09:15,822 --> 00:09:19,226 don't you just go to a state institution or they 170 00:09:19,293 --> 00:09:22,930 around 50, 60 years ago, some families with a little 171 00:09:22,996 --> 00:09:25,799 more vision and kind of a can do attitude did start 172 00:09:25,866 --> 00:09:28,468 their own schools, often in church basements, but there 173 00:09:28,535 --> 00:09:30,737 were no protections in place. And students who 174 00:09:30,804 --> 00:09:33,540 really had so much potential never saw that 175 00:09:33,607 --> 00:09:35,809 because they couldn't even enter the door of a school. 176 00:09:35,876 --> 00:09:38,712 >> Because students with special needs can learn and 177 00:09:38,779 --> 00:09:41,782 can be educated and can succeed. 178 00:09:42,516 --> 00:09:45,686 as you know, as a disability community, we 179 00:09:45,752 --> 00:09:47,788 have seen that happen. We have seen even students 180 00:09:47,855 --> 00:09:50,390 with the most significant disabilities, with the 181 00:09:50,457 --> 00:09:52,759 right supports, with the right services, and now 182 00:09:52,826 --> 00:09:55,729 with oftentimes the right technology, they can be 183 00:09:55,796 --> 00:09:58,632 successful, they can work in the community, they can 184 00:09:58,699 --> 00:10:01,768 live either semi-independently or with 185 00:10:01,835 --> 00:10:04,972 some support, living out in the community. And they can 186 00:10:05,038 --> 00:10:07,741 have very fulfilling lives. >> So if the US Department 187 00:10:07,808 --> 00:10:12,012 of Education more generally wants states to take over 188 00:10:12,079 --> 00:10:14,882 these and other services, what's on the horizon for 189 00:10:14,948 --> 00:10:18,018 special education? >> Well, the dismantling 190 00:10:18,085 --> 00:10:21,688 came first, and the idea of sending those dollars and 191 00:10:21,755 --> 00:10:25,692 the responsibility to the states has yet to 192 00:10:25,759 --> 00:10:28,862 materialize. So we don't really know what the future 193 00:10:28,929 --> 00:10:31,899 is. Usually when you want to reform something, you 194 00:10:31,965 --> 00:10:34,902 look at it carefully to see where the flaws are, and 195 00:10:34,968 --> 00:10:37,671 then you develop a plan and supports for implementing 196 00:10:37,738 --> 00:10:41,875 the changes. That has not happened in this situation. 197 00:10:41,942 --> 00:10:45,612 The cuts have come first and then some lip service 198 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:48,849 toward maybe states can take over, but we really 199 00:10:48,916 --> 00:10:50,951 don't know what that looks like. And as you probably 200 00:10:51,018 --> 00:10:53,854 know, that could take years to sort of switch that over. 201 00:10:53,921 --> 00:10:56,623 And I think what's important with idea with 202 00:10:56,690 --> 00:10:59,693 this federal law is it's a federal law. So the feds 203 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,430 are the ones who need to enforce the law. States 204 00:11:03,497 --> 00:11:07,634 oftentimes have had issues where they have not 205 00:11:07,701 --> 00:11:10,737 that's when the feds have come in and said, no state, 206 00:11:10,804 --> 00:11:12,673 you're not doing it correctly. We're going to 207 00:11:12,739 --> 00:11:15,542 give you, you know, guidance on how you need to 208 00:11:15,609 --> 00:11:18,612 change things. Department of Education cut 209 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:21,949 would eliminate about $8 million of a grant to 210 00:11:22,015 --> 00:11:24,518 Wisconsin to attract and retain special education 211 00:11:24,585 --> 00:11:26,720 teachers. What's your reaction to that? 212 00:11:26,787 --> 00:11:29,523 >> Well, we've seen several different cuts. That's one 213 00:11:29,590 --> 00:11:33,093 that you're referring to, something that really 214 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:35,796 prepares special education teachers and encourages 215 00:11:35,863 --> 00:11:38,899 them to go into the field and stay in the field. 216 00:11:38,966 --> 00:11:40,934 There was also a program for deaf blind students 217 00:11:41,001 --> 00:11:44,671 that was cut. So we see this as continuous attacks 218 00:11:44,738 --> 00:11:47,374 on students with disabilities and the 219 00:11:47,441 --> 00:11:50,911 supports and services they need to be successful. 220 00:11:50,978 --> 00:11:54,481 >> And so where does this leave students and families? 221 00:11:54,548 --> 00:11:57,484 >> Well, I was not the first one to hear about 222 00:11:57,551 --> 00:11:59,853 this. There was a ripple across the state over the 223 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:02,956 weekend on social media and elsewhere from families. 224 00:12:03,023 --> 00:12:05,859 Families were the ones who heard the news first, and 225 00:12:05,926 --> 00:12:08,862 they're really concerned. I mean, they're as you 226 00:12:08,929 --> 00:12:12,766 mentioned, we already have significant problems with 227 00:12:12,833 --> 00:12:15,903 getting enough special education teachers. There's 228 00:12:15,969 --> 00:12:17,938 a lot of teachers on emergency licenses right 229 00:12:18,005 --> 00:12:21,742 now, and school districts are having a hard time with 230 00:12:21,808 --> 00:12:25,479 budgets, providing the full array of services that 231 00:12:25,546 --> 00:12:29,483 students need and that are in their plans. So this is 232 00:12:29,550 --> 00:12:31,952 not this is something that we're really concerned 233 00:12:32,019 --> 00:12:34,621 about moving forward, that that there will not be any 234 00:12:34,688 --> 00:12:37,391 enforcement and that families and students will 235 00:12:37,457 --> 00:12:39,693 suffer. >> Beth Swedeen, thanks 236 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:42,763 very much. >> Everyone knows how 237 00:12:43,564 --> 00:12:47,467 expensive it is to buy a house these days. In 238 00:12:47,534 --> 00:12:49,937 Wisconsin, home prices have risen much faster than 239 00:12:50,003 --> 00:12:52,673 incomes, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum. 240 00:12:52,739 --> 00:12:56,376 That freezes out renters from creating generational 241 00:12:56,443 --> 00:12:58,979 wealth through homeownership. But there 242 00:12:59,046 --> 00:13:02,816 are innovative ideas to get people into their own homes, 243 00:13:02,883 --> 00:13:05,686 like land trusts, where the buyer gets a mortgage for 244 00:13:05,752 --> 00:13:08,722 the home only and then leases the land under it 245 00:13:08,789 --> 00:13:11,625 from a nonprofit. The result? Affordable home 246 00:13:11,692 --> 00:13:15,729 ownership, a new community land trust program is 247 00:13:15,796 --> 00:13:18,765 taking shape in green Bay. Its mayor, Eric Genrich, 248 00:13:18,832 --> 00:13:23,303 joins us with more. And mayor, thanks a lot for 249 00:13:23,370 --> 00:13:26,907 having me. programs in other parts of 250 00:13:26,974 --> 00:13:28,876 the state. What made you interested in this idea? 251 00:13:28,942 --> 00:13:31,612 >> Well, as you said, yes, we're certainly not the 252 00:13:31,678 --> 00:13:35,115 first ones to adopt a community land trust here 253 00:13:35,182 --> 00:13:39,987 in green Bay. I believe area, southeast Wisconsin. 254 00:13:40,921 --> 00:13:43,690 La Crosse I believe area has one as well. And it's 255 00:13:43,757 --> 00:13:45,926 really a movement that's that's grown pretty 256 00:13:45,993 --> 00:13:48,962 significantly over the last few years. You know, you 257 00:13:49,029 --> 00:13:53,667 did a great job of kind of giving an overview of that 258 00:13:53,734 --> 00:13:56,803 concept and why it's so appealing to us is, is the 259 00:13:56,870 --> 00:14:00,574 idea that we will be able to set aside a certain 260 00:14:00,641 --> 00:14:04,077 number of homes that will remain relatively 261 00:14:04,144 --> 00:14:06,513 affordable forever? There's a number of strategies that 262 00:14:06,580 --> 00:14:09,650 we deploy currently within the city of green Bay and 263 00:14:09,716 --> 00:14:12,586 that are common, I think, across the country. But 264 00:14:12,653 --> 00:14:15,022 oftentimes those periods of affordability are limited 265 00:14:15,088 --> 00:14:18,759 to, you know, 15 years or a couple decades or something 266 00:14:18,825 --> 00:14:22,062 like that with the with the Community Land Trust model, 267 00:14:22,129 --> 00:14:25,933 because the rate of appreciation is managed a 268 00:14:25,999 --> 00:14:29,436 bit and regulated a bit for for those who own these 269 00:14:29,503 --> 00:14:32,773 homes, these homes will, especially in the long term, 270 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:35,709 be a lot more affordable when you compare them to to 271 00:14:35,776 --> 00:14:37,711 other homes that are available on the private 272 00:14:37,778 --> 00:14:39,813 market. >> Yeah, this wouldn't be 273 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,350 city or public housing, right? How would it work? 274 00:14:43,417 --> 00:14:47,187 >> Correct. Yeah. No, clarifying question. Yeah. 275 00:14:47,254 --> 00:14:49,590 We've partnered with Neighborworks green Bay, 276 00:14:49,656 --> 00:14:52,326 which is a local housing nonprofit. But they're a 277 00:14:52,392 --> 00:14:55,529 they're a local affiliate of a nationwide 278 00:14:55,596 --> 00:14:59,233 organization, Neighborworks America. And so they have a 279 00:14:59,299 --> 00:15:02,636 lot of access to expertise around the country with 280 00:15:02,703 --> 00:15:05,339 fellow affiliates who have gone down this, this path 281 00:15:05,405 --> 00:15:07,674 of community land trust. And so it's a great 282 00:15:07,741 --> 00:15:11,845 partnership that's already been established. But I 283 00:15:11,912 --> 00:15:15,482 humanity was a was a really instrumental part of this 284 00:15:15,549 --> 00:15:19,386 brainstorming process. You know, they're going to have 285 00:15:19,453 --> 00:15:22,856 representation on this nonprofits, the Chamber of 286 00:15:22,923 --> 00:15:25,592 Commerce was really instrumental as well. When 287 00:15:25,659 --> 00:15:27,895 we were figuring out exactly how we would 288 00:15:27,961 --> 00:15:30,998 structure this. And so a lot of folks have been 289 00:15:31,064 --> 00:15:33,634 involved, and we're looking for even more to continue 290 00:15:33,700 --> 00:15:37,037 to be involved in the future, because this is not 291 00:15:37,104 --> 00:15:39,706 something that that only can be supported by the 292 00:15:39,773 --> 00:15:43,577 city government. It's really going to require 293 00:15:43,644 --> 00:15:47,581 and generous individual donors, foundations and 294 00:15:47,648 --> 00:15:50,684 things to to make sure that this gets to the stage or 295 00:15:50,751 --> 00:15:53,854 to the level that really has an impact on housing 296 00:15:53,921 --> 00:15:56,223 affordability. community, how out of reach 297 00:15:56,290 --> 00:15:59,526 is home ownership for most people? 298 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:04,131 >> You know, relatively speaking, homeownership is 299 00:16:04,198 --> 00:16:08,101 is easier to attain here in green Bay than it is in 300 00:16:08,168 --> 00:16:11,839 many other parts of the on one of these lists where 301 00:16:11,905 --> 00:16:14,975 it said green Bay was the number one place for people 302 00:16:15,042 --> 00:16:18,478 on Social Security to to to live. So relatively 303 00:16:18,545 --> 00:16:21,448 speaking, you know, we're we're affordable. But in 304 00:16:21,515 --> 00:16:24,785 comparison to our history, not at all the case. You 305 00:16:24,852 --> 00:16:28,288 know, we've seen home prices in the city of green 306 00:16:28,355 --> 00:16:31,592 Bay go up, you know, double digit percentage points 307 00:16:31,658 --> 00:16:35,362 pretty much every year over the last five years. So 308 00:16:35,429 --> 00:16:37,564 homeownership is out of reach, unfortunately for 309 00:16:37,631 --> 00:16:40,367 far too many people. And we're in the position of 310 00:16:40,434 --> 00:16:43,837 really, you know, taking in all of the above approach 311 00:16:43,904 --> 00:16:46,840 to housing affordability here in the city of green 312 00:16:46,907 --> 00:16:49,543 Bay. We recognize that not one single solution is 313 00:16:49,610 --> 00:16:52,446 going to get us to that point. But community Land 314 00:16:52,513 --> 00:16:55,649 trust, we feel, is definitely a tool that 315 00:16:55,716 --> 00:16:58,085 hasn't been utilized in the past and needs to be part 316 00:16:58,151 --> 00:17:00,954 of the equation in the future. 317 00:17:01,588 --> 00:17:03,757 If someone buys a house through the Community Land 318 00:17:03,824 --> 00:17:07,561 Trust first, how affordable might it be to get in? And 319 00:17:07,628 --> 00:17:10,631 then can they sell it at a profit? 320 00:17:11,798 --> 00:17:15,135 >> Right? Yes. So, you know, it is expensive just to 321 00:17:15,202 --> 00:17:18,605 construct a home these days. So so some of those costs 322 00:17:18,672 --> 00:17:21,742 are kind of built in the way that we're going to be 323 00:17:21,808 --> 00:17:24,745 able to bring down the cost of construction is really 324 00:17:24,811 --> 00:17:27,080 through private philanthropy, as I was 325 00:17:27,147 --> 00:17:29,483 suggesting. So it's going to be important for, for 326 00:17:29,550 --> 00:17:32,419 donors to step up to, to bring that initial cost 327 00:17:32,486 --> 00:17:35,989 down to a level affordability for low and 328 00:17:36,056 --> 00:17:39,726 moderate income folks going forward. Once we, you know, 329 00:17:39,793 --> 00:17:41,795 construct the home, find the family, set up a 330 00:17:41,862 --> 00:17:44,064 situation where they're able to to purchase this 331 00:17:44,131 --> 00:17:48,869 home, they would be able to realize a percentage of 332 00:17:48,936 --> 00:17:52,372 increase in value over the years. So I think the the 333 00:17:52,439 --> 00:17:55,442 formula that's been arrived on is 2% a year. So 334 00:17:55,509 --> 00:17:58,612 certainly, you know, these families are going to be 335 00:17:58,679 --> 00:18:01,849 able to to pull out some of that equity if they were to 336 00:18:01,915 --> 00:18:04,618 decide to sell the home down the line. But it's not 337 00:18:04,685 --> 00:18:07,821 going to be to the extent that we've seen in the 338 00:18:07,888 --> 00:18:09,723 really where these homes become even more affordable 339 00:18:09,790 --> 00:18:12,426 ten, 20, 30 years down the line. 340 00:18:12,492 --> 00:18:15,495 >> In your city's model, the plan is to provide 341 00:18:15,562 --> 00:18:18,699 wraparound services. What do those look like? 342 00:18:18,765 --> 00:18:21,535 >> You know, a lot of those, I think are going to be 343 00:18:21,602 --> 00:18:23,937 determined in the future. But I was, you know, 344 00:18:24,004 --> 00:18:26,240 referencing the fact that we were working closely 345 00:18:26,306 --> 00:18:28,909 with Neighborworks green Bay. They're the really the 346 00:18:28,976 --> 00:18:32,513 housing agency in town and, and are going to be the 347 00:18:32,579 --> 00:18:37,351 ones who are operating the, the land trust. And so, you 348 00:18:37,417 --> 00:18:42,122 know, they're really well training. You know, 349 00:18:42,189 --> 00:18:45,359 anti-eviction training that they've been been doing for 350 00:18:45,425 --> 00:18:47,694 decades here. And so they're really going to be 351 00:18:47,761 --> 00:18:51,632 the entity that that are going to figure out exactly 352 00:18:51,698 --> 00:18:53,634 going to be necessary for these homeowners, but 353 00:18:53,700 --> 00:18:55,836 they're really well placed to do that. 354 00:18:55,903 --> 00:18:58,605 >> What kind of stability for a community? Do owner 355 00:18:58,672 --> 00:19:03,810 occupied homes create? >> Yeah, I mean, they're so 356 00:19:03,877 --> 00:19:06,747 essential here in in green Bay. We have a great system 357 00:19:06,813 --> 00:19:10,617 of of neighborhoods. We just celebrated the 50th 358 00:19:10,684 --> 00:19:12,853 neighborhood association to be established within the 359 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:15,923 city of green Bay. I think historically, homeowners 360 00:19:15,989 --> 00:19:18,759 have have played, you know, more of an instrumental 361 00:19:18,825 --> 00:19:22,529 role in some of those organizations. But we 362 00:19:22,596 --> 00:19:25,799 residents play and absolutely encourage people 363 00:19:25,866 --> 00:19:28,635 who are, you know, in the rental housing environment, 364 00:19:28,702 --> 00:19:32,840 in condos and homes to to step up and take some 365 00:19:32,906 --> 00:19:34,842 ownership of their neighborhoods. But 366 00:19:34,908 --> 00:19:37,644 homeownership is is still really a dream for many 367 00:19:37,711 --> 00:19:40,747 people. And it's it's a great way, you know, to to 368 00:19:40,814 --> 00:19:44,017 set aside some, some wealth for yourselves and for your 369 00:19:44,084 --> 00:19:47,621 families down the line in the land trust model. It's 370 00:19:47,688 --> 00:19:49,723 like I was explaining earlier, it's, you know, 371 00:19:49,790 --> 00:19:52,826 it's kind of modestly controlled, but it's still 372 00:19:52,893 --> 00:19:56,263 a great way, as I said, to to develop a nest egg for 373 00:19:56,330 --> 00:20:00,033 yourselves and for for your children and grandchildren. 374 00:20:00,100 --> 00:20:02,803 that we want to encourage. >> We'll be watching this 375 00:20:02,870 --> 00:20:04,404 as it takes shape. Mayor Eric Genrich, thanks very 376 00:20:04,471 --> 00:20:06,840 much. >> Thanks so much for 377 00:20:06,907 --> 00:20:09,510 having me. >> Across Wisconsin. A 378 00:20:09,576 --> 00:20:12,913 record number of people died as a result of 379 00:20:12,980 --> 00:20:16,717 domestic violence in 2024, according to an annual 380 00:20:16,783 --> 00:20:20,454 report released this month. End domestic abuse 381 00:20:20,521 --> 00:20:25,092 Wisconsin reports 110 victims in 2024, up from 85 382 00:20:25,626 --> 00:20:30,430 the year before. 60% of the homicides happened in urban 383 00:20:30,497 --> 00:20:34,601 areas, 40% in rural and firearms were used in 71% 384 00:20:34,668 --> 00:20:39,573 of the deaths, with 78% of the perpetrators being men. 385 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,609 What is causing the jump in domestic violence and what 386 00:20:42,676 --> 00:20:46,647 to do about it? We're joined by Monique Minkins, 387 00:20:46,713 --> 00:20:49,449 executive director of Domestic Abuse, Wisconsin. 388 00:20:49,516 --> 00:20:52,653 And thanks so much for being here. 389 00:20:53,921 --> 00:20:57,291 >> Well, to that question, what is causing domestic 390 00:20:57,357 --> 00:21:01,528 violence to be on the rise? >> There are several 391 00:21:01,595 --> 00:21:06,400 reasons why. You know, any time there is an economic 392 00:21:07,868 --> 00:21:12,206 downturn, there is domestic violence because of life 393 00:21:12,272 --> 00:21:16,376 stressors. And so we know that we have been in this. 394 00:21:16,443 --> 00:21:20,113 I don't know if you call it a recession or whatever, 395 00:21:20,180 --> 00:21:24,785 but food prices are rising, prices are rising. In 396 00:21:24,852 --> 00:21:28,789 general, unemployment is rising, and that causes a 397 00:21:28,856 --> 00:21:32,526 lot of stress and a family. And so that can be a cause 398 00:21:32,593 --> 00:21:37,164 of of the rise. Sometimes. It's also the fact that 399 00:21:40,667 --> 00:21:45,572 programs are underfunded, and we are trying to serve 400 00:21:46,607 --> 00:21:49,810 as many people as we can, and sometimes there are 401 00:21:49,877 --> 00:21:55,415 waitlists or people decide not to pursue the services. 402 00:21:55,482 --> 00:21:59,953 And so it's a matter of access to services as well 403 00:22:01,288 --> 00:22:05,859 as economics that play an important role in in why 404 00:22:07,327 --> 00:22:11,999 these numbers are rising. >> Harkening back to our 405 00:22:12,699 --> 00:22:16,837 last segment in this program and affordable 406 00:22:16,904 --> 00:22:20,541 housing, how to housing needs play into domestic 407 00:22:20,607 --> 00:22:24,645 violence response. >> Holsey does homicide 408 00:22:24,711 --> 00:22:28,682 prevention and the majority of homeless women and 409 00:22:28,749 --> 00:22:33,654 children are homeless due to domestic violence. And 410 00:22:34,321 --> 00:22:38,992 so we have to understand the role that that it plays 411 00:22:40,327 --> 00:22:44,031 and how someone leaves. And it's almost a vow of 412 00:22:44,097 --> 00:22:48,335 poverty. And we have to serve each individual 413 00:22:49,937 --> 00:22:54,441 according to who they are, realizing that we have to 414 00:22:54,508 --> 00:22:59,413 have many options and that housing is expensive. And 415 00:23:03,050 --> 00:23:07,554 and it's hard to get in, and there are stricter 416 00:23:07,621 --> 00:23:10,891 requirements that can sometimes be be difficult 417 00:23:10,958 --> 00:23:15,863 for people to find. Housing. Housing, like I said, is 418 00:23:16,730 --> 00:23:21,335 homicide prevention and people are safer in their 419 00:23:21,401 --> 00:23:24,171 home when it when it's their home and they, they 420 00:23:24,238 --> 00:23:26,974 control who comes in and out. 421 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:29,943 >> Your report notes that Black women are six times 422 00:23:30,010 --> 00:23:32,813 more likely to be killed than white women. What do 423 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,583 you want to see in response to that, and would it 424 00:23:36,650 --> 00:23:40,354 mitigate this disparity? >> Black women are six 425 00:23:40,420 --> 00:23:43,991 times more likely nationally to die of 426 00:23:45,092 --> 00:23:48,862 homicide in the state of Wisconsin. They are 20 427 00:23:48,929 --> 00:23:51,899 times more likely to die of homicide in a state of 428 00:23:51,965 --> 00:23:56,170 Wisconsin. And that's that's there are several 429 00:23:56,236 --> 00:24:00,007 factors, right? Those are underserved populations. 430 00:24:00,073 --> 00:24:04,645 The police have a role for some people, but not for 431 00:24:05,479 --> 00:24:09,082 everyone. And we have to recognize that we have to 432 00:24:09,149 --> 00:24:12,986 respect that and and make sure that there are 433 00:24:13,053 --> 00:24:18,325 different methods of people accessing services and not 434 00:24:18,392 --> 00:24:22,763 not making it tough or creating barriers or 435 00:24:22,829 --> 00:24:27,367 criticizing people for the way they do access those 436 00:24:27,434 --> 00:24:31,872 services. And so we have to look at all of these things 437 00:24:31,939 --> 00:24:34,441 and make sure that there is understanding of what it 438 00:24:34,508 --> 00:24:37,578 means to work with different populations and 439 00:24:37,644 --> 00:24:42,482 realize, once again, the police play a role, but not 440 00:24:42,549 --> 00:24:47,020 for everyone and for us to try and force people to 441 00:24:50,090 --> 00:24:53,994 tragedy, and it will not get us anywhere. We can't 442 00:24:54,061 --> 00:24:56,597 arrest ourselves out of out of domestic violence. And 443 00:24:56,663 --> 00:25:00,801 for some people, that is not that is not the that's 444 00:25:00,868 --> 00:25:05,672 not an option. And we have to honor that and work with 445 00:25:05,739 --> 00:25:09,343 them accordingly. >> What what can be done to 446 00:25:09,409 --> 00:25:12,646 address root causes? Do you think. 447 00:25:14,081 --> 00:25:17,251 >> We have to consider all avenues of serving, serving 448 00:25:17,317 --> 00:25:21,421 victims because people are individuals with different 449 00:25:21,488 --> 00:25:25,192 life experiences. And of course, we need more 450 00:25:25,259 --> 00:25:29,029 funding. I can't stress that enough people are 451 00:25:29,096 --> 00:25:32,633 losing. We have lost a lot of funding and we are 452 00:25:32,699 --> 00:25:37,037 seeing the results of that. We have a to line and 453 00:25:40,507 --> 00:25:45,078 victims are starting to call our line when they 454 00:25:45,145 --> 00:25:48,482 can't get services from their local programs, and 455 00:25:48,549 --> 00:25:52,853 we are able to connect them to other programs. And 456 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:57,824 sometimes they want to know how can they be safe or and 457 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,829 and are in need of moral support that that we are 458 00:26:02,896 --> 00:26:07,701 giving them. And we are seeing a huge increase of 459 00:26:07,768 --> 00:26:10,804 calls from victims. >> We leave it there. 460 00:26:10,871 --> 00:26:14,842 Monique Minkins, thank you so much. Thank you for more 461 00:26:14,908 --> 00:26:17,711 on this and other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our 462 00:26:17,778 --> 00:26:21,648 website at PBS Wisconsin and then click on the news 463 00:26:21,715 --> 00:26:25,285 tab. That's our program for tonight I'm Frederica 464 00:26:25,352 --> 00:26:26,887 Freyberg. Have a good weekend. 465 00:26:26,954 --> 00:26:28,622 [MUSIC] . 466 00:26:45,639 --> 00:26:48,642 >> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus 467 00:26:48,709 --> 00:26:53,380 Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.