>> The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original
production. >> The partisan blame
continues to go around as the federal shutdown has no
end in sight, but cuts coming from Washington are
having real impacts back home.
[MUSIC] I'm Frederica Freyberg
tonight on "Here& Now". Hundreds of thousands could
lose their food share benefits. Advocates urge
action from state lawmakers cuts that the U.S.
Department of Education leave special education
students more vulnerable as the deficit of affordable
housing continues, more communities are turning to
land trusts to ease the strain and how to address
an increase in lives lost due to domestic violence.
It's "Here& Now" for October 17th.
[MUSIC] >> Funding for Here and Now
is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and
Friends of PBS Wisconsin. >> If the federal
government shutdown continues, food assistance
programs in Wisconsin could run short of funds by next
month. Foodshare serves more than 700,000 people in
Wisconsin, with the average monthly benefit of about
$160. The state health department is now asking
the legislature to approve nearly $70 million to cover
federal cuts and add staff to administer new
eligibility requirements. This potential funding
cliff could hurt people who depend on the assistance.
We turn to Doctor Dipesh Navsaria, a physician
member of the Wisconsin Historical Society and
policy chair of the Wisconsin chapter of the
American Academy of Pediatrics. And doctor,
thanks very much for being here.
>> Thanks for having me. >> As a pediatrician, how
do you see the importance of food share assistance?
>> It's something that's absolutely critical to
families. I mean, to put it simply, right, hungry
family members is just not a good thing. It's not good
for adults. It's not good for children. And having
adequate nutrition is important for everything
else we do in our lives learning, working, enjoying
time with one another. All of these things are much
harder to do if you don't have adequate nutrition. So
when we see challenges to programs like Foodshare,
which is also known as SNAP at the federal level, we
see that it creates all sorts of ripple effects
that will end up paying for in other ways.
>> Does $160 a month stretch far enough to
provide nutrition for families?
>> Oh, it never does. So the Snap program, as it's
known federally, which is the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, I want to highlight the word
supplemental. It's not meant to provide all
nutrition for families needs. It's meant to assist
with it. So but it does make a difference.
>> You spoke to this, but how important is access to
healthy food in combating chronic illness or child
development even? >> We know that many things
go into child development in terms of staying healthy
and so on. One of them is having all the building
blocks in. Nutrition is how we take in sources of
energy and the building blocks for our brains and
for our bodies to be able to do all the things we do.
There's actually some great research that was done some
time ago. It's well known showing that when you timed
the standardized testing in elementary school kids,
where in the month that was mattered as to whether the
children were hungry or not. Right. So just did they
have adequate food in the home actually affected
their test scores significantly? We've seen
many, many studies showing these sorts of things.
>> Does food insecurity also affect children's
mental health? thinking of of scarcity,
right. Will I have enough to eat when I go home? The
panic that many families would have thinking about
summer before summer programs were introduced
can really create a huge challenge for children.
Will I have enough to eat? Do I know where where I'm
going to be able to eat tonight? And it can create
this mindset that's always worried about not having
enough? regularly say they are food
insecure and is that growing?
>> It is certainly growing. And the reason they say it
is because in healthcare we've become much better
about asking. As you can imagine, there's there's
often a stigma, right, of saying, I can't provide for
my family, we don't have enough to eat and so on. So
we're often asking simple two question screeners to
be able to find out, because you can't tell just
by looking. And that's one of the other things that I
think is important about this SNAP and Wikler
coverage. Usage is highest in rural counties in
Wisconsin, but it is a statewide issue that this
creates. >> What are the most
nutritious foods that could go lacking without food?
Share. >> There's no such thing as
one particular nutritious food or anything like that.
But what you'll find is that families will often
turn to what is cheapest in an effort to stretch
whatever dollars they have more processed foods,
possibly fast food and things like that, because
they are a lot cheaper because of all sorts of
reasons. What you will see is that they're less likely
to get foods that will spoil, so you're not going
to see fresh fruits and vegetables on the same
level, maybe dairy, things like that, because they're
not sure when they'll be able to afford more.
>> As a policy matter. What is your reaction to
potential cuts to snap or food Share, and definite
restrictions placed on the programs?
make it harder for families to feed themselves. It'll
make it harder for them to care for their children, to
be able to go to work as adults, not hungry and
things of that nature. And we're going to see the
ripple effect as a result. In other areas, we end up
paying more. Frankly, SNAP allows us to not only feed
Wisconsin families, but put money back into the economy
of local farmers and producers and stores.
>> Dipesh Navsaria, thanks
very much. >> Thanks for having me.
>> There's more fallout from federal cuts and
layoffs for Wisconsin, this time with cuts to the U.S.
Department of Education. In the midst of the government
shutdown, the Trump administration laid off
more than 450 employees in the department, nearly all
of them in the office that oversees special education
requirements for states. While a federal judge
temporarily paused the mass layoffs, deep concerns
remain, including for Beth Swedeen, executive director
of the Wisconsin Board for people with Developmental
Disabilities. And thanks a lot for being here.
>> Thank you. >> So a federal judge,
midweek, as we just said, temporarily halted mass
layoffs in federal agencies. to the consequence relating
to special education in Wisconsin?
concerned because, as you know, everybody is off
anyway, with the government being shut down. And we
just don't know what those people will come back
in a timely way. And then, of course, when you don't
know if your job is secure, we are assuming a lot of
those people might be going elsewhere anyway. So
there's always a concern when there's this kind of
threat that you don't bounce back from it very
quickly. employees stand, what would
the staff cuts in the Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services mean for children here in
the classroom? >> We think that almost all
of the positions were cut with the exception of a
handful. So from several hundred down to, you know,
under ten. So those are the folks who, when a family
can't get redressed in the state, or if a school
district has a question about interpretation of the
law, that's where they went. And so that means that even
though we have this federal statute in place, this
federal law that's 50 years old this year, there's
nothing to enforce it if those cuts go through.
>> So this law, the Disabilities Education Act
or Idea, guarantees public special education services
to nearly 130,000 students in Wisconsin. What was it
like for students with disabilities before the
federal law was passed in 1975?
>> Well, those students weren't students. So before
1975, if you had a significant disability or
developmental disability, but like a physical
disability, a school district did not have to
serve you. So we know almost all students were
either at home with their families or unfortunately
in institutions because medical doctors were saying
there's really nothing, no future for your child. Why
don't you just go to a state institution or they
around 50, 60 years ago, some families with a little
more vision and kind of a can do attitude did start
their own schools, often in church basements, but there
were no protections in place. And students who
really had so much potential never saw that
because they couldn't even enter the door of a school.
>> Because students with special needs can learn and
can be educated and can succeed.
as you know, as a disability community, we
have seen that happen. We have seen even students
with the most significant disabilities, with the
right supports, with the right services, and now
with oftentimes the right technology, they can be
successful, they can work in the community, they can
live either semi-independently or with
some support, living out in the community. And they can
have very fulfilling lives. >> So if the US Department
of Education more generally wants states to take over
these and other services, what's on the horizon for
special education? >> Well, the dismantling
came first, and the idea of sending those dollars and
the responsibility to the states has yet to
materialize. So we don't really know what the future
is. Usually when you want to reform something, you
look at it carefully to see where the flaws are, and
then you develop a plan and supports for implementing
the changes. That has not happened in this situation.
The cuts have come first and then some lip service
toward maybe states can take over, but we really
don't know what that looks like. And as you probably
know, that could take years to sort of switch that over.
And I think what's important with idea with
this federal law is it's a federal law. So the feds
are the ones who need to enforce the law. States
oftentimes have had issues where they have not
that's when the feds have come in and said, no state,
you're not doing it correctly. We're going to
give you, you know, guidance on how you need to
change things. Department of Education cut
would eliminate about $8 million of a grant to
Wisconsin to attract and retain special education
teachers. What's your reaction to that?
>> Well, we've seen several different cuts. That's one
that you're referring to, something that really
prepares special education teachers and encourages
them to go into the field and stay in the field.
There was also a program for deaf blind students
that was cut. So we see this as continuous attacks
on students with disabilities and the
supports and services they need to be successful.
>> And so where does this leave students and families?
>> Well, I was not the first one to hear about
this. There was a ripple across the state over the
weekend on social media and elsewhere from families.
Families were the ones who heard the news first, and
they're really concerned. I mean, they're as you
mentioned, we already have significant problems with
getting enough special education teachers. There's
a lot of teachers on emergency licenses right
now, and school districts are having a hard time with
budgets, providing the full array of services that
students need and that are in their plans. So this is
not this is something that we're really concerned
about moving forward, that that there will not be any
enforcement and that families and students will
suffer. >> Beth Swedeen, thanks
very much. >> Everyone knows how
expensive it is to buy a house these days. In
Wisconsin, home prices have risen much faster than
incomes, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
That freezes out renters from creating generational
wealth through homeownership. But there
are innovative ideas to get people into their own homes,
like land trusts, where the buyer gets a mortgage for
the home only and then leases the land under it
from a nonprofit. The result? Affordable home
ownership, a new community land trust program is
taking shape in green Bay. Its mayor, Eric Genrich,
joins us with more. And mayor, thanks a lot for
having me. programs in other parts of
the state. What made you interested in this idea?
>> Well, as you said, yes, we're certainly not the
first ones to adopt a community land trust here
in green Bay. I believe area, southeast Wisconsin.
La Crosse I believe area has one as well. And it's
really a movement that's that's grown pretty
significantly over the last few years. You know, you
did a great job of kind of giving an overview of that
concept and why it's so appealing to us is, is the
idea that we will be able to set aside a certain
number of homes that will remain relatively
affordable forever? There's a number of strategies that
we deploy currently within the city of green Bay and
that are common, I think, across the country. But
oftentimes those periods of affordability are limited
to, you know, 15 years or a couple decades or something
like that with the with the Community Land Trust model,
because the rate of appreciation is managed a
bit and regulated a bit for for those who own these
homes, these homes will, especially in the long term,
be a lot more affordable when you compare them to to
other homes that are available on the private
market. >> Yeah, this wouldn't be
city or public housing, right? How would it work?
>> Correct. Yeah. No, clarifying question. Yeah.
We've partnered with Neighborworks green Bay,
which is a local housing nonprofit. But they're a
they're a local affiliate of a nationwide
organization, Neighborworks America. And so they have a
lot of access to expertise around the country with
fellow affiliates who have gone down this, this path
of community land trust. And so it's a great
partnership that's already been established. But I
humanity was a was a really instrumental part of this
brainstorming process. You know, they're going to have
representation on this nonprofits, the Chamber of
Commerce was really instrumental as well. When
we were figuring out exactly how we would
structure this. And so a lot of folks have been
involved, and we're looking for even more to continue
to be involved in the future, because this is not
something that that only can be supported by the
city government. It's really going to require
and generous individual donors, foundations and
things to to make sure that this gets to the stage or
to the level that really has an impact on housing
affordability. community, how out of reach
is home ownership for most people?
>> You know, relatively speaking, homeownership is
is easier to attain here in green Bay than it is in
many other parts of the on one of these lists where
it said green Bay was the number one place for people
on Social Security to to to live. So relatively
speaking, you know, we're we're affordable. But in
comparison to our history, not at all the case. You
know, we've seen home prices in the city of green
Bay go up, you know, double digit percentage points
pretty much every year over the last five years. So
homeownership is out of reach, unfortunately for
far too many people. And we're in the position of
really, you know, taking in all of the above approach
to housing affordability here in the city of green
Bay. We recognize that not one single solution is
going to get us to that point. But community Land
trust, we feel, is definitely a tool that
hasn't been utilized in the past and needs to be part
of the equation in the future.
If someone buys a house through the Community Land
Trust first, how affordable might it be to get in? And
then can they sell it at a profit?
>> Right? Yes. So, you know, it is expensive just to
construct a home these days. So so some of those costs
are kind of built in the way that we're going to be
able to bring down the cost of construction is really
through private philanthropy, as I was
suggesting. So it's going to be important for, for
donors to step up to, to bring that initial cost
down to a level affordability for low and
moderate income folks going forward. Once we, you know,
construct the home, find the family, set up a
situation where they're able to to purchase this
home, they would be able to realize a percentage of
increase in value over the years. So I think the the
formula that's been arrived on is 2% a year. So
certainly, you know, these families are going to be
able to to pull out some of that equity if they were to
decide to sell the home down the line. But it's not
going to be to the extent that we've seen in the
really where these homes become even more affordable
ten, 20, 30 years down the line.
>> In your city's model, the plan is to provide
wraparound services. What do those look like?
>> You know, a lot of those, I think are going to be
determined in the future. But I was, you know,
referencing the fact that we were working closely
with Neighborworks green Bay. They're the really the
housing agency in town and, and are going to be the
ones who are operating the, the land trust. And so, you
know, they're really well training. You know,
anti-eviction training that they've been been doing for
decades here. And so they're really going to be
the entity that that are going to figure out exactly
going to be necessary for these homeowners, but
they're really well placed to do that.
>> What kind of stability for a community? Do owner
occupied homes create? >> Yeah, I mean, they're so
essential here in in green Bay. We have a great system
of of neighborhoods. We just celebrated the 50th
neighborhood association to be established within the
city of green Bay. I think historically, homeowners
have have played, you know, more of an instrumental
role in some of those organizations. But we
residents play and absolutely encourage people
who are, you know, in the rental housing environment,
in condos and homes to to step up and take some
ownership of their neighborhoods. But
homeownership is is still really a dream for many
people. And it's it's a great way, you know, to to
set aside some, some wealth for yourselves and for your
families down the line in the land trust model. It's
like I was explaining earlier, it's, you know,
it's kind of modestly controlled, but it's still
a great way, as I said, to to develop a nest egg for
yourselves and for for your children and grandchildren.
that we want to encourage. >> We'll be watching this
as it takes shape. Mayor Eric Genrich, thanks very
much. >> Thanks so much for
having me. >> Across Wisconsin. A
record number of people died as a result of
domestic violence in 2024, according to an annual
report released this month. End domestic abuse
Wisconsin reports 110 victims in 2024, up from 85
the year before. 60% of the homicides happened in urban
areas, 40% in rural and firearms were used in 71%
of the deaths, with 78% of the perpetrators being men.
What is causing the jump in domestic violence and what
to do about it? We're joined by Monique Minkins,
executive director of Domestic Abuse, Wisconsin.
And thanks so much for being here.
>> Well, to that question, what is causing domestic
violence to be on the rise? >> There are several
reasons why. You know, any time there is an economic
downturn, there is domestic violence because of life
stressors. And so we know that we have been in this.
I don't know if you call it a recession or whatever,
but food prices are rising, prices are rising. In
general, unemployment is rising, and that causes a
lot of stress and a family. And so that can be a cause
of of the rise. Sometimes. It's also the fact that
programs are underfunded, and we are trying to serve
as many people as we can, and sometimes there are
waitlists or people decide not to pursue the services.
And so it's a matter of access to services as well
as economics that play an important role in in why
these numbers are rising. >> Harkening back to our
last segment in this program and affordable
housing, how to housing needs play into domestic
violence response. >> Holsey does homicide
prevention and the majority of homeless women and
children are homeless due to domestic violence. And
so we have to understand the role that that it plays
and how someone leaves. And it's almost a vow of
poverty. And we have to serve each individual
according to who they are, realizing that we have to
have many options and that housing is expensive. And
and it's hard to get in, and there are stricter
requirements that can sometimes be be difficult
for people to find. Housing. Housing, like I said, is
homicide prevention and people are safer in their
home when it when it's their home and they, they
control who comes in and out.
>> Your report notes that Black women are six times
more likely to be killed than white women. What do
you want to see in response to that, and would it
mitigate this disparity? >> Black women are six
times more likely nationally to die of
homicide in the state of Wisconsin. They are 20
times more likely to die of homicide in a state of
Wisconsin. And that's that's there are several
factors, right? Those are underserved populations.
The police have a role for some people, but not for
everyone. And we have to recognize that we have to
respect that and and make sure that there are
different methods of people accessing services and not
not making it tough or creating barriers or
criticizing people for the way they do access those
services. And so we have to look at all of these things
and make sure that there is understanding of what it
means to work with different populations and
realize, once again, the police play a role, but not
for everyone and for us to try and force people to
tragedy, and it will not get us anywhere. We can't
arrest ourselves out of out of domestic violence. And
for some people, that is not that is not the that's
not an option. And we have to honor that and work with
them accordingly. >> What what can be done to
address root causes? Do you think.
>> We have to consider all avenues of serving, serving
victims because people are individuals with different
life experiences. And of course, we need more
funding. I can't stress that enough people are
losing. We have lost a lot of funding and we are
seeing the results of that. We have a to line and
victims are starting to call our line when they
can't get services from their local programs, and
we are able to connect them to other programs. And
sometimes they want to know how can they be safe or and
and are in need of moral support that that we are
giving them. And we are seeing a huge increase of
calls from victims. >> We leave it there.
Monique Minkins, thank you so much. Thank you for more
on this and other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our
website at PBS Wisconsin and then click on the news
tab. That's our program for tonight I'm Frederica
Freyberg. Have a good weekend.
[MUSIC] .
>> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.