Couleecap Has Served 1 Million People Since 1966
Couleecap, the Coulee Region’s Community Action Agency since 1966, has served 1 million people in Crawford, La Crosse, Monroe, and Vernon Counties since opening its doors to fight poverty. The milestone was recently announced in the latest annual report titled, “A Million Reasons”, which highlights stories of people served by the agency.
“We are proud of the impact our agency has had – from launching programs like Head Start or the first family planning clinics in the region, to developing programs that Couleecap still operates today, like weatherization assistance programs. Couleecap teams have always responded to the community’s needs. That is what makes the agency stand out,”
– Hetti Brown, executive director of Couleecap
Couleecap has developed, launched, and operated more than 247 programs in the Coulee Region since it opened. Those programs have focused on housing, food, employment, education, energy, transportation, and more.
The 2023 Couleecap Annual Report summarizes the agency’s current work and provides examples of how the work impacts clients. In one story, a person in Couleecap’s housing program explains their experience. “I didn’t have to wander; I didn’t have to carry everything I owned on my back. Couleecap provided me with a place where I can ‘just be’. You don’t realize how important that is if you’ve never experienced the opportunity,” says Jake. “The kindness and respect staff have shown me has helped me feel I can fully trust them, which is refreshing. It’s clear the staff at Couleecap are truly here to help people.”
To view the Couleecap Annual Report, visit https://www.couleecap.org/impactreport23.html.
Couleecap explains what is next for the agency. Brown says their success is not only about building new programs but evolving the ones that already work.
“We are always looking for new ways to have a broader impact. Over the last couple of years, we have greatly increased our housing development capacity so we can better address housing shortages in the region and have launched several pilot projects to build community solar and add solar to our weatherization program to better address energy poverty,” says Brown. “Poverty is persistent. So, we need to be more persistent by always looking for better solutions.”
The Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO proudly supports Coulee Cap and commends them on this milestone.
