The Jefferson County Services Division provides a variety of services to individuals experiencing poverty, including services to obtain or maintain housing to prevent homelessness, and subsidized rental costs to make housing more affordable.  In addition, the Division provides many programs to help meet individual’s basic needs and to build skills to reach self-sufficiency.  The Division also works to develop and maintain effective working relationships with agencies and community resources in Jefferson County.

Financial Services & Family Support
Transitional Housing Program: assists households with transitional housing for up to one year.  During this time participants use budget counseling and case management to help secure their economic future and obtain permanent housing.

Wheda Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers: provides rental assistance to households experiencing poverty.  To request assistance, participants must complete a pre-application and return it to CAC’s Watertown office. Qualifying applicants will be placed on the waiting list, and a Housing Services Specialist will contact them in writing when assistance is available.

Emergency Shelter: provides homeless individuals with housing vouchers for temporary/emergency shelter and assists participants in locating permanent housing and other resources.

Eviction Prevention: provides mediation and/or financial assistance to households that have experienced a sudden, unexpected and temporary loss of income and have received a 5-day notice from their landlord.

Entry Assistance: provides mediation services and/or financial assistance to households who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.

Landlord/Tenant Mediation: helps households prevent eviction by offering mediation services to landlords and tenants.

For a list of low income housing in Jefferson County, click on this link: Low Income Housing List

Food Security
The Food Security Division: increases food access and security among people experiencing poverty by mobilizing and distributing food resources, including TEFAP commodities.  CAC distributes food through the Jefferson County Food Pantry Coalition.  For more information, click on this link: Jefferson County Food Pantry Coalition.

Senior Nutrition Farmers’ Market Vouchers: assists Senior Citizens experiencing poverty in purchasing Wisconsin-grown fruits, vegetables and herbs from certified farmers’ markets and roadside stands from June-October.  Qualified seniors must be 60 years of age (55 for Native Americans), reside in Jefferson County and meet income limits.  Eligibility forms and vouchers may be picked up at CAC, or please call for disbursement schedules at area senior nutrition sites.

Additional Programs & Services
Koats for Kids: collects and distributes winter coats to children and adults experiencing poverty.  Coats are donated by the public, cleaned by Klinke Cleaners and distributed by CAC during the month of October. For more information. contact Isabelle Bentheimer at (920) 674-2196 or CAC at (920) 262-9667.

"Where to Find" Guide: CAC publishes a resource guide of Jefferson County services for children, seniors and families.  It includes information on employment and training, food, healthcare, transportation, housing, legal services, political representation and utility and energy assistance.  If you would like a copy, please either stop by the CAC office (114 E. Main Street, Watertown, WI ) or click on this link to view an electronic version: Where to Find Guide.

Budget Counseling: helps households develop strategies to strengthen their economic future.

Staying Connected: provides financial assistance and budget counseling to help maintain or establish phone service in a time of financial stress.

For more information about programs available in Jefferson County, email Jefferson County Services or call (920) 262-9667.

For more information on our participant policies, click on this link: Consumer Notice.