Amid the sudden closure of a prominent nonprofit, housing service providers in northeast Wisconsin are racing against time to secure housing for over 100 families facing the threat of homelessness. The unexpected shutdown of the antipoverty organization, Newcap, on Tuesday has left many scrambling to fill the gap left behind.
Newcap, based in Green Bay, served low-income residents across 10 counties, managing more than $2 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These funds are now in limbo following the organization’s closure.
The Wisconsin Balance of State Continuum of Care, responsible for coordinating housing support in 69 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, is working to reallocate these crucial funds. Carrie Poser, the executive director, emphasized the importance of transferring the grants to other capable organizations to prevent families from losing their homes. Speaking on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Poser stated, “We have been able to identify several organizations that can step in, so capacity-wise, they’re willing to do the work. Those agencies are able to do it. Right now, there’s no funding to be able to support those efforts.”
Despite federal officials indicating a pause in processing grant transfers, Poser has already submitted the necessary paperwork to HUD, hoping for a swift response. She has also sought assistance from Wisconsin’s elected officials at both state and federal levels to expedite the process.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s office has been in contact with HUD, attributing the delay to the Trump administration. Baldwin remarked, “These 134 Wisconsinites shouldn’t be left without a roof over their head just because the Trump administration won’t complete some paperwork. We have capable, qualified and willing organizations that can help these Wisconsinites out, and Donald Trump’s administration needs to do its job and immediately transfer the funding so these families aren’t left behind.”
Poser warned that failure to transfer the grants could result in a permanent loss of $2.7 million in HUD funding for Wisconsin. Though nonprofits could apply for new grants, the process would be slow and likely yield less funding, with the earliest opportunity being in the next grant competition cycle for projects starting in 2027.
A new ‘safe haven’
While state and federal leaders await developments on the HUD grants, local service providers are stepping up to address the gap left by Newcap’s closure. Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary in Green Bay, which was already planning to open a homeless shelter, now finds the need more pressing.
Elizabeth Feldhausen, executive director of Safe Haven, shared that they had previously invited unhoused individuals to stay at their animal sanctuary during extreme cold weather. “Along the way, they got to know the cats. They got to know how to work at Safe Haven. They became volunteers,” Feldhausen explained. “This emotional bond formed, where people who had been previously unhoused due to maybe addiction or mental illness were finding therapeutic benefits through working with the animals.”
Safe Haven’s current property isn’t zoned for human habitation, so they are working to take over a lease for a shelter previously managed by Newcap. Feldhausen and her volunteer Cathi Oreto are awaiting approval from Green Bay city officials to proceed with the new shelter.
Feldhausen described their vision: “Our vision for the Safe Haven Hope Center is a low-barrier shelter for those who have been kicked out of the other shelters. They will still be helping and working with Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary and the cats, so they’ll be getting that experience as well to build resumes and get jobs. Ultimately, this will be transitional living.”
