Social agency workers, community leaders, and interested members of the public will have the opportunity to help shape how Wisconsin distributes federal funding in the years to come. The Department of Commerce is seeking public input as they develop the next five-year expenditure plan for funding housing, community, and economic development projects through Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded formula programs. These programs are funded annually at approximately $50 million and are targeted to assist low-and moderate-income Wisconsin residents.

The plan, known formally as the 2005-2010 State of Wisconsin Consolidated Plan, will identify housing, homeless, community, and economic development needs and resources and establish priorities and strategies for meeting those critical needs of Wisconsin citizens.

Notes DCD Budget/Policy Analyst Jeanne Storm, "The input we receive from these roundtables helps identify areas to focus on to address unmet needs of some of our most vulnerable citizens. It also facilitates developing the state's strategy to coordinate and deliver the limited housing, community, and economic development resources to areas of greatest need."

Following are the dates, times, and locations of the roundtables:

Consolidated Plan information is available on the COMMERCE Internet site under the Housing link http://commerce.wi.gov

The agency contact for the Plan is Jeanne Storm (Phone: 608/264-6110 E-mail jstorm@commerce.state.wi.us).

-- Barbro McGinn