Dunn County Housing Authority: vouchers average 66 per month, waitlist grows to 140

Tammy July Leverett, staff for the Dunn County Housing Authority, presented the authority’s 2025 results and described a growing waitlist for Housing Choice Vouchers.

Leverett said the authority administered an average of 66 vouchers per month in 2025. Ten voucher holders left the program last year (two became over income, three combined households, two were terminated, three died), and there were 11 new lease‑ups. Across tenant briefings, 176 applicants attended 12 required group sessions and 49 eligible applicants attended briefings.

Key program metrics Leverett provided: average rent before subsidy was $764; the average housing assistance payment was $523; the average rent paid by program tenants was $243. The authority’s waitlist is currently about 140 applicants; staff estimated the typical wait time has increased from months in prior years to roughly 2–3 years. The Dunn County Housing Authority spent $524,061.91 in 2025.

Leverett described the Family Self‑Sufficiency program as a HUD subprogram focused on employability and coordination with public and private resources; 12 participants were enrolled in 2025 (combined across Dunn and St. Croix counties through a contract with Westcap), and HUD requires 15 participants annually for the program. She said the housing authority conducts required unit inspections before lease start and at least once every two years thereafter, though tenants sometimes hesitate to report problems.

Supervisors asked whether vouchers can be used across counties; Leverett distinguished voucher portability from the family self‑sufficiency case‑management subprogram and noted some vouchers used in St. Croix County are state vouchers rather than local HUD vouchers. Supervisors also raised concerns about overall housing quality and capacity. Leverett directed questions about a point‑in‑time homeless count to Westcap’s homeless program manager.