Over the past decade, the Northwoods Alliance for Temporary Housing and Frederick Place have helped nearly a thousand people find housing in the Northwoods.
The organization has doubled its budget from less than $200,000 a year to $400,000.
And it has added additional staff and board members.
All of this growth happened under the direction of the organization’s first and only executive director: Tammy Modic.
But her time with NATH has come to an end. Modic just announced she will be leaving the organization next month.
During her 12-year tenure as executive director, she says she’s witnessed a shift in community awareness of homelessness.
“When we were looking to open up the shelter, the question was if there are homeless in the area,” she describes. “Now, I believe that we as an organization have done a really nice job educating the community that, yes, we do have homeless in our area. No, they may not be visible to you, but that’s the difference between urban homelessness and rural homelessness.”
Frederick Place has filled a void in the Northwoods by providing temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness.
Modic says that need persists in part because the Northwoods continues to suffer from a lack of affordable housing.
“Finding affordable housing in rural Wisconsin, in all of Wisconsin, is still difficult,” she says.
In her final days with NATH and Frederick Place, Modic will continue working toward this mission by hosting the organization’s 12th annual anniversary benefit. The goal is to raise $25,000 for temporary housing in the Northwoods.
Modic will leave in mid-February. She’s headed to Knoxville, Tennessee, where she’ll serve as the alumni relations coordinator for the University of Tennessee – Knoxville’s College of Social Work.
