Sun Prairie Housing Coalition

01/24/2026

The City's Online Tenant Retaliation Complaint Form Now Available

01/22/2026

This is amazing!

Ariel Christian and Chet Wells are new homeowners in Madison’s Owl Creek neighborhood near McFarland, where city leadership marked the completion of new affordable housing construction Wednesday morning.

01/09/2026

City of Sun Prairie Tenant Retaliation Complaint Procedures

The City of Sun Prairie’s online webform for submitting tenant retaliation complaints is live!

The city is partnering with the UW Law School to process cases. Please share this resource with someone if you think this might be of help. The City will be providing more information through their website and social media.

Information about retaliation and Sun Prairie’s ordinance:

Tenant Protection Against Retaliation
As a tenant in Sun Prairie, you have the right to contact the City of Sun Prairie and request that your housing provider address maintenance or safety concerns. Under Sun Prairie Municipal Code Section 9.18, housing providers are prohibited from retaliating against tenants for exercising these rights. While the law cannot prevent retaliation before it happens, once a retaliatory act has occurred, it may be considered a violation of city law.

What Is Retaliation?
Retaliation occurs when a housing provider takes negative action against a tenant in response to the tenant exercising a legal right such as filing a complaint or requesting repairs. Examples of Retaliation:
• Refusing to renew your lease
• Filing for eviction
• Using harassment or intimidation (verbal or physical)
• Increasing rent or refusing rent payments without justification
• Reducing or eliminating services (e.g., laundry access, parking)
• Failing to complete agreed-upon repairs
• Shutting off or reducing essential utilities like water, electricity, or heat (always illegal)
• Imposing new or increased fee
• Taking any other action that could be reasonably seen as punishing a tenant for making a compliant

How to Submit a complaint:

The retaliation complaint form is in the same area as the “Report a Concern” webform in OpenGov.

OpenGov: https://sunprairiewi.portal.opengov.com/
Direct link to retaliation complaint form: https://sunprairiewi.portal.opengov.com/categories/1080/record-types/6625

If you need help or are helping someone fill out this form, please note the following:

1. In order to be eligible to file a retaliation complaint, the person must have already submitted a building code complaint to the city via Report a Concern:

https://sunprairiewi.portal.opengov.com/categories/1080/record-types/6628

If a building code violation has not been submitted to the city within the past six months, the retaliation complaint will not be accepted by the city.

2. For OpenGov you do need to signup for a free account. If people are hesitant to do that, you can fill out the form on their behalf OR you can contact Sun Prairie Building Inspection (608-825-1184 or [email protected]).

10/03/2025

Check out this fun event!!!
Please join us for the annual networking event of employment & training and housing & homelessness providers. This is a great opportunity to make connections!

09/12/2025

*HOUSING FOR ALL – KNOW THE FACTS*

In February 2025 the Sun Prairie City Council took a significant step toward improving housing access and stability by utilizing Wisconsin’s One-Year Tax Increment District (TID) Extension, which will add approximately $6.3 million to the City’s Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) in 2026.

At the same meeting, Council adopted the Affordable Housing Policy, which outlines the programs that could be funded through this resource such as loan programs for new affordable rental and owner-occupied housing, down payment assistance for low-income first-time homebuyers, rehabilitation loans for existing homes, housing support services, and funding for housing staff and outreach.

This Week’s Spotlight: New Affordable Renter-Occupied Housing Loan Program

---WHAT WOULD THIS PROGRAM DO?---

This program would offer loans to developers to build new affordable rental housing in Sun Prairie. To qualify, projects must:
🔹Be affordable for households earning 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) or less ($64,900 for a family of four)
🔹 Commit to a minimum 30-year affordability period
🔹 Include on-site supportive services for residents
🔹 Leverage other funding sources like the housing tax credit or Dane County Affordable Housing Development Fund
🔹 Provide tenant protections through a required Tenancy Addendum

---WHY IS THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM IMPORTANT?---

As rental prices continue to rise faster than wages, many Sun Prairie residents are struggling to find affordable, stable housing. This program addresses the need by:
🔹 Increasing the supply of high-quality, income-restricted rental units
🔹 Supporting households with the greatest financial need
🔹 Promoting housing stability through on-site supportive services
🔹 Ensuring accountability by entering into a loan agreement with the developer

08/28/2025

Check out UW Credit Union website Financial Education Seminars!

UW Credit Union strives to provide high-quality educational opportunities for our members and community by offering free seminars on a variety of topics. Learn more and sign up here.

08/16/2025

Claire Bergman, one of our HC members, was interviewed recently on Channel 15 about the potential impacts of funding cuts on homeless students in out schools. Sun Prairie had over 300 students who were homeless last year. Watch in the interview for more information. You can help by being on the Coalition and assisting with the Community Schools efforts of the school district.

https://www.wmtv15news.com/2025/08/15/dane-co-school-districts-worry-potential-federal-cuts-could-impact-homeless-student-programming/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMNzINleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqs6htsv1JvIm9_nEntvmJrTDavYaGpJnDH_LZ46SEcgK0b3o3pbTJAadqOh_aem_t51TcKFvf8WvzINwjlaX1A

Student homelessness is proving to be a growing issue in Dane County. The number of students in Wisconsin’s public schools who identified as homeless increased to more than 20,000 during the 2023-24 school year.

08/01/2025

*HOUSING FOR ALL – KNOW THE FACTS*

In February 2025 the Sun Prairie City Council took a significant step toward improving housing access and stability by utilizing Wisconsin’s One-Year Tax Increment District (TID) Extension, which will add approximately $5.9 million to the City’s Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) in 2026.

At the same meeting, the Council adopted the Affordable Housing Policy, which outlines the programs that could be funded through this resource such as loan programs for new affordable rental and owner-occupied housing, down payment assistance for low-income first-time homebuyers, rehabilitation loans for existing homes, housing support services, and funding for housing staff and outreach.

Housing case management (housing support services) is one of the possible programs Housing Committee could bring forward during the City’s annual budget process to allocate AHF to.

---WHAT IS HOUSING CASE MANAGEMENT?---

Housing case management helps individuals and families find, secure, and maintain safe, stable housing. Case managers provide personalized support with housing applications, budgeting, connecting to resources, and navigating challenges like eviction and homelessness. The primary goal is to help people achieve housing stability and long-term success.

---WHY HOUSING CASE MANAGEMENT MATTERS?---

Homelessness and housing instability continue to affect an increasing number of individuals and families across Sun Prairie. This is seen in the increasing number of students identified as homeless during the 2024-25 school year (324) compared to 2019-20 (131). The rise in number of students experiencing homelessness highlights the growing challenges families face in securing and maintaining stable housing. Homelessness is not only a lack of shelter, but a complex crisis that can have profound impacts on individuals, as well as the overall health and stability of our community.

Several interconnected factors are fueling the increase in homelessness: rising housing costs, lingering economic disruptions from COVID-19, lack of accessible support services, combined with a shortage of affordable housing options, have all made it increasingly difficult for low-income individuals and families to secure stable living conditions. When housing is unstable, every aspect of life becomes more difficult—securing and holding a job, pursuing education, staying mentally and physically healthy, or even managing daily routines. That’s why services like housing case management are so vital. These programs do more than help families find housing; they lay the foundation for lasting stability.

---WHO WOULD BE ELIGIBLE?---

This program is intended to serve families and individuals residing in the City of Sun Prairie who are facing housing instability and are either at risk of homelessness or currently experiencing homelessness and transitioning back into housing. Participants must be referred to the program through an approved referral agency.

Stay tuned for more of the programs the Housing Committee is working on!

07/31/2025

At our last Coalition meeting we talked about the upcoming Sun Prairie Housing Committee meeting on August 4 at 6 PM.

The featured speaker will be Common Wealth Development, a group doing incredible housing work in Madison. The Committee will also be discussing potential programs for 2026 funding from the Affordable Housing Fund.

You can find the agenda packet and meeting details here:

Meeting agendas and minutes

07/24/2025

Join us at Infopalooza!

07/24/2025

Out of an abundance of caution the Downtown Sun Prairie Night Market will be canceled for this evening (July 24th) and rescheduled to Thursday, August 28th.

Thank you for your understanding and we hope to see you on August 28th!