WISCONSIN DELLS — The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Stepping Stone Committee would like to welcome the Wisconsin Dells community to the official opening of the Stepping Stone Apartments on Friday, May 30, and Saturday, May 31.
A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 30, at 1 p.m. marking the official opening of the apartments. Included in this ceremony will be the consecration of the buildings by Fr. Michael Richel, pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Wisconsin Dells.
Open for viewing
After the ceremonies, the apartments and the refurbished Wolfram home will be open for viewing. Refreshments will be served.
The apartments and the Wolfram home will be open to the public on Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The residents of Wisconsin Dells are invited to meet the Stepping Stone Committee and view the property.Applications for the Stepping Stone program are currently being accepted. The living units will be available for occupancy June 1. All inquiries about residency requirements can be made through Renewal Unlimited by calling 608-742-8482, ext. 19.
Need for affordable housing
The opening of Stepping Stone is the culmination of over two years of work by the Stepping Stone Committee, originally formed as the Wisconsin Dells Housing Committee.
This committee recognized the need for affordable housing for those residents who are without acceptable housing and started the process of resolving this issue.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul became actively involved in this project in 2012 and took the initiative to purchase property and to build 10 new apartments for Stepping Stone housing.
Moving to independent living
Although housing is a very important and necessary part of the total Stepping Stone program, the goal of helping residents move from housing dependency to become independent lessors or home owners can only be accomplished through the programs being offered.
Beacon House and Families in Transition are two of the local organizations that will offer educational and mentoring services to the Stepping Stone families.
In coordination with the Department of Workforce Development, UW Extension, Interfaith Volunteers Network, Hope House, and the School District of Wisconsin Dells, educational programming will be provided to each family with the goal of preparing them for independent living.