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Riverside

News

This is What Smart Social Work Looks Like

Tuesday, September 02, 2025 10:19 AM

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Early intervention and collaboration are producing better outcomes that benefit all.

By Jane Klekamp, La Crosse County Administrator

La Crosse County’s social workers are using innovative approaches to take on some of our community’s toughest challenges.

Right now, a county social worker might be meeting with someone recently released from jail, helping them find employment or sign up for health care. That kind of support helps people get back on their feet — and makes it less likely they’ll end up back in the criminal justice system. That’s good for them, and it’s good for all of us.

In another part of the county, a different team of social workers is out talking with people experiencing homelessness. As part of our Pathways Home initiative — a city-county plan we launched together last year — the county created a Specialized Behavioral Health Unit. Social workers in this unit work hard to connect people to housing, mental health care, and other services. These are the kinds of things that can be easy to take for granted, but nearly impossible to access if you don’t have an ID, a phone or mailing address.

The work is making a difference. Since November, the number of people experiencing homelessness in La Crosse has dropped by 30%. Working within a more coordinated system under Pathways, we now have more individuals entering housing than falling into homelessness. Each unsheltered individual who achieves housing saves our community an estimated $35,000 annually in costs to our local health, criminal justice, and other systems.

We’re also seeing great success with our Co-Response program, which pairs social workers with law enforcement officers to respond to mental health crises in the community. These teams are out in the field from morning to evening, helping people in real time — often preventing a trip to the emergency room or the county jail. In the first half of 2024 alone, Co-Response helped divert 200 people from the ER, saving an estimated $169,000 for local hospitals, individuals and the broader system. And they connected almost 200 people to community services for ongoing help.

Social workers are also helping keep families together. La Crosse County was one of just three counties chosen to pilot a new state program called Family Keys, which helps families involved with Child Protective Services find stable housing. Last year, 13 families in La Crosse County participated. All of them stayed housed and together — with zero out-of-home placements. That kind of stability is life-changing for kids, and it’s more cost-effective than foster care. As one dad who went through the program put it: “I shudder to think what would’ve happened to me and my daughter if it wasn’t for Family Keys.”

Thanks to our Thriving Families initiative — a $3 million county investment — Family Keys will continue beyond the pilot. Catholic Charities and Couleecap are using those funds to purchase homes for supportive housing, helping ensure more families have a place to land and a path forward. 

As a trained social worker, I know this work is demanding. It doesn’t always get the spotlight, and it’s not always easy to measure. But it matters deeply. And when it works, it benefits our entire community.

Reducing recidivism and homelessness, supporting mental health, and keeping families together is not just good policy — it’s a smart, long-term investment of public dollars. When we support people earlier, we prevent the need for far more expensive interventions down the road. And that helps hold down the public costs we all share — from insurance rates to tax bills.

I’m proud of the innovation and compassion our social workers bring to their work. They are among our most important public servants, strengthening our community every single day.

 

 

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