Ashley has been homeless for most of the past three years and moved into La Crosse County's Park Lane Studios this month from a local shelter.

"It’s lonely and cold outside, and this is a nice, safe place," she said. "I’m thankful for it, and my goal now is to find something long-term."

Ashley is working toward that goal with support from County social workers. At Park Lane Studios, tenants have access to on-site assistance, including a County peer support specialist. Rent is based on ability to pay—up to 30% of income—and tenants can stay for up to two years.

John, another new tenant, had been homeless since April after losing his job. Before moving in, he stayed nights at the Warming Center in La Crosse.

"Having my own space to come and go here is awesome," he said. "Once you have a home like this, you can start working on yourself. This is a great place for people to start again."

John is looking for part-time work and considering going back to school. He’ll have support at Park Lane Studios as he plans for the future.

Park Lane Studios was created from an unused section of the Hillview long-term care campus and renovated into 10 studio apartments with federal funding. The apartments opened earlier this month, and seven tenants have moved in. The final three tenants are expected next week. The units support Pathways Home, the City-County homelessness response plan.

County Funding at Work

The La Crosse County Board has approved $107,500 in funding for several bluffland improvement projects:



• $10,000 to the Mississippi Valley Conservancy for Phase II of the Kaplan Tract Prairie and Savanna Restoration Project.
• $40,000 to the Village of Holmen for the southern portion of the Holland Bluff multi-use trail.
• $50,000 to the Town of Holland for the northern section of the Holland Bluff multi-use trail.
• $7,500 to Friends of the Blufflands for restoration work in Hixon Forest.

The funding supports conservation, recreation, and trail development across La Crosse County’s blufflands.

The For Goodness Sake Holiday Gift hub was buzzing in the Health and Human Services Building basement over the past few weeks.

Thanks to teamwork and community generosity, gifts ranging from toys and winter coats to basic household essentials were matched to more than 1,000 of our neighbors for distribution. The gifts go to people identified by County workers.

Thank you to the staff in our Health and Human Services departments who made this possible—and to every member of the public who donated to brighten the holidays for others.

Plan Ahead for Property Tax Payments

The U.S. Postal Service now applies postmarks at regional sorting centers instead of local post offices, which can delay when a postmark appears on mailed items.

With property tax bills recently mailed, don’t wait until the last minute to send your payment. If you’re close to the deadline, visit a post office and request a hand-stamped postmark.

Missing or late postmarks could result in interest and penalties. For questions, contact your local municipality or the La Crosse County Treasurer’s Office.

It was all hands on deck earlier this month for the launch of the new Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system at the Emergency Services Department. The go-live went smoothly, thanks to months of preparation and teamwork across multiple county departments.

The new system replaces a platform that was more than 20 years old—a major upgrade that brings faster information sharing with partner agencies and enhanced tools for dispatching fire, medical, and police services. It also provides advanced reporting to track call volume and response patterns, supporting data-driven decision-making.

This upgrade gives our team of telecommunicators the tools they need to continue answering 911 calls and coordinating emergency response for the entire county—24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Our ADRC Dementia Care Specialist Team recently assembled Mini Crisis Kits for Tri-State Ambulance and Gundersen Ambulance crews.

These kits are designed to help support individuals with dementia during emergency situations by providing small tools—such as fidget items—that can reduce stress and make patients feel more comfortable during care and transport.

Grow Solar Helps 20 Property Owners Go Solar

The 2025 Grow Solar La Crosse program helped 20 local property owners install solar panels, adding a total of 53 kilowatts of renewable energy to our community.

These systems are expected to save participants about $11,000 annually on energy costs. The environmental impact is significant—comparable to avoiding 20 tons of landfill waste or driving 141,000 fewer miles.

The program was a partnership between La Crosse County, the City of La Crosse, the City of Onalaska, and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). It offered residents group-buy discounts and expert guidance to make solar installation more affordable and accessible.

Spreading Holiday Cheer

Staff at Lakeview, our long-term care campus in West Salem, got into the festive spirit last week during their annual Ugly Sweater Day.

Join us in wishing them—and all of you—a joyful holiday season.