Internship Location: Hybrid – Madison WI
Organization Type: Local Government
Policy Areas: housing, community development, economic development policy
This summer, I interned with the Dane County Department of Human Services in their Housing Access and Affordability Division. My role has mainly been working with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)’s team, which is a source of funding from the federal government that is to be disbursed to the community for the benefit of low to moderate income persons within the eligible consortium. These funds can be used for creating new affordable housing developments, promoting growth of small businesses owned by low to moderate income citizens, and supporting organizations which enrich the low to moderate income community, among others. My role is to support the application process which staff has worked through during this season, analyze the internal policies in place to ensure they are streamlined and effective for applicants and recipients, help in creating new policies and processes, and create outreach materials for the community. Other responsibilities arise as need be, which help staff to focus on their client interfacing role, while I am able to work on gaining a better understanding of the effort that goes into public administration of federal funds. I have learned a lot about what compliance with federal, state, and county regulations looks like and considered the different interpretations that are possible for them. My team works closely with its community partners and has put a lot of effort into understanding what would most benefit them, which I have found very rewarding. I am grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to build relationships with dedicated staff, learn more about creating policy, and appreciate how much goes into overseeing such a valuable public program.