Several agencies team up to help troubled youth in La Crosse’s Huber Court neighborhood

Three local organizations are teaming up in a program designed to help students in the Huber Court neighborhood.

Last night, the La Crosse School Board heard from reps., including Hintgen Elementary principal Amy Oliver, about issues at home that have started to affect students in class.

Police calls in the neighborhood rose during the same time behavioral problems were rampant at the school at the beginning of last year.

Oliver says kids were bringing troubles from home with them to school.

“It was inhibiting their ability to learn and many others to learn,” she said. “And, the only reason I would ever suspend somebody if there’s physical assault to staff.

“Within the first 26 days I had 30 out-of-school suspensions.”

So, La Crosse County, the La Crosse School District and Boys and Girls Club of Greater La Crosse have teamed up in a program designed to help those students.

The Hintgen-Huber Neighborhood project has resulted in neighborhood resource officers being placed in the area and a community center that will open in September where Aptiv currently runs their Youth Services Center.

The organizations teaming up have created programs and hired a youth services coordinator.

“A lot of what that person would do is just supporting folks directly, helping them walk through whatever barriers that they may have, and then of course our after-school activities is going to be huge for that neighborhood,” Isaac Hoffman with the La Crosse Area Family Collaborative said.

The cost is shared between the county and school district, but did include a $50,000 grant from the Franke Foundation.