History

This curriculum was originally titled Good Neighbor-Good Tenant and developed under a contract administered by the Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc. of Milwaukee.

The contract was funded by the Housing Authority, City of Milwaukee, the Housing and Community Development Authority of Milwaukee County and the Department of Development, City of West Allis. Mary Brown, Joan Kinney, and John Merrill were its primary developers.

The name change to Rent Smart was part of a major revision that resulted from extensive review and piloting. Funding for the production of Rent Smart was provided by the Meta Schroeder Beckner Homemaker Endowment of the School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Original Authors

John Merrill, Professor and Extension Housing Specialist, School of Human Ecology, UW-Madison
Barb Roder, Family Living Educator, Fond du Lac County, UW-Extension
Kim Terry, Family Living Educator, Milwaukee County, UW-Extension
Peg Thomas, Family Living Educator, Dane County, UW-Extension

The section on being a more effective instructor was prepared with the assistance of Chere Gibson, Professor, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The original curriculum was revised in 2008, based on input from Wisconsin educators experienced in using the curriculum. Revisions by Annette Larie, Christine Kniep, Shelley Tidemann, and Barbara Roder.

2008 Reviewers

The authors acknowledge contributions of Marc Smith, UW-Extension Housing Specialist; Janay Ziebell, UW-Extension Family Living Educator; Shelly Weinreis, Housing Partnership; Janice Kepka, Program Manager, Environmental Resources Center; and Kadi Row, Food Security Specialist, UW-Extension Family Living Programs