The stimulus law set aside $1.5 billion nationally for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, which officials say helped more than 1 million people. Wisconsin got nearly $17 million that was earmarked for mostly rural areas.

Starting in late 2009, the Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program (SWCAP) — which serves Richland, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette and Green counties — got $1.1 million in stimulus money, and $200,000 more in 2010.

Jean Sewell, who works with the homeless for the agency, credited the money with slowing the problem in the area. Her agency counted 497 people as homeless or near homeless in 2011, down from 1,068 people in 2010, she said.

The stimulus money bought rooms in motels, security deposits and a month's rent for apartments and other needs to get homeless people back on track.

"We were able to work a lot of miracles with those funds," Sewell said.

But it was all gone by last September. Now Sewell's agency is trying to stretch $50,000 it received last year from another federal homeless program, but she anticipates that will be gone within a few weeks.

"So we will have nothing until July when it will become available again," she said.