Home is a simple word, but the experience of finding home is personal, complex, and always evolving.
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters invites people across Wisconsin to join our Finding Home series and explore what it means to find home through the lenses of science, arts, history, literature, and civil discourse.
In every region of the state, people shape their sense of home through cultural expression, ecological knowledge, and community care. Many are also noticing changes in the places they know best, from shifting seasons to new pressures on land, housing, and water. Finding Home programs explore how people respond with creativity, stewardship, and resilience.
At its core, Finding Home brings people with different perspectives together with the goal of deepening understanding and identifying shared values and common ground.
Today’s Finding Home story features La Crosse City Council President Tamra Dickinson, who played a key role in the development of Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region’s ReNew the Block initiative. Through her work on the City Council, Tamra advocates for affordable housing by supporting grants and low-interest loan programs that help residents “remain in their homes and age in place.”
For Tamra, home is a place where she can simply be herself without having to meet anyone else’s expectations. It’s where she can spend time crafting, cooking, gardening, and pursuing other activities that bring her joy.
As a final message, Tamra encourages Wisconsinites to stay connected with their neighbors in whatever ways they can: whether that means helping shovel snow in winter, sharing plants, or lending a hand when needed. She believes that these everyday acts of care and checking in with one another can help strengthen communities and create a deeper sense of home and belonging.
