Credit counseling and debt help in Milwaukee
Some people in Milwaukee carry credit card balances that keep growing no matter how much they pay each month. Others get calls from collectors about old debts. A nonprofit credit counselor reviews your income, bills, and debts with you, at no charge for the first meeting. They help you set up a budget, read your credit report, and compare the ways to pay down what you owe.
The organizations listed here are nonprofits. Some have offices in the Milwaukee area where you can meet a counselor in person. Others work with people across Wisconsin by phone and online. None of them are for-profit debt settlement companies. You will find what each one does, their contact details, and how to avoid debt relief scams on this page.
What credit counseling covers
Credit counseling is more than one service. A counselor starts by going through your income, your bills, and your debts. Together you build a monthly budget. The counselor also helps you get and read your credit report, so you can see every account, find mistakes, and understand what is lowering your score.
If your main problem is credit card debt, the counselor may suggest a debt management plan. On this kind of plan, you make one payment to the agency each month, and the agency pays each of your creditors. Creditors often lower your interest rate and drop late fees once you are on the plan, which helps you pay off the cards in a set number of years. The plan usually closes those cards while you repay them. A plan may have a small monthly fee, and that fee can sometimes be lowered or waived. See our guide for how to enroll in a debt management plan: step by step.
Counselors handle more than credit cards. Many can review your student loans and explain repayment plans that lower your monthly payment, including plans based on your income. Most are also approved to give housing counseling, which covers buying a first home, applying to lower a mortgage payment, and avoiding foreclosure. If you are considering bankruptcy, several agencies provide the counseling the court requires before and after you file.
Milwaukee agencies with local offices
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Milwaukee
This agency is part of Aurora Family Service and has served the area since 1972. It is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, is accredited for its standards, and is licensed by the State of Wisconsin. Counselors meet with you about budgeting, review your credit report, and set up debt management plans. They also help with student loans, home-buying and mortgage questions, and the counseling required for bankruptcy, and they offer one-on-one financial coaching. You can meet a counselor in person, by phone, or online. Counseling is free or low cost, and no one is turned away for being unable to pay. Apply at https://www.creditcounselingwi.org/, call (414) 482-8801, or use the toll-free line, (888) 799-2227. Help is open to people who live in Wisconsin or Illinois.
Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan
This is a statewide nonprofit with its main office in Milwaukee at 647 W Virginia St, Suite 200. Its financial counselors help you build a budget, review your credit report, set up a debt management plan, and learn money basics through its classes. You can meet by phone or in person. Start at https://www.lsswis.org/ or call (715) 394-4173 to set up a time.
National nonprofits that help by phone
Two large nonprofits serve Milwaukee from outside the area. They do not have a local office, but they handle the same kinds of debt and credit problems by phone and online.
GreenPath Financial Wellness
GreenPath has counseled people on debt since 1961. A counselor reviews your budget at no charge and tells you whether a debt management plan would lower your interest. GreenPath also goes over your credit report with you so you understand what is on it, and explains the student loan repayment plans you may qualify for. Call (800) 550-1961 or go to https://www.greenpath.com/.
Money Management International
MMI answers its counseling line 24 hours a day, which helps if you work odd shifts or cannot call during the day. Counselors review your debts for free and can set up a debt management plan, give housing and foreclosure advice, and provide the counseling required before bankruptcy. MMI belongs to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and is approved by the federal housing department for housing counseling. Call (866) 889-9347 or visit https://www.moneymanagement.org/.
Help for homeowners behind on a mortgage
Homeowners in Milwaukee who have missed mortgage payments, and renters who want to buy, can get free help from a housing counseling agency approved by the federal government. For more, see our guide to Wisconsin HUD foreclosure counseling or try an organization below.
- Acts Housing helps families buy and repair homes and can be reached at (414) 933-2215. Housing Resources, Inc. offers home-buying and budget counseling at (414) 461-6330.
- The United Community Center runs home-buying classes in English and Spanish at (414) 384-3100.
- Take Root Milwaukee gathers these agencies and local grant programs in one place at https://takerootmilwaukee.com/.
Spotting debt relief and credit repair scams
The debt relief business attracts many scams, so check any company before you pay or share personal details. A real nonprofit counselor reviews your full budget first and tells you any fees up front. Be careful with a company that charges a large fee before doing any work, says it can cancel most of what you owe for a small payment, or promises an exact rise in your credit score. Treat it as a warning sign if a company tells you to stop paying your bills or to stop speaking with the people you owe. That can lead to lawsuits and leave you owing more.
For-profit debt settlement is a different thing from nonprofit credit counseling. Settlement companies tend to charge high fees and can lower your credit score while they hold your payments. Credit repair companies cannot remove correct information from your report or do anything you cannot do yourself for free.
Before you sign up, confirm the agency is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at https://www.nfcc.org/ and check its license with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau compares these services at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/, and the U.S. Trustee Program lists court-approved counseling agencies at https://www.justice.gov/ust. Our own page on how to avoid financial assistance scams has more warning signs.
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