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Menomonee Valley Partners hiring Program Director | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Menomonee Valley Partners
February 23, 2015
Menomonee Valley Partners, Inc. (MVP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to sustain and revitalize the Menomonee Valley as a thriving urban industrial district that advances economic, ecological, and social equity for the benefit of the greater Milwaukee community.
Over the last 15 years, Menomonee Valley Partners has been acknowledged as a model of successful public/private partnerships and the revitalization of the Menomonee Valley has been nationally recognized as a model of sustainable development. However, continued revitalization in the heart of Milwaukee is needed to enable the Valley to achieve its full potential.
To further these efforts, Menomonee Valley Partners is seeking a Program Director – Economic Development Initiatives to direct planning, development, and business recruitment efforts within the Menomonee Valley. This position will play a pivotal role in the implementation of the Valley 2.0 Plan, a long-range master plan for the continued revitalization of the Menomonee Valley. The successful candidate will lead MVP’s efforts coordinating stakeholders, facilitating partnerships, developing detailed action plans and budgets, and leading the development and recruitment efforts for the Valley.
To be considered for the position, apply by Thursday, March 19, 2015 by completing the electronic submission form.
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Questions? Please contact Corey Zetts, Executive Director, Menomonee Valley Partners Email: Corey@RenewtheValley.org Phone: 414-274-4655
Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Successful candidates for this position must have at least 5+ years of significant professional experience in program management, as well as a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in a related field. The work requires a results-driven, detailed-oriented, and highly productive individual who is a quick learner and thrives in a self-directed environment. Additional qualifications include:
Work Environment and Compensation:
Menomonee Valley Partners has a small staff that maintains a holistic and collaborative approach in its work. The position will require occasional evening and weekend work for special events and projects. Some driving may be required.
The compensation package includes a salary in the mid to upper-50s (commensurate with experience), health benefits, generous vacation allocation, matched retirement account, and other benefits. Menomonee Valley Partners, Inc. will give applicants equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected basis as required by law.
BACKGROUND
Mission:
Menomonee Valley Partners, Inc. (MVP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to sustain and revitalize the Menomonee Valley as a thriving urban industrial district that advances economic, ecological, and social equity for the benefit of the greater Milwaukee community.
Vision:
Menomonee Valley Partners envisions a thriving Valley with a well-balanced mix of industrial, recreational, and entertainment uses that strengthen Milwaukee:
MVP serves a key role in the public/private collaboration required to develop a revitalized and sustainable Menomonee Valley. The organization serves as a convener and coordinator by engaging stakeholders, articulating a vision, leveraging funding, and aligning partners to accomplish shared goals.
About the Valley:
The Menomonee Valley is in the heart of Milwaukee, running four miles and spanning 1,200
acres. When Milwaukee was the “Machine Shop of the World,” the Valley was its engine. However, by the 1980s the Valley had become Wisconsin’s most visible eyesore with hundreds of acres of abandoned buildings, contaminated land, and a forgotten river. MVP was formed in 1999 with a mission to revitalize the Menomonee Valley to benefit the entire Milwaukee community. The organization and its partners take a holistic approach to revitalization by advancing solutions that address economic, environmental, and community needs.
Since 1999, 38 companies have moved to the Valley, more than 5,000 jobs have been created, more than one million square feet of sustainably designed facilities have been constructed, 60 acres of new trails and parks have been developed, and Three Bridges Park and the Urban Ecology Center have opened to reconnect people to nature in the heart of the city. The Menomonee Valley approach has gained national attention from cities across the country that look to the Valley as a model of sustainable redevelopment.
While the revitalization of the Menomonee Valley over the last 15 years has been nationally recognized, much work remains to achieve the Valley’s potential and contribute to the Milwaukee economy, natural environment, and community.
For more information, please visit: RenewtheValley.org

created: February 23, 2015

author: Menomonee Valley Partners


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Marquette opens business competition to the public | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
February 23, 2015
Milwaukee Business Journal

source: news-milwaukeenns

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Andrea Waxman


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Reducing fines for pot possession spurs debate on racial disparity | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
February 23, 2015
jsonline.com


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Researcher: Key to Ending Food Insecurity Lies in Our Crops | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
February 23, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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Safe & Sound targets eight neighborhoods for its community safety efforts | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
February 23, 2015
A Milwaukee police officer talks with a boy in Clarke Square. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Safe & Sound has selected eight Milwaukee neighborhoods where the organization will focus its efforts to empower residents and ultimately create safer communities.
The neighborhoods consist of Clarke Square and Layton Boulevard West in Milwaukee Police Department District 2 on the South Side as well as North Side neighborhoods Metcalfe Park and Midtown in District 3; Amani and Harambee in District 5 and Parklawn and Sherman Park in District 7.
“This new targeted geography and neighborhood team structure enables Safe & Sound to strengthen our ability to unite residents, youth, law enforcement and community resources, relationships which are essential to improving the safety of our neighborhoods,” said Katie Sanders, executive director of Safe & Sound.
Safe & Sound Executive Director Katie Sanders discussed gun violence prevention at a forum last summer. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Since its inception in 1998, Safe & Sound’s approach to reducing crime has consisted of creating positive alternatives for youth, door-to-door neighborhood organizing and advocating for tough law enforcement.
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The neighborhoods selected are aligned with Milwaukee Police Department boundaries, reflecting the current work the organization does with law enforcement. A community prosecution unit coordinator will be assigned to each district to act as a liaison between residents and law enforcement and several city departments.
“We will enhance delivery of program services and really work to amplify some of the existing resources, but also fill the gaps in what’s happening in the neighborhoods regarding safety and community leadership,” said Anne Temple, a spokeswoman for the organization.
Safe & Sound also will place a community organizer in each of the eight neighborhoods to engage residents and strengthen their relationship with police. The community organizer will help create block watches and clean-up efforts while playing an active role in fielding safety concerns from residents, Temple said.
A youth community organizer also will be assigned to each neighborhood, where they will help young people get involved in leadership opportunities while creating a dialog between them and police, Temple said.
“It’s localizing the effort…and hopefully will achieve a greater impact,” she said.
The organization said it selected the neighborhoods to prioritize its efforts after analyzing crime and housing data, identifying community assets and engaging community leaders and residents.
Officials said the organization will continue to have a presence in the 13 other neighborhoods that it serves.
“Strategically, after evaluating the impact we hope to have in the community and how we want to deploy our resources, we wanted to narrow that focus,” Temple said.

author: Brendan O’Brien


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 23, 2015

author: Adam Carr


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Rotary Club ‘a powerful force for good in the community’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matthew Wisla
February 25, 2015
Rev. Isaac Askew of the Temple of the Holy Spirit makes a pickup for his community food pantry at Feeding America, an initiative created by the Milwaukee Rotary Club. (Photo by Matthew Wisla)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the finalists for Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). The Rotary Club of Milwaukee is a finalist for the BMO Harris Bank Cornerstone Award, which recognizes an organization for its commitment and effectiveness over time.
It was one of those days for Virginia Weissmann. Her household food budget was running low just when the appetites of her three young children were soaring.
“They must have hit a growth spurt,” she said smiling. “I’m usually pretty good at stretching the food in the house, but today …” Virginia, 26, is raising her three children, ages 7, 6 and 1 on a limited budget near the Lincoln Village neighborhood. At times like these, she said, it’s good to have a backup plan.
Robert, 48, is sitting a few seats away from Virginia at the food pantry at UMOS (United Migrant Opportunity Service), a community resource center at 2701 S. Chase Ave. Robert, who declined to give his last name, is homeless and also uses the food bank as a fallback, coming in about every six weeks. Today, he has a taste for chicken. If the food pantry has some he’ll bring it to his mother’s small apartment to cook for dinner.
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The number of families at risk of going hungry has grown in Milwaukee since the 2008 economic downturn and remains strong today. “Since the great recession we’ve been forced to expand; demand has been great,” said Charles McLimans, president and CEO of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.
Feeding America, launched in 1982 as Second Harvest, is the brainchild of the Milwaukee Rotary Club, Many Rotary members volunteer at Feeding America, pitching in to sort food in the warehouse at 1700 W. Fond Du Lac Ave. in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood.
In addition, the Rotary and its 400 members donate, raise money and volunteer to support a range of projects to alleviate poverty, improve education and literacy, and restore parks and urban wildlife sanctuaries. Rotarians on average volunteer more than 1,000 hours of community service each year.
McLimans, who is a Rotary member, calls the organization “a powerful force for good in the community.”
Education focus
In 2013, the Rotary opened its Centennial Arboretum along the Milwaukee River north of downtown. The expansive three-year $8 million project encompassed 12,000 hours of effort from more than 2,000 Rotary and community volunteers. The project restored 40 acres of abandoned industrial property back to a natural habitat that includes outdoor learning areas for school groups. It is the only park designated as a U.S. Forest Service Children’s Forest that’s in an urban setting.
Students from Roosevelt Middle School snowshoe along the trails at the Rotary Centennial Arboretum. (Photo by Kelly Meyerhofer)
Rotary projects frequently incorporate an education focus. For example, in 2012, the Rotary launched the Rotary Reading Club, which brings volunteers from UWM into Brown Street Academy, 2029 N. 29 St. every week to help improve students’ reading skills.
“The UWM students work with teachers to plan reading strategies and interventions to make sure our kids get one-on-one tutoring,” said Ava Morris, the school’s principal.
The program has grown from about 30 UWM students three years ago to 50 today. According to the Rotary, recent tests have shown an 83 percent improvement in literacy scores among students in the program.
The Rotary also spearheads other projects at the school. In 2008, the group began a project to restore the schoolyard and playground, which at the time was an expanse of crumbling asphalt and rusty basketball hoops. Coordinating with Milwaukee Public Schools and the Center for Resilient Cities, the Rotary raised about $750,000 to construct a new schoolyard and an outdoor nature classroom. The outdoor center provides learning space for math, science, literacy, stage performances, vegetable gardening and visual art production. The schoolyard also is used by an adjacent Boys & Girls Club and neighborhood residents.
With support from the Rotary, students receive bus transportation to a local YMCA to learn to swim, and field trips to the Urban Ecology Center and other locations where they can go snow shoeing and canoeing.
“They (the students) wouldn’t have had these experiences if it had not been for the Rotary stepping in,” said Morris.
The Rotary also collects and distributes about 10,000 books annually to Milwaukee schools through a Reading is Fundamental program it began in 1974. And the organization raised about $250,000 in recent years for a college scholarship program that helps support 20 Milwaukee-area students. In addition to receiving tuition support, students are mentored by Rotary members for the four years they attend college.
Community building
The Rotary Club understands that strong communities contribute to a healthy business environment, said Mary McCormick, executive director. “Rotarians want to make a difference in our communities and for the people who live in them. And there is an awareness that poverty affects the whole community. If Milwaukee is going to grow and be the best it can be then we must address these issues,” she said.
The Rotary has 100 years of history in Milwaukee. In 1915, the organization hosted a Christmas dinner for poor boys who were each given candy, toys, and a bank account with $1 deposited in their names.
Today, the Rotary’s concerns include maintaining Milwaukee’s competitiveness in the global job market and growing the economy. “The need for a strong local economy is a constant conversation within the Rotary,” said McCormick.
Persistence and a knack for forming long-term partnerships are the organization’s hallmarks, McCormick said. On many projects, including the Arboretum and schoolyard at Brown Street Academy, the Rotary identifies a need and becomes a catalyst for additional funding and participation of other organizations, including the Zilber Family Foundation, Honor Flight, River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee County War Memorial, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Knowles Nelson Stewardship Fund, Milwaukee County, Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee County Department of Parks, Urban Ecology Center and the Center for Resilient Cities.
Reviving Johnsons Park
The Lindsay Heights neighborhood has become a hub for Rotary involvement. According to McCormick, getting to know the people and partner organizations around the neighborhood helps projects run smoothly.
Standing at the corner of Brown and 20 Streets in Lindsay Heights puts one in eyeshot of Rotary projects at Feeding America, Brown Street Academy and Johnsons Park, 1919 W. Fond Du Lac Ave. The Johnsons Park Initiative includes installing new playground equipment, building an open-air shelter, improving the lighting, planting trees and renovating the sports fields. The Rotary is partnering with the Center for Resilient Cities on the $1.2 million project, which is expected to be completed in the fall. The park is the only public park in the 110-block Lindsay Heights neighborhood.
Across the street sits Alice’s Garden, a two-acre urban farm where local residents learn about growing, cooking and storing healthy foods. The garden was completed in 2011 as part of the Johnsons Park Initiative and was recognized with a Mayor’s Design Award and a MANDI for using public space in a way that “contributes significantly to the overall well-being of the community.”
The namesakes for Johnsons Park, Clarence and Cleopatra Johnson, were business pioneers in the 1930s who made lifelong contributions to Milwaukee’s black community. As a young couple at the Tuskegee Institute they adopted the mantra, “We want to be an asset to our community.” Today, the same can be said of the Milwaukee Rotary Club.

created: February 25, 2015

author: Matthew Wisla


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Over $24,000 in scholarships presented to area teens at financial literacy event | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Rebecca Murray
February 26, 2015
Make A Difference – Wisconsin program provides financial mentoring to teens
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, 110 teens from 10 local high schools and community groups gathered at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Zelazo Center to be recognized for their achievements in a unique program called Money Coach™.  This program, developed by Make A Difference – Wisconsin, is taking financial literacy to the next level by delivering one-on-one financial mentoring to teens in the Milwaukee area.  By the end of the school year, teens can earn up to $500 to use toward college or career-related goals, such as purchasing a laptop or buying a car.
Throughout the evening, teens participated in team-building and goal-setting activities with the assistance of the Money Coach volunteers, students from the UWM Society For Advanced Economic Studies, teachers and business professionals from the Milwaukee area.  The main event for the teens, however, was receiving the first half of their career/college scholarships, which they earned by reaching specific milestones to achieving their financial goals set at the beginning of the school year.
“This was a convincing moment for students,” said Bohdan Nedilsky, teacher from New Horizons for Learning Charter School, “and I anticipate they will carry that enthusiasm and commitment with them as we continue our work with the Money Coach Program.  I hope their reflection on the event also pulls other students in to see the true value of this extraordinary experience.”
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The event was also attended by State Representative Mandela Barnes, who shared his enthusiasm for the program, and donors from the R.A. Stevens Family Foundation who have helped to provide scholarship funding and State Farm who presented a $15,000 check that evening to help sustain the program.  A keynote speech was delivered by Ann Miletti from Wells Capital Management, who shared her inspirational story about following dreams, no matter where life takes you.
Make A Difference – Wisconsin is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to providing Wisconsin youth with the financial management tools needed for success. A force of over 600 business and community volunteers provide financial education and coaching to thousands of Wisconsin teens at a critical stage in their lives with the secondary effect of impacting the financial health of our community.

created: February 26, 2015

author: Rebecca Murray


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“We Got This” campaign seeks to change perceptions of young black men | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
February 26, 2015
Andre Lee Ellis and others pause for a moment of prayer before the unveiling of a new billboard celebrating young black men. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
A group of youth, parents and public officials gathered recently at the corner of 12th and Walnut streets to unveil a billboard for the “We Got This” campaign, a grassroots effort started by Andre Lee Ellis in 2014 to “employ and empower young black males.”
The billboard, which features photos of the young men and a reference to a recent event where the boys and their mentors spent a night “on the town,” will stay at that location for about a month before moving to the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Keefe Avenue in April.
Ellis was clear about the event’s intention. “It’s celebratory of little black boys who live in the zip code of 53206 and were told that they were the worst of the bunch. Within one year — not even a whole year — they went from jeans to tuxedos, they went from walking the streets to, now, being posted in the air and letting you know that they’re no longer just boys in the hood — they’re gentlemen,” he said.
(Photo by Jabril Faraj)
About 60 people were present at the unveiling, including Wisconsin Sen. Lena Taylor and State Rep. David Bowen. Participants attended a luncheon at Coffee Makes You Black immediately following the event.
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Rashaad Washington was there with two of his three boys. He said he’s been supporting the campaign from the beginning because it’s creating a “new direction” for African-American youth and allowing them to see change being made. “It means that it’s a better future for my young black boys — that’s what it means to me,” Washington said.
Adebisi Agoro II was also there with his 11-year-old son. He spoke about how important it is for kids to have people within their community to look up to. “It means the world — it’s the difference between succeeding and not succeeding,” he said.
“I didn’t have a father figure so I made a lot of decisions on my own,” Agoro said. “We’re in a real crazy time in our city … we can’t leave these kids alone.”
Ellis echoed that idea, saying that many of these young men don’t have their fathers around on a regular basis. “We have to step in and help become community parents, where it’s needed,” he said. “It means a lot for the kids to have a male role model to look up to.”
Samuel Johnson, 14, participated in the work program with Ellis last year. The young men were each paid for working on various projects in their neighborhood every Saturday morning. Johnson, who wants to be a chef, only missed two weeks throughout the entire summer and said he learned about gardening, being mindful and taking responsibility for his actions.
“I thought it was an amazing thing to do for our community … it did look better and it was a better place to be.”
He was excited about having his image displayed. “I’m on a billboard, for the first time,” he said.
But, more importantly, Johnson was grateful to be at the event “with a lot of people who care about me.” He’s been able to build relationships with his mentor, Arnold Cifax, as well as Ellis, Taylor and Bowen.
“They are all here for me … they’re not here just for the money,” he said. “They’re all here to help me out and make me stronger, make me grow as a man.”
Johnson said he knows they really care because of the way they act toward him. “They don’t turn their back when we need to talk to them,” he said. “They actually listen to what we have to say.”
The summer work program will continue in the same way as before but Ellis said the cleanup efforts would cover a larger area. “We’re putting the ‘neighbor’ back in the ‘hood,’” he said.
In the end, Johnson summed it up, saying, “I can be anywhere else doing anything else but I’m here doing something positive.”

author: Jabril Faraj


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 25, 2015


text:
Dr. Lester Carter: A Milwaukee Treasure | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 1, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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New Museum Depicts ‘The Life Of A Slave From Cradle To The Tomb’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 1, 2015
National Public Radio


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Determined residents put Amani neighborhood on new path | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 2, 2015
jsonline.com


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Group Sets Sights On Revitalizing Larger Swath of Menomonee Valley | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 2, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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Kiva Comes to Town | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 2, 2015
UrbanMilwaukee.com


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MPS approves contract to convert Malcolm X for King Middle School | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 2, 2015
OnMilwaukee.com


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Next phase of Menomonee Valley development to include riverwalk, food and beverage district | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
March 2, 2015
Visitors pore over an aerial map at an open house to preview development of the Menomonee Valley, held at the Zimmerman Architectural Studios. (Photo by Alhaji Camara)
Draped across a table in the center of a room at Zimmerman Architectural Studios, 2122 W. Mount Vernon Ave., was a huge aerial view map of the Menomonee Valley. Evidence of the development that has occurred since the original plan for the valley was unveiled in 1998 was everywhere, including a new park, soccer fields, businesses and bridges connecting Silver City and Clarke Square to the valley.
But there are still 100 acres of undeveloped land in the valley, according to Corey Zetts, executive director of Menomonee Valley Partners (MVP). MVP is collaborating with the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and numerous nonprofits and businesses to craft a development plan for the next 10 years.
Menomonee 2.0, the blueprint for development of the 100 acres, includes a new riverwalk along the Menomonee, establishment of a food and beverage district, and a tilting of development priorities to the center and eastern portions of the valley.
The plan is to develop the food and beverage district in the eastern section of the valley along Bruce and Pierce streets, which are connected to the South Side.
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Corey Zetts, executive director of Menomonee Valley Partners, said 300 acres of land, including 60 acres of parks and trails, have already been redeveloped in the valley.
According to Zetts, the establishment by MATC and FaB Wisconsin of the Food Maker School and Center of Excellence at 8 Street and National Avenue, near the Bruce and Pierce industrial zone, could help attract food and beverage manufacturers to the area.
“Those companies can also draw workers from the near South Side,” Zetts said.
First though, the area must be rezoned as industrial only. Currently, it is zoned for industrial, educational and residential use, according to Vanessa Koster, planning manager at the City of Milwaukee Department of City Development.
“We need a buffer to keep that area manufacturing focused,” Koster said.
The other target area for the food and beverage district is the valley’s central portion, closer to Potawatomi Casino and Palermo’s Pizza. The idea for that area is to create a hub of companies similar to Palermo’s, which offers retail and café space in addition to production facilities. Zetts said the area where the Lakefront Brewery is located is a nearby example.
Surprisingly, no residential development was recommended for the valley. Burnham Park resident Justin Bielinski, who’s running for 8 District alderman, said some sections of the valley seemed like good spots for residential development, considering the easy access to bike trails and other draws.
“It seems like the perfect place to build residences,” said Bielinski, who said, overall, he was impressed with the plan for the area.
There had been previous talks of redeveloping vacant buildings along St. Paul Street into condominiums, but business leaders in the area voiced strong resistance, Koster said.
An aerial map of the Menomonee Valley captures redevelopment of the Menomonee Valley. (Photo by Alhaji Camara)
There’s no word yet on what will become of the property that formerly housed the Cargill beef slaughterhouse, which closed in July, but the 2.0 plan recommends that the land be used for light industry.
Improved access to the valley is also a key aspect of the new plan, including better pedestrian access from the 6 Street Viaduct and a pedestrian bridge connecting the Harley Davidson Museum to the valley.
A large part of the valley’s rejuvenation during the past decade was creation of the newest Urban Ecology Center and Three Bridges Park, and expansion of the Hank Aaron State Trail into the valley, among other projects that helped the area become a haven for urbanites. Those developments were funded by the $26 million “From the Ground Up” project, which resulted in the area becoming a hub for nature enthusiasts and others looking for an escape from the city.
The plan to add a riverwalk along the Menomonee to those amenities excited Diane Wais, who lives in the North Shore. She’s part of a hiking group, and one of the members’ favorite places to traverse is the section of the Hank Aaron State Trail that runs through the valley.
“I’m not into industry, but I’m into more green space to hike on,” said a smiling Wais.
Wais added that she is looking forward to seeing the grand plans for the valley come to fruition.
“It’s all doable,” said environmental engineer Bob Peschel, a consultant for the plan. Peschel said the entertainment amenities, as well as industries targeted for the valley, make sense for the land.
And while Zetts acknowledged that all the plans may not come to fruition, recent history in the area makes it a good bet that most of them will.
“We’re building on the momentum,” Zetts said. “There’s a lot of people committed to making the valley even better.”

author: Edgar Mendez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 1, 2015


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NNS on Lake Effect Radio: Measles in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 3, 2015
NNS reporter Edgar Mendez goes on the air with Mitch Teich of Lake Effect Radio to discuss a possible measles outbreak in the city of Milwaukee.

author: Dwayne Burtin


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lake-effect-measles-sm | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 3, 2015


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With Swing Park, city hopes to look forward, not back | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
March 3, 2015
“Aunt Ada,” a handicap accessible swing, which was installed during the 2014 redesign of the Swing Park, sits in front of the remaining benches from the old Media Garden. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
This article is one of an occasional series profiling the finalists for Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). The Holton Bridge Swing Park is a finalist for the Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award, which recognizes a public space that helps build the community.
On Sept. 9, 2012, under cover of darkness, a small group of people with an organization called be(in)tween, descended on a little-used, largely forgotten space at the south end of the Marsupial Bridge under Holton Street. The cohort of about a dozen friends and associates installed almost as many swings, made with recycled tires and hung with rope.
Willie Fields, who was part of that group and still acts as the city’s eyes and ears at the park, said that although they “knew that it was something we shouldn’t be doing,” the group wasn’t overly worried about getting caught.
“Every swing had our name stenciled on it,” he said. “So, we knew that people were going to know who put the swings up.”
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“We were thinking, you know, if they stay up for a couple days, we’re fine with that,” Fields said.
In that spirit, the swings were simply hung with rope. They took only a few hours to install.
But a week went by and nothing happened. After a few more weeks, the swings were still there, said Fields. By then, the rope used to hang them was starting to show signs of wear. So, be(in)tween, which describes itself as “a social + spatial network improv(is)ing spaces to build community,” stepped in again.
“We replaced all the ropes with cables — steel cables,” Fields said.
“Well, then it was another month and two months and three months and they were still here,” he said. “The cables started to wear so we replaced all the cables with chains.”
The “guerrilla act” was praised by some members of the community, while others raised concerns over its unofficial nature. Many also questioned the city’s reaction, either for being too accepting of an idea that didn’t go through the usual channels or for poor communication that, for many, put the future of the park in question.
However, despite a process that could have derailed the project, the Swing Park has staked a permanent claim under the Holton Street Bridge and was officially adopted by the city, re-opening at a ribbon-cutting in 2014
Transplant finds “culture” in Milwaukee
Keith Hayes, the founder of be(in)tween, is originally from Cleveland and found his way to Milwaukee by way of Chicago, where he was working as an architect while rehabbing and selling bikes on the side.
“In Chicago, I could sell bikes like hotcakes,” he said. “I got to Milwaukee [and] every time I tried to sell a bike I’d make a friend, because they wanted to learn how to do it.”
“It felt like home,” Hayes said.
He developed a particular connection to that space under the Holton Street Bridge — what is now the Swing Park but was once the “Media Garden,” designed in concert with the Marsupial Bridge that was finished in 2006. Through the cycling culture he was immersed in, Hayes spent a lot of time under the bridge and began to see it in a way only familiarity can provide.
“This, to me, was such a strong intersection between two neighborhoods,” he said.
“I looked at that space from almost every angle you could, every sense you could — under the bridge, over the bridge, socially, physically.”
Hayes graduated from the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin’s Graduate School of Architecture in 2012, where he had the opportunity to take a studio class with Grace La. La, who is a partner at Milwaukee-based La Dallman Architects, Inc. was, at the time, a visiting professor at UWM and, Hayes said, “one of the big inspirations in terms of my pursuit of a master’s.”
Appointed a tenured professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Architecture in 2013, La is “an incredibly brilliant designer, incredibly successful teacher and, really, was pioneering the way the school (at UWM) was run,” he said.
Hayes said La inspired his “iterative” approach to design when she said, quite simply, that the person who drew, re-drew and re-thought a design the most would end up with the best product.
“She really cut out this idea that you’re born with it or you have this natural talent,” he said. “To me, it cemented this idea of how you might, potentially, be able to do things in public that didn’t feel permanent, that didn’t feel that they were susceptible [to] everyone’s opinion for the next 40 years.”
During the fall of 2012, Hayes was in the midst of securing funding for a project that would eventually become the artery. As a result, Hayes had a pile of tire scraps that people kept asking him to do something with.
“That’s when I started to think, ‘What could it be?’”
An official process, complicated
Steph Salvia is director of the Brady Street Business Improvement District (BID). Salvia and the BID worked with La Dallman to develop the Marsupial Bridge even though the park isn’t technically part of the Brady Street district.
Salvia said the bridge project was “a connectivity goal” for them because Brady Street is “a little land-locked” by the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan. In addition, Julilly Kohler, who also works for the BID, was one of the bridge’s primary advocates.
But, since the completion of the pedestrian bridge and Media Park in 2006, the area had deteriorated. Salvia said the spot attracted homeless individuals and that “no one really felt safe there at night.”
“It just became a space that wasn’t utilized to its potential,” she said.
So, when Salvia and Kohler happened upon the swings in fall 2012, they were surprised and delighted. “All of a sudden, all these people were down at the swings and it was like the space had become alive again,” Salvia said.
As the BID’s director, though, she was concerned about the possible safety issues. So was Department of Public Works Commissioner Ghassan Korban.
Korban said the city found out about the swings through word-of-mouth “shortly after” they were hung. When alterations in public spaces are discovered in this manner, the reaction is usually “not a positive one.”
“I was concerned,” Korban said.
Safety is the biggest concern, said Korban — since existing infrastructure was used to hang the swings the city is responsible, by default. “Specific to playgrounds, there’s a very stringent set of specs and procedures that we have to follow.”
As an example, Korban cited the need for handicap accessibility and said, in regard to safety, there are “specific guidelines we have to be in accordance with.”
The city does not list the Swing Park as a playground in the 3rd Aldermanic District where it resides.
Korban eventually dispatched someone to take a look. The report came back positive — it was “more than just a couple ropes” and the installation was sturdy, said Korban. His first thought was to take the swings down immediately but they had become an immediate sensation. Eventually, though, Korban said the city spotted certain “weak links” in the chains that caused concern about the swings’ safety, and took them down.
“We started seeing failures and we just didn’t want to take any chances,” he said.
The details of what happened next are still unclear. Salvia said there was an “outcry” from the community and people started asking where they had gone. Be(in)tween fielded questions about the swings as well, said Hayes.
In response to the public reaction, a number of organizations, including Newaukee, MKE BKE, be(in)tween and the City of Milwaukee, began talks about an effort to fund some of the materials needed for a re-designed park. According to sources close to the process, “something got mixed up.” Though a website and other materials were created to promote the campaign, nothing came of it.
In addition, after published comments by Grace La bashing the swing concept, La Dallman Architects was not included in the official process of rebuilding the Swing Park. Korban called the situation “significantly adversarial” and said it “would have been counterproductive, in my judgment” to include the original designers at the table with Hayes and be(in)tween.
Korban was also quoted by the Journal Sentinel’s Mary Louise Schumacher, saying he didn’t have the resources to retain La, who had just joined Harvard’s faculty the year before. La did not respond to a request for comment.
From then on, however, the degree of be(in)tween’s involvement is also unclear.
“At that point, be(in)tween just, sort of, pulled out,” said Hayes. “We were asked not to go there any more, even if it meant maintaining the swings.”
There may have been a misinterpretation, said Korban. “They were told that the maintenance of the park is the city’s and that they should not make any repairs on their own.”
The city spearheaded a redesign — about half of the “LightSlab” benches that were part of La’s Media Garden were bulldozed to make room for a total of 11 swings. They included a handicapped-accessible swing called “Aunt Ada,” tire swings and swings for small children. The Common Council officially named the space the “Swing Park.”
At a ribbon-cutting in July 2014 members of be(in)tween were “recognized by several of the speakers as the creators of the original swing park.” It has been reported that the redesign cost the city about $26,000, which Fields confirmed; the Media Garden and Marsupial Bridge cost $3.35 million.
Some of the original swings are gone, though. A massive swing nicknamed “The Mother of All Swings,” which was a main attraction, was removed. “You could probably fit 16 people on it,” Fields said.
Fields continues to “[keep] an eye” on the space, though not in an official capacity with be(in)tween. A contractor by trade, Fields built the swings that hang there now; he was also the one who maintained and upgraded the original swings hung in fall 2012.
Reflecting on the initial project, Hayes said, “It was one of those moments; it made sense, the community bought into it — but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the way to change a place or a community space in the city is always by going through this back door, guerrilla style.”
There is a process for changing or updating public spaces but Korban admitted doing so is not a high priority. However, he noted that “we’re open to ideas.”
“Come to us, first, and, collaboratively, we can create something that is beneficial to all,” Korban said.
Hayes is confident, though, that in this situation the stealth act of hanging swings without approval was necessary. Korban said that without the popularity and public support, the swings probably would have just been taken down.
Now it appears the Swing Park is here to stay.
James Boland is a fifth grade teacher at the Tamarack Waldorf School on Brady Street less than five blocks away from the Swing Park. Over the last few years he’s taken classes there to study physics and to learn about the Milwaukee Bridge War of 1845, among other things. The school didn’t use the park before the swings went up, he said. “It wasn’t really a destination.”
What’s different? “Just the fact that people use it now, that’s what we were hoping,” Fields said.
Hayes said ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is in the eye of the beholder but he also said, “We’re talking about an experience — we’re not talking about an aesthetic.”
“It’s free and fun and whimsical,” Salvia said. “Everybody likes to swing.”


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Swing Park: Aunt Ada | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 3, 2015


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Swing Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 3, 2015


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How to find reputable health information online | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Medical College of Wisconsin
March 4, 2015
While the Internet provides a wealth of information on health-related topics, it cannot replace regular medical care. (Photo by Molly Rippinger)
The Internet can be an excellent resource for consumer health information, but finding correct, up-to-date facts online is not always easy. The Medical College of Wisconsin has pulled together tips and tricks to help you evaluate information, and has also curated lists of reliable, trusted web pages.
Tips for evaluating health information on the web:
Learn more about evaluating consumer health information on the Internet at these two websites:
Remember, even the highest quality websites cannot replace regular medical care.
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author: Medical College of Wisconsin


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health-related websites | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 4, 2015


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 10, 2015


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Mobile app helps community groups pinpoint housing hazards | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 4, 2015
An abandoned South Side house was photographed with the Vacant Voices app. (Photo courtesy of Shantanu Singh)
Organizations working to alleviate the urban housing crisis of the last decade, generally strapped for funds and manpower, need help doing more with less. Milwaukee lawyer Shantanu Singh began to see this first in his work as an assistant attorney general of Illinois assigned to work on mortgage fraud, a couple years after graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2004.
“(One) issue with the foreclosure crisis and the recession is that vacant and abandoned properties are in such high volume and there’s such a large inventory that organizations don’t have the capacity to address the problem,“ Singh said.
Noting that collecting and analyzing data is “labor intensive and subject to data entry error,” Singh was inspired to find a better way to perform these tasks. Educating himself in technology basics and working with a group of developers, Singh created “Vacant Voices,” an easy-to-use app for mobile devices to collect field data on housing inventory in a given geographic area.
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Based on the crowdsourcing model, it is set up to accept information from a large group of people via the Internet. Vacant Voices also harnesses the ability of community organizations to marshal volunteer manpower.
“My curiosity just led me to the solution,” Singh said. “I’ve always had an interest in technology. I became more interested when I started advising some clients who rely upon technology a lot and I saw the power of automating processes and making work more efficient.“
Singh launched the app in April and organizations in Milwaukee and other cities are piloting it. Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative (HGNI) and Riverworks Development Corp., two of 11 coalition partners working together to strengthen the North Side neighborhoods, are among the first users. Young adult volunteers for HGNI conducted a survey of more than 500 houses using the Vacant Voices app last fall.
Shantanu Singh, founder of the Vacant Voices mobile app. (Photo courtesy of Shantanu Singh)
“(Singh) worked with us to customize the app and the survey to the types of questions and the type of information we needed to gather,” said Leif Otteson, HGNI organizer.
The app provides a checklist of potential problems with a house and, once filled out on a smart phone or tablet, the results are loaded into a database. Survey volunteers are prompted to use the app to take photographs to limit subjectivity. All of this is done and executed by the program in five minutes per property, Singh explained.
The purpose of HGNI’s survey was to discover where the properties with the most need were located and figure out how to deal with them, explained Otteson. The houses in the worst condition were generally foreclosed, vacant homes that were owned by a bank or the city, and HGNI used the survey to inform the city which properties posed hazards and needed to be demolished.
“That was a big benefit because the city looks toward a lot of organizations like ours for that ‘boots-on-the-ground’ information about some of the properties that are out there,” Otteson said.
The app allows organizations to analyze the data collected and see where problems are most concentrated. That, in turn, helps them prioritize areas of a neighborhood that need greater investment, rather than investing randomly across a larger geographic area. And that kind of targeted investment can be effective in turning a neighborhood around, Singh explained.
In addition, such data can help organizations focus on where to do community outreach and how to connect residents to funds that may be available to strengthen a neighborhood’s appearance. Singh added that he expects neighborhood organizations that have gathered data using Vacant Voices to see positive results from strong data-based grant applications and community plans.
Otteson noted that although the app might still be improved, his organization had a great experience with it and recommends it to other organizations. “Shantanu did a great job of following up with us and helping us compile that data into a usable form, which is uploaded to a spreadsheet. We were able to sort everything by address and analyze everything that we have,” he said.
Layton Boulevard West Neighbors also piloted the Vacant Voices app. Neighborhood Plan Coordinator Daniel Adams and a neighborhood leader tested the app on several vacant homes. Noting that LWBN is currently focused on other projects, Adams said Vacant Voices “could be a useful tool for the right group in the right situation.”


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Abandoned South Side house | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 4, 2015


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Shantanu Singh | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 4, 2015


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#008 Precious Lives: Like Father, Like Son | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 5, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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An abrupt cut, or a needed pause? Anti-violence effort ends | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 5, 2015
jsonline.com


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Developer recycles abandoned buildings into affordable housing | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
March 5, 2015
Todd Hutchison has been involved in two dozen residential and commercial projects, consisting of more than $135 million of investment. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the finalists for Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). Todd Hutchison is a finalist for the Northern Trust Navigator Award, which recognizes an individual for leadership and collaboration.
Recycling has always been in Todd Hutchison’s blood.
“My grandfather was a junk collector and he would turn it into cash…that’s part of what’s inside of me,” he said.
Hutchison has carried on the tradition of recycling on a much bigger scale, working for the last three decades to turn Milwaukee’s discarded buildings into affordable housing and storefronts for small businesses.
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“When you recycle buildings, that’s the greatest recycling that there is,” he said. “To be able to take buildings or areas that other people are throwing out and see little or no value in and bringing them back to life and being able to show that there’s value there gives me a lot of joy and a lot of pleasure.”
Hutchison has worn several hats in the city’s development community, including his current role as consulting director of real estate development at Impact Seven, an organization that helps low-income communities with business, housing and property management, and investment.
Hutchison also helps run Wisconsin Redevelopment and ABC Redevelopment, his own firm, where he focuses on smaller real estate opportunities.
“When you tear down a building in a neighborhood, you are sending a message to people in that neighborhood that what they have is worthless,” he said. “When you are able to bring it back to life and revitalize it, it sends a totally different message that what they have has some value.”
Hutchison’s career took off in the 1990s when he refused to listen to critics who doubted that condominiums would sell in Milwaukee, especially in the once crime-infested Third Ward. Hutchison instead led a drive to spend $13 million on turning two abandoned warehouses into mixed-income loft style condominiums at the corner of Water and Chicago streets, one of the first such projects in the now-booming neighborhood.
“That project helped give a kick start to the Third Ward development,” he said.
Hutchison also worked for the YMCA, where he helped buy and redevelop 40 condemned single-family houses in the inner city, making them available to low-income individuals such as Mary Jordan.
“Todd understands the power that home ownership brings to a person, a family and a community,” she wrote in a letter on his behalf. “Todd has devoted his career to improving lives.”
A bronze statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was erected as part of the King Heights Apartments project. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
Making things happen
Those early triumphs helped shape Hutchison’s career in Milwaukee, where he has been involved in two dozen residential and commercial projects, consisting of more than $135 million of investment. The result has been creation of 675 residential units, many of which are affordable housing, and 13 commercial units.
One of the prime examples of Hutchison’s work can be seen along King Drive, where he has helped develop more than 60 affordable-housing apartment units as part of King Drive Commons, a five-phase commercial and residential redevelopment project.
A separate project, the King Heights Apartments, a $2.9 million historic rehabilitation of mixed-use and mixed-income apartments, makes Hutchison beam with pride because of the bronze statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that was erected as part of the project.
“One of my greatest joys is driving by that statue and seeing a bus out there and all of these kids are standing around the statue and learning about Dr. King,” he said.
One of the latest examples of Hutchison’s work is the renovation of 24 foreclosed homes on the South Side. Through a partnership between Layton Boulevard West Neighbors and Impact Seven, the homes are now rent-to-own affordable housing units.
“Todd is making things happen in neighborhoods that directly impact the quality of life,” said Charlotte John-Gomez, executive director of Layton Boulevard West Neighbors. “He moves things forward that others would have called it quits on a long time ago.”
Hutchison was instrumental in the $6 million project, bringing together the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), banks, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the city of Milwaukee, according to John-Gomez.
“He’s a consensus builder who can align all of the pieces together for a successful outcome,” she said. “We would have never taken on this type of development without Todd and his vision.”
Another project emblematic of Hutchison’s work in Milwaukee is the Mitchell Street Market Lofts. The project was conceived by Sherry Terrell-Webb and Tina Anderson, two students who took a real estate class taught by his Wisconsin Redevelopment business partner Bob Lemke at Marquette University.
As part of the Associates in Commercial Real Estate Program, Lemke and Hutchison guided the pair through completion of the $6.1 million affordable-housing project on the South Side.
“He does not just build to build, he does what is going to be a positive impact for the city,” Anderson said. “He really looks at the long-term impact and really cares about the people who are going to live there.”
‘Exceptional developer’
Lemke and Hutchison have been in business together since 2002, when they created Wisconsin Redevelopment, a two-person real estate firm that focuses on utilizing historic and affordable housing tax credits for development.
“Todd has been involved in some of the most difficult and complicated projects in this city that most developers won’t address,” Lemke said. “Todd’s heart is in the right place.”
Jill and Charlie Harris moved into their new townhome at King Commons IV in 2013. (Photo by Scottie Lee Meyers)
Hutchison has both a strong sense of design and a sophisticated understanding of the complicated financial puzzle that are required for successful affordable-housing development, Lemke said.
“He is an exceptional developer…You don’t see someone with all of the skills that he has normally,” he said.
Hutchison grew up on a farm in New London outside of Appleton, where his family ran a campground. In high school, Hutchison found his calling in architecture.
“But, like kids do, I went into a totally different field,” he said.
Hutchison drifted into the social services field after high school, taking various jobs at domestic abuse shelters and working with delinquent youth while taking social work courses at various local colleges.
“I kind of bounced around a bit,” he said. “I finally got tired of it and burnt out.”
Hutchison found his way to Milwaukee and the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After graduation, he went to work for a small firm, where he sharpened his focus on urban development and his disdain for suburban sprawl.
“When I was growing up in New London, a very small town, Milwaukee was this huge, very scary place,” he said. “What I found was that Milwaukee is a whole bunch of little neighborhoods…I fell in love with it.”


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King Commons | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 5, 2015


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Todd Hutchison | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 5, 2015


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Dr. King | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 5, 2015


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States predict inmates’ future crimes with secretive surveys | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 5, 2015
Associated Press


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Harambee neighborhood organizes group to support local park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wyatt Massey
March 6, 2015
Rick Banks presents the Friends of Clinton & Bernice Rose Park idea to community residents. (Photo by Wyatt Massey)
Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative has organized a new group called Friends of Clinton & Bernice Rose Park. The park is located at located on the southwest corner of Burleigh Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Thirteen community members shared concerns and ideas to improve the 9.1-acre park at the group’s first meeting held at the Martin Luther King Library, 310 W. Locust St.
HGNI will continue previous programming in the park, such as its tavern-sponsored softball league and intergenerational garden. It is also creating a community garden and working with the Milwaukee Brewers to host an event similar to the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative Day in 2014.
Rick Banks, community engagement specialist for HGNI, said that forming a friends group and hosting events is an important first move for the community to reclaim the park.
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“We’re talking about bringing life back to the park and getting people involved,” Banks said. “When we get to having these outcomes … that’s when people want to stay in the community.”
Marcellius Brown (center) shares his vision for the park with the Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative. (Photo by Wyatt Massey)
Part of the process involves getting youth involved in the project. Students in a biology class at HOPE Christian High School, 3215 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, attended the meeting. They said they would like to see solar-powered lighting and better facilities for their school’s football and track and field teams, which practice at the park. Drayton Turner, a sophomore at HOPE, said it was important for the group to hear students’ opinions. “I’m glad to be involved to stop the violence and bring more positivity to the community,” Turner said.
Willie Johnson Jr., president of the Wisconsin Counties Association and a member of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, said that HGNI has his “complete support” in forming the friends group. Its success depends on its ability to involve young people, he said.
“I appreciate the younger people being here because it’s their community as much as it is anyone’s,” Johnson said.
Marcellius Brown, who was raised near the park, said changes are “long overdue.” As a child, Brown participated in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts activities in the park. He remembers it as a safe place to gather, socialize and watch sporting events. The park used to host baseball tournaments featuring some of the Midwest’s best talent, he said. Brown hopes the friends group can bring back this sense of unity.
“The whole park would shut down to watch the baseball game,” Brown said. “It was a family affair.”
Three deputies from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s department discussed park safety at the meeting. Juan Avila, deputy sheriff, reminded residents that they should call the department directly with safety concerns about any of the county parks. Avila and the other deputies are part of Milwaukee County’s Targeted Enforcement Unit, which patrols more than 140 county parks and parkways.
Leif Otteson, HGNI community organizer, said neighborhood meetings helped HGNI recognize the need for a friends group.
“We’re taking it upon ourselves to work with the community and the county to revive this park,” Otteson said.
The Friends of Clinton & Bernice Rose Park expects to hold its next meeting in late March or early April.

author: Wyatt Massey


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 6, 2015


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Marcellius Brown | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 6, 2015


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On the Block: Large family, no support | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
March 6, 2015
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Preston Jones, 47, has been jobless for some time. He’s been staying at the Rescue Mission for a few months. But, even though Jones has 13 siblings in the area, he hasn’t asked them for a place to live.
For more on Jones, go to Milwaukee Stories: http://milwaukeestories.org/2015/03/04/i-dont-have-a-whole-lot-of-money/
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Preston Jones | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 6, 2015


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City of Milwaukee Health Department community health survey underway | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Health Department
March 9, 2015
More than 1,000 Milwaukee residents may soon be contacted to participate in an important phone survey assessing the health of the community. Sponsored every three years by the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) and local health systems, the community health survey gathers information on the health-related behaviors from anonymous, randomly selected residents. The responses, along with local and state public health data, will contribute to the MHD’s Community Health Assessment and will guide a Community Health Improvement Plan.
“It is essential that we document and understand our community’s health needs,” said Commissioner of Health Bevan K. Baker. “This survey will provide valuable data to inform our work as a local health department and the work of all our community partners. I encourage Milwaukee residents to answer the call if they are selected.”
The anonymous phone survey takes approximately 18 minutes, and will be conducted by Management Decisions, an independent research firm. The survey focuses on issues such as access to health care, tobacco and alcohol use, diet, physical activity, cancer prevention, heart health, injury prevention, immunizations, communicable diseases, mental health and chronic disease.
Similar surveys are being conducted simultaneously across all 12 local health departments in Milwaukee County, with support from the health system members of the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership: Aurora Health Care, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Columbia St. Mary’s, Froedtert Health, and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.
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The findings will be compared to a 2012 community health survey in order to analyze health trends. The survey will also help document the community’s health status related to the health priorities established by the State health plan, identify local health behaviors or risk factors that present opportunities for health promotion and health care cost reduction, and track the success of community health improvement activities.
The previous Milwaukee community health report can be found at www.milwaukee.gov/health.

author: City of Milwaukee Health Department


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City’s strong neighborhoods key in Tom Barrett’s fight against foreclosures | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 9, 2015
jsonline.com


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Greater Milwaukee Foundation to offer free admission to The Domes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
March 9, 2015
Experience the opening weekend of That’s Amore!, the spring show at the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory (The Domes), for free, courtesy of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The Foundation’s March Gift to the Community includes free, all-access admission to The Domes on Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29, with fun for the whole family.
As the Greater Milwaukee Foundation marks 100 years of service in 2015, it is showcasing resources that contribute to the quality of life in the region and inviting the whole community to join in the celebration.
“The Domes have been an educational and cultural icon in Milwaukee since the 1960s, an expression of local ingenuity and of the great respect the people of Wisconsin have for the natural world,” said Ellen M. Gilligan, president and CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. “We are excited to offer everyone an opportunity to visit this one-of-a-kind landmark as well as to experience how our local parks enrich our lives every day.”
The themed exhibit That’s Amore! will fill the Show Dome with the aroma of Mediterranean herbs and scented geraniums surrounding a rustic courtyard reminiscent of an Italian countryside. The Arid Dome showcases plant life that thrives in desert regions while the Tropical Dome is home to a rich diversity of plants from the rainforests of five continents.
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On Saturday, March 28, The Domes will be open free to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additionally, the Winter Farmer’s Market will be hosted in the conservatory greenhouses from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On Sunday, March 29, The Domes will be open for free from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature Very Fairy Princess Day; guests are invited to build a fairy garden, learn fairy dances, and meet fairies, wizards and princesses. Children wearing their fairy wings or costumes may win a prize.
No tickets or reservations are required to visit The Domes during the Gifts to the Community weekend.
“We are thrilled to have been selected to partner with the Greater Milwaukee Foundation,” said Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. “This Gift to the Community gives everyone – including out-of-town guests – the opportunity to see one of the jewels of the Milwaukee County Park System. With five themed shows a year, numerous ethnic festivals, live concerts, and other special events, The Domes is a destination that offers something new with each visit. We look forward to a ‘full house’ for the event!”
The Domes are located at 524 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee, in Mitchell Park. Although the original conservatory dated back to 1898, the modern Domes opened in stages from 1964 to 1967. A major revitalization completed in 2008 included a signature LED lighting project supported in part by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and its donors.
Additional details about the March Gift to the Community are available at greatermilwaukeefoundation.org/gifts and at http://county.milwaukee.gov/GreaterMilwaukeeFoundationGiftToTheCommunity.
So far in 2015, more than 34,300 people have taken advantage of the special opportunities offered through the Foundation’s centennial Gifts to the Community. New gifts are being revealed each month on FOX 6 Milwaukee.

author: Greater Milwaukee Foundation


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How Incarceration Infects a Community | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 9, 2015
The Atlantic


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On the Block: 300,000 meals | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matthew Wisla
March 9, 2015
For about 10 years, Rick Becker and his wife, Debbie, have organized a meal program every Wednesday at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1127 S. 35th St. in the Layton Boulevard West neighborhood. With the help of volunteers — including Judy Loth, who founded the program — they have served more than 300,000 meals over the years.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 9, 2015


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Report: Ways to Enhance Speed & Efficiency of Milwaukee County Buses | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 9, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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Special Report: Federal cuts cause increased reliance on charitable food programs | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Molly Rippinger
March 9, 2015
Volunteers from Northwestern Mutual package donations at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. (Photo by Molly Rippinger)
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part special report on Milwaukee’s charitable food programs. Part One focuses on how cuts to federal aid are affecting food banks, pantries and hot meal programs. Read part two here.
For many Milwaukeeans, hunger is an unfortunate reality of life.
The lingering effects of a sluggish economy, paired with recent cuts to the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — known as FoodShare in Wisconsin — have caused many to rely on a network of food banks, pantries and hot meal programs that are trying to meet the growing demand while advocating for additional aid.
Judi Bartfeld, food security research and policy specialist at University of Wisconsin-Extension, explained that the recent cuts to FoodShare stemmed from two changes.
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In November 2013, temporary benefit increases to SNAP from the 2009 American Recovery and Relief Act were abruptly ended. Bartfeld noted that the original intent was to gradually phase out the increased benefits through 2015.
FoodShare caseload recipients by year for Milwaukee County.
Also, Bartfeld pointed to the 2014 Farm Bill, which redefined how net income is calculated for SNAP households receiving aid from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The new calculations reduced SNAP benefits nationwide by about $8.6 billion over the next decade. In Wisconsin, 255,000 FoodShare recipients face an average cut of $90 per month per family, totaling about $276 million over the course of a year.
In addition, Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed 2015-2017 state budget threatens the accessibility of food-related aid. The governor has proposed legislation that would require drug testing of able-bodied FoodShare recipients enrolled in the FoodShare Employment and Training Program (FSET). Critics claim that the drug testing would violate the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits search and seizure without probable cause.
Also, beginning April 1, a state exemption to federal work requirements for food assistance instituted during the 2008 recession will end. Eligible adults without dependents will be able to receive FoodShare benefits if they are working 80 hours per month or participating in the FoodShare Employment and Training Program. If they do not meet those requirements, they can only receive food assistance for a three-month period every 36 months.
Milwaukee’s food-based charities offer a helping hand to those affected by the Food Share cuts, such as Judy Johnson, who frequents the community meal program at The Gathering on 833 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnson, 58, relies on disability checks and food stamps through FoodShare, which were reduced from $155 to $31 per month in 2014.
“I’ve been up and down,” said Johnson, who has struggled with a recent string of health problems. “I had been on the streets for a while, behind the Grand Avenue mall, but I have a studio now.”
Judy Johnson uses Milwaukee’s network of charitable food programs to make ends meet. (Photo by Molly Rippinger)
To make up the difference, Johnson often eats breakfast at The Gathering and dinner at St. Benedict the Moor, 924 W. State St. She also has started going to Ebenezer Lutheran Church food pantry, 1127 S. 35 St., where she typically receives canned and dry goods, some fruit, a package of meat and a few toiletries.
“You gotta do what you gotta do to eat,” said Johnson. “Sometimes that means robbing Peter to pay Paul. If you do that every month then you’re playing catch up and you’re going to get behind.”
Johnson’s experience is typical of those living in poverty in Milwaukee. According to the latest census data, nearly 30 percent of the population residing within city limits is impoverished, which is almost double the national percentage.
About 37 percent of Milwaukee County’s population is enrolled in FoodShare. This figure has more than doubled since 2000, when only 16.8 percent of the population received the monthly assistance.
“Hunger is a symptom of poverty,” explained Sherrie Tussler, executive director of the locally operated food bank, Hunger Task Force. “Everyone understands hunger because we all feel it.”
About 50 million Americans and 30 percent of families identify as food insecure, meaning they lack resources for consistent access to food, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data.
Assessing the need
Milwaukee’s network of food pantries and hot meal programs relies on the area’s largest food banks, Hunger Task Force and Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, to keep their doors open and shelves stocked.
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, the regional member of the national network of food banks, and Hunger Task Force collectively distributed about 16.4 million pounds of food last year. The food comes from a variety of sources, ranging from individual donations to partnerships with national corporations, and feeds countless individuals throughout the community.
About 250 programs in the county utilize resources at Feeding America, while a network of 80 charitable food programs rely on the free donations from Hunger Task Force.
All of the programs depend on volunteers to operate. In 2014, the Hunger Task Force reported that 79 different volunteer groups sorted more than 1.5 million pounds of food. At The Gathering, volunteers provide 98 percent of direct service to guests and nearly 33,000 hours of service were logged in the 2013-2014 fiscal year. “People are so eager to help,” said Long.
It’s not just church groups and youth programs volunteering. Many of Milwaukee’s businesses and nonprofit organizations make it a point to lend a helping hand.
“It’s great to do something for our community,” said Kevin Buss, assistant director of strategic intelligence at Northwestern Mutual. Buss and his team volunteer at Feeding America, sorting through donations and repackaging them for distribution.
About 6,000 volunteers worked nearly 18,000 hours at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin in 2014.
Volunteers make it possible for programs to feed a staggering number of people. For example, the Gathering served 6,790 meals in January; St. Benedict the Moor averages about 10,000 meals per month.
Ideally, it would be unnecessary for meal programs to provide such a large number of meals. Food-based charities were originally organized to help during times of crisis, but due to widespread poverty and the drop in FoodShare benefits, today many people regularly rely on the charities. According to a national survey conducted by Feeding America, one in seven Americans visited a food pantry in 2013.
Accessing aid
In 2013, 83 percent of students at Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) qualified for free or reduced-priced meals through the National School Lunch Program. Parents were required to fill out an application that documented their eligibility for the program. The application process was a hurdle that often deterred students from receiving free lunches.
Beginning this school year, MPS is offering meals under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and parents are no longer required to fill out an application for free meals. Statewide, nearly 750 schools qualified for CEP and 355 enrolled.
“Having every student come to school well nourished and ready to learn is absolutely critical to students’ well-being — and it’s critical to our work to improve student outcomes,” said Darienne Driver, MPS superintendent, in a news release.
While CEP made it easier for Wisconsin students to get free meals at school, the recent cuts in FoodShare benefits diminish the gains.
Leanne Drives and Kevin Buss, employees of Northwestern Mutual, volunteer at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. (Photo by Molly Rippinger)
“Those cuts affect food banks,” said Gina Styer, communications manager at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. “It puts a larger demand on our supply.” Typically, there are about 2 million pounds of food in the Feeding America warehouse at 1700 W. Fond du Lac Ave. and the group distributes 70,000 pounds each day to nine Wisconsin counties.
In 2014, Milwaukee County received the most FoodShare benefits of all Wisconsin counties, nearly 38 percent of the roughly $1.1 billion total aid distributed statewide.
Another federal program affected by the Farm Bill is The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which is a USDA program that provides federal commodities to food pantries and hot meal programs. Nationwide, the Farm Bill will increase TEFAP funding by $205 million through 2023.
The Hunger Task Force administers TEFAP in Milwaukee County. In 2010, the supplemental commodities accounted for 35 percent of the total food it distributed. The commodities also help fill the Hunger Task Force’s Stockbox program, which delivers a box of healthy foods to about 9,000 low-income senior citizens each month.
Program directors at food-based charities are finding that many clients qualify for more help than they are receiving. Research conducted by the Hunger Task Force found that up to 90 percent of pantry clients are eligible for FoodShare, but less than half participate. The studies also found that many qualified applicants are not applying for other aid programs such as Medicaid, tax credits and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
“We want our pantries to talk to people about their conditions so that they can use the federal programs,” said Tussler. For example, she mentioned that schools could provide 15 of a child’s 21 weekly meals. Then food stamps could more adequately cover the weekly grocery bill.
“We teach our pantry coordinators all of this stuff about how these programs work so that they can encourage and help and support [people] so that we don’t create a generation of people who think the church is a store,” Tussler noted.
For Tussler, the key to making significant changes and reducing the reliance on food-based charities is community advocacy. “Why don’t we do something about the poverty in the neighborhood? Why don’t we deal with systemic issues? Why don’t we vote differently?”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct an error regarding free meals at MPS.

author: Molly Rippinger


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 8, 2015


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nns_sr_featured_FINALii | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 9, 2015


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Special Report: Food-based charities strive to provide healthier, higher-quality options | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Molly Rippinger
March 10, 2015
Richard Suero, pastor of Faith/Santa Fe Lutheran Church, picks up carrots and other produce at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. (Photo by Molly Rippinger)
Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part special report on Milwaukee’s charitable food programs. Part two focuses on how food banks, pantries and hot meal programs are emphasizing healthier, higher-quality options. Read part one here.
Eating a healthy diet based on fresh fruits, vegetables and lean proteins is difficult for poor people. A 2013 study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that on average, eating a healthy diet costs about $1.50 more per day than a diet based on highly processed foods.
Ready-to-eat, processed foods offer a cheap and convenient source of calories, but are often loaded with fats, sugar, sodium and preservatives.
Given the convenience and long shelf lives of processed foods, Milwaukee’s charitable food programs also have easy access to a plethora of unhealthy options.
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“Nutrition is always a challenge,” said Becky Long, program and volunteer manager at The Gathering at 833 W. Wisconsin Ave. “It’s so easy to get things like bakery [products] donated and it’s not as easy to get fresh produce, especially in the winter.”
The problem stems from government food policies, which have heavily subsidized the mass production of crops such as corn and soybeans, and consequently made it much cheaper to produce processed foods, which rely on these ingredients.
Hunger Task Force and Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin have addressed the problem by increasing the amount of fresh produce rescued from retailers and sourcing directly from area farms.
“We live in Wisconsin where we grow enough food to feed 30 developing nations,” said Sherrie Tussler, executive director of Hunger Task Force. “Why are one in four kids in Milwaukee going without enough food to be healthy?”
Volunteers are the driving force behind Milwaukee’s network of charitable food programs. (Photo by Molly Rippinger)
In 2004, Hunger Task Force acquired a 208-acre farm in Franklin, which was formerly a prison work farm. Today, more than 25 varieties of produce are grown and 778,000 pounds of produce were distributed last year.
Hunger Task Force welcomes volunteers to come to the farm and help with daily operations. The farm also has a hands-on nutrition program where more than 2,100 area school children came to learn about healthy eating in 2014.
Feeding America has also emphasized making more fruits, vegetables and proteins available through its Fresh Rescue program, which retrieves perishable food items from area grocery stores. The Fresh Rescue program provided 12.6 million pounds of food in 2014, which was more than half of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s total pounds distributed to nine Wisconsin counties.
Retailers and groceries are encouraged to participate in the program as a way to help their community, reduce garbage removal costs and increase tax deductions. Also, the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects donors from criminal or civil liability when they give to nonprofit organizations. “There are a lot of trickle-down benefits,” said Gina Styer, communications manager for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. “It’s really a win for all of us.”
To help incorporate more locally sourced fruits and vegetables into meals, The Gathering community meal program established the “Fresh Produce Preservation Project” in 2010. During the harvest season, farms donate some of their crops, and volunteers help preserve the produce by canning or freezing. The program preserved almost 2,000 pounds of food last year alone.
“We stay as balanced as we can with what we have on hand,” said Long. She explained that among The Gathering’s network of volunteers there are registered dieticians and licensed nutritionists who look over the menus to assess their nutritional value.
Offering nutritionally rich food options is also a priority for Riverwest Food Pantry, which operates at St. Casimir, 924 E. Clarke St., and Gaenslen School, 1250 E. Burleigh St.
Jean de Vita, a registered nutritionist, volunteers at the pantry and has helped implement higher nutritional standards through the Riverwest Health and Wellness Committee.
“Sourcing food through donations and commodity programs historically has translated into less control over nutritional content,” she explained.
One way Riverwest has emphasized nutrition is through cooking demonstrations, which help clients learn about more unusual fruits and vegetables, such as jicama, with samples and easy recipes to take home.
Riverwest is also a choice pantry, meaning clients are able to walk along the aisles and pick from a variety of options. Hunger Task Force, which was established by registered dieticians and nutritionists in the 1970s, has identified choice pantries as the preferred method for food pantries.
“Client choice is important to us not only because it’s helping with the dignity of the individual, but also because it’s reducing wasted food,” said Tussler. When clients leave pantries with items that align with their personal tastes and cultural preferences, it makes the experience of visiting a food pantry more pleasant and the client is less likely to waste the food.
Feeding America has also stressed nutrition through its “Foods to Encourage” program, which is aligned with USDA Dietary Guidelines. “It sounds really nice on paper, but it’s much harder depending upon an individual food bank’s partnerships to meet those individual categories,” said Styer. Currently, 71 percent of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s warehouse inventory meets the “Foods to Encourage” standards.
Keeping quality high
Food banks, pantries and hot meal programs are not excused from industry standards and health codes. All food establishments, including food pantries that serve hot meals, are required to undergo an annual inspection by the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) to ensure their practices are up to code.
“If it’s a food pantry where people can pick up food, we will advise them on the proper storage of the food,” said Sarah DeRoo, health communications officer for MHD.
DeRoo explained that many of the health code violations acquired by food pantries are a result of the buildings in which they are housed. “They [food pantries] tend to be in older buildings, such as churches, so we assist them with things like proper removal of any rodents or giving guidance on safe food storage.”
Other common infractions for pantries that prepare meals include holding food at improper temperatures or poor hygiene practices by the staff, such as not wearing gloves or having unrestrained hair. “One of the difficulties is that you have very well meaning individuals operating something small out of the goodness of their hearts,” explained DeRoo.
To receive food from Hunger Task Force, pantries must sign an agreement that requires them to meet specific standards including pest control, overall cleanliness and proper food storage. A manual, referred to as the Standards of Excellence, provides guidelines for addressing food safety, civil rights compliance, confidentiality and Limited English Proficiency (LEP).
Hunger Task Force conducts annual assessments of the overall performance of each program based on the Standards of Excellence. Site visits produce ratings for overall performance: poor, fair, good or excellent.
Tussler explained that the goal is for 85 percent of Hunger Task Force pantries to be rated “good” or “excellent,” but only about half a dozen of its 80 pantries currently meet those standards.
To acquire food from Feeding America, programs must pay a $100 membership fee that is immediately entered into their account to be used for food purchases. Programs are also charged a shared maintenance fee of 19 cents per pound of food. “The shared maintenance fee gives them ‘a little skin’ in the game,” explained Styer. “It makes them feel more responsible about the food and how they are handling it.”
When programs register to become a member of Feeding America they must provide information pertaining to the number and ages of clients served, and the number of days they operate the program. Site visits of the member programs are conducted every two years.
“We want to make sure that once the food is leaving our facility, it maintains its proper integrity,” said Styer.
‘This is life’
Hunger and poor health remain harsh realities for many Americans despite the increased efforts of food banks, food pantries and hot meal programs. The most recent census data shows that about 50,000 Milwaukee children live in households that struggle with food insecurity.
Many Milwaukeeans rely on food charities. “This is life,” said Richard Suero, pastor of Faith/Santa Fe Lutheran Church, as he picked up food from Feeding America. “If we don’t have this food then we cannot provide for our community.”
Ultimately, providers of free food for the hungry strive for the day when their services are unnecessary. “It’s unfortunate that we need it,” said Styer, referring to the large network of charitable food programs in Milwaukee. “But thank goodness we have it.”
Added Tussler, “We’re fighting an uphill battle.”


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Homeownership fair highlights affordability for potential buyers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matthew Wisla
March 11, 2015
Attendees at the homeownership fair learn about the city’s Strong Neighborhoods Plan, which features forgivable loans and other options for making home buying affordable. (Photo by Matthew Wisla)
Spring is in the air, and more than 250 house hunters marked the beginning of home-buying season by attending a homeownership fair organized by Take Root Milwaukee at the Italian Community Center. With a range of affordably priced homes on the market and mortgage rates lower than at this time last year in most loan categories, interest in the central city is running high.
Affordability is the main attraction for many potential buyers. Jessica Noth, healthy neighborhoods coordinator for the Havenwoods Economic Development Corp., said she spoke to a man at the fair who pays $800 for rent each month and became interested in homeownership after realizing that it would be within his budget. For example, the mortgage payment for an $80,000 home is typically between $550 and $650 with a down payment between $2,800 and $16,000.
Even so, some potential buyers wrongly assume that homeownership is beyond their means, according to housing experts and exhibitors at the fair.
“One of the big misconceptions about homeownership is when people assume they can’t afford it,” said fair exhibitor Irma Yépez Klassen, associate director of Select Milwaukee. “They assume everyone needs a big down payment, but it’s often not as expensive as they think and there are many loan options available.”
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Irma Yépez Klassen, associate director of Select Milwaukee, encourages prospective homeowners to learn about the buying process before jumping into the market. (Photo by Matthew Wisla)
The fair, now in its fourth year, featured home-buying workshops that help take the mystery out of what can be a daunting process. City housing officials, lenders, homeownership specialists and realtors discussed the market for city homebuyers, explained the buying process and answered questions.
Organizations such as Select Milwaukee regularly conduct extended home-buying workshops where prospective buyers receive individual counseling on improving their credit worthiness, if needed, and how to choose a home that’s right for them, according to Klassen. They also learn about their eligibility for special mortgage or home rehabilitation loan programs.
Joey Zocher attended a workshop before buying her home in the Burnham Park neighborhood last summer. “It’s always good to revamp your budget and get input on your finances and the buying process,” she said.
One potential budgeting problem involves buyers who hope to economize by getting a “fixer upper” but then underestimate the amount of work involved. Jeremy Belot, director of real estate development for the Layton Boulevard West Neighbors’ Turnkey Renovation Program, discussed this pitfall with attendees at the fair.
“We have seen a lot of buyers bite off more than they can chew when they find they can’t keep up with the challenges of a fixer upper,” he said. “Or things start to snowball when something goes out unexpectedly or more repairs are needed than were anticipated.”
Klassen said the key is an “educated consumer” who understands her budget and the maintenance and repair requirements of the new home. “The goal is sustainable home ownership,” she said.
Milwaukee’s foreclosure crisis has added to the inventory of affordable homes on the market, but buyers need to budget carefully for rehabilitation. “So many homes that were in foreclosure are now on the market but need to be fixed up,” said Noth. “Buyers need to beware of being blindsided by rehabilitation expenses and be sure their loan covers all the costs and is affordable.”
For prospective homebuyers ready to take on a rehab project, the fair offered a session featuring experts on code compliance, home inspections, contractor selection and loan options.
Among the most popular loans discussed at the fair was one that’s available through the Homebuyer Assistance Program offered under the city’s Strong Neighborhoods Investment Plan. The $20,000 loan is forgivable for qualified applicants buying and rehabilitating a city-owned foreclosed home. Other loan assistance programs for low- to moderate-income homebuyers are available through several banks, including US Bank and Great Midwest Bank, and some neighborhood development associations, according to Noth.
Organizations exhibiting at the fair or staffing the workshops included BMO Harris Bank, Neighborhood Improvement Development Corp., Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, Realty Executives, ACTS Housing, Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority and Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council.
Fair organizers and exhibitors were optimistic about the current market for homebuyers. Although median prices for single-family homes in the city have increased about $10,000 in the past year, according to Klassen, the market is favorable for buyers due to the improving economy and lower mortgage rates.
“It has been a slow winter for home buying,” added Belot, “so there’s some pent-up demand in the market now that spring is finally here.”
For Zocher, this will be the first spring in her new home, and she has big plans. “I’m putting in a garden bed in the back and planting native flowers out front,” she said.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 10, 2015


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How to prepare for springtime weather threats | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
FEMA Region V
March 11, 2015
Warmer weather increases the risk of flooding. (Photo courtesy of FEMA)
Snow melt, heavy rains and rising waters increase the risk of flooding as the seasons change. “It is important we prepare now for the impact floods could have on our homes, our businesses and in our communities,” said Andrew Velasquez, FEMA Region V administrator.
Take action with these simple steps to protect what matters before a flood threatens your community:
Your Home
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Your Family
To learn more about preparing for floods, how to purchase a flood insurance policy and the benefits of protecting your home or property investment against flooding visit FloodSmart.gov or call 1-800-427-2419.

author: FEMA Region V


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Northwestern Mutual Awards $285,000 in grants to nonprofits nationwide | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Northwestern Mutual
March 11, 2015
Whether it’s becoming a Big Brother, setting up a lemonade stand or advocating for economic and social equality for women and girls, Northwestern Mutual financial representatives are actively involved in their communities. To recognize this, Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual, through its foundation, is awarding financial representatives with the company’s 2015 Community Service Award.
Three winners in each of the four regions will receive a $15,000 or $20,000 grant for their nonprofit, while an additional winner per region is named most exceptional, earning $25,000 for their organization. In total, the foundation is awarding $285,000 in grants.
“Each year I’m overwhelmed by the outstanding work our financial representatives are doing in their communities and their strong spirit of giving is echoed across our company each day,” said John Kordsmeier, president, Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “The impact of these individuals extends our business and reaches the heart of what we do every day by putting others first.”
Since 1995, the company has donated more than $4.6 million to nonprofits on behalf of its financial representatives.
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Watch the YouTube videos of the most exceptional winners Steven L. Braun, Gay Davis, Aaron Miller and Robert Perry.
Community Service Award Winners – Most Exceptional
Name
Organization
Office Location
Steven L. Braun, CLU
Cures Within Reach
Chicago, Illinois
Gay Davis, CLU
Children’s Cancer Association
Portland, Oregon
Aaron Miller, CLU, ChFC
Horizons for Homeless Children
Woburn, Massachusetts
Robert Perry
Open Hands Overflowing Hearts
Birmingham, Alabama
Community Service Awards
Kevin Bontrager, CLU, ChFC, AEP
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Thomas J. Canale, CLU, ChFC, CFP
Envision Unlimited
Chicago, Illinois
J. Michael Carroll, CLU
Fostering Hope Foundation
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Kaitlin Drennan
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation
Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Don Henderson, CLU, ChFC
Arlington Urban Ministries
Fort Worth, Texas
Amy Jamrog, CLU, ChFC, CASL
The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
Shawn Kelley, CLU, CFP
Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation
Cincinnati, Ohio
David Lively
Tennessee Donor Services
Kingsport, Tennessee
Mercer Caroline Smith
The Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment (Swedish Medical Center Foundation)
Seattle, Washington
Scott Sparks, CLU, ChFC
Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation
Denver, Colorado
Timothy Szlosek, CLU, ChSNC
Spectrum of Dreams
Melville, New York

author: Northwestern Mutual


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Jobs program for young adults aging out of foster care | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 12, 2015
88NINE Radio Milwaukee