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5 things to know and do the weekend of May 19 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
May 19, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
The new MLK Library Branch, which will include apartment buildings, is set to open in late 2024. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new building starts at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, May 19 at 310 W. Locust Ave. More information here.
Families and young people living on the South Side are invited to this youth resource fair full of music, food, performances and information about summer programs, internships and paid opportunities from more than 20 organizations across Milwaukee. The fair takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 at South Division High School, located at 1515 W. Lapham Blvd. More information here.
Bring a journal or something to write in “and an open heart” to this writing workshop facilitated by Darlin Nikki Janzen, Lexi Trenee and Alisha Vales. Light refreshments are provided. The workshop takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 at 6040 W. Lisbon Ave. Pre-register here.
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“Bloom and Groom” is an annual plant sale happening across the city, typically facilitated by neighborhood organizations, such as VIA CDC, Kinnickinnic River Neighbors in Action and Metcalfe Park Community Bridges. Many participating neighborhoods are holding their sales on Saturday, May 20 or sometime in the upcoming week, but there are other sales throughout May. Find more information by searching the phrase “bloom and groom” on social media or a search engine like Google.
Urban Ecology Center is hosting a sale for plants native to the region at its Washington Park location, 1859 N. 40th St. The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 21. More information here.
Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services is looking for community input on how to reduce youth incarceration. The virtual session takes place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 19. More information and register here.


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7279867140_27ae3f6797_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
May 18, 2023

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Ron Smith


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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: May 22 to May 26 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
May 22, 2023
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Construction on the new Martin Luther King Library branch began on Friday and is scheduled to be completed in late 2024. A temporary branch opens on Monday, May 22 at 2767 N. Martin Luther King Drive. More information here.
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation has opened grant applications for several projects, including ThriveOn Collaboration in and around the Harambee neighborhood, projects targeting the Sherman Park neighborhood and projects in line with the 414Life Blueprint for Peace. Applications close on June 5, but you can learn more about the grants at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 22 at Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s office at 101 W. Pleasant Ave, Suite 210. More information here.
“Bloom and Groom” is an annual plant sale happening across the city, typically facilitated by neighborhood organizations. Dominican Center is hosting its sale from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23 at its office, located at 2470 W. Locust St. More information here.
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Ex Fabula, a nonprofit, has trained teens in the craft of storytelling throughout May. Teens will share personal stories related to the theme “spill the tea” at this event from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24 at Newline Cafe, located at 3618 W. Pierce St. The event is free but space is limited. More information and RSVP here.
Employ Milwaukee and Milwaukee Area Technical College, or MATC, are hosting a workshop with information about careers in building controls and facilities maintenance. The workshop takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24 at Employ Milwaukee, located at 2342 N. 27th St. More information and RSVP link here.
The city and county governments are looking for community input on how to reach Milwaukee residents of color with health care toolkits and information. Those who attend this session and one on June 12 will be rewarded with a $200 gift card. This week’s session takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative, located at 4828 W. Fond Du Lac Ave. More information here.

author: Sam Woods


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Ron Smith
May 21, 2023


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Leaders once again ponder future of The Domes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
May 24, 2023
Back in February of 2016, an overflow crowd of residents gathered for a public meeting at the Greenhouse Annex at Mitchell Park Domes to voice their concerns over the conservatory.
“The people in this community and others want their decision-makers to take action to preserve The Domes,” said Ian Bautista, then the executive director of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative.
At the time, The Domes themselves were closed to the public after a piece of fallen concrete raised safety concerns as well as questions about the long-term sustainability of the three structures.
Fast forward seven years and the future of The Domes might be even more uncertain, as the latest effort to plot the South Side landmark’s future is underway.
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Officials will make recommendations based on  information from a community survey, a cost-analysis of several redevelopment options, including demolition, and information gathered at public input sessions to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors in July.
That deadline will likely be pushed to October, according to Juan Miguel Martinez, county supervisor for the 12th District, which includes Mitchell Park.
Martinez said he hopes The Domes will become something that serve nearby residents. He said this  doesn’t necessarily happen now.
“Most people in the surrounding community don’t go to The Domes,” said Martinez, who lives a few blocks west of Mitchell Park. “I do doors around my neighborhood, and people haven’t been in years or haven’t been there at all.”
That’s not to say it’s not an important landmark, he added. In fact, his preference is for a redevelopment option that keeps the iconic domed structures but repurposes them.
“The simple fact is that it’s unsustainable right now,” he said. “It has the feel of a suburban playground, and I’d rather it be used by more people in the community.”
Christa Beall Diefenbach is executive director of Friends of the Domes, a nonprofit that supports programming and other activities at The Domes. Her organization is collecting feedback from residents until May 31, through a community survey.
“We’re trying to reach out as far and wide as possible so that people can voice their interests and opinions about what The Domes mean to them and what they want for the future,” said Diefenbach, who added that the goal is to collect 10,000 to 20,000 responses.
That information, she said, will help county supervisors make a more informed decision about what to do next.
Perhaps the largest component of the report that will go before the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is a cost-analysis from the Concord Group, a consulting firm with an office in Milwaukee, of several redevelopment options, including demolition.
The final report, which Concord secured with a bid of $145,000, will also include architectural renderings and other visualizations of the different options. Originally scheduled to be completed in July, the county has yet to finalize its contract with Concord. As a result, the deadline for the report will likely be pushed back to fall, Martinez said.
Diefenbach admits that this is not the first go-round in terms of resident polling and planning studies for The Domes.
“This really goes back decades,” she said. “However, we haven’t had all the information in its most current form in one place at one time; this is a very comprehensive approach.”
A different attempt to end a stalemate plateaued in 2019, when the first Milwaukee County Task Force on the Mitchell Park Conservatory Domes, released its plan for the structures.
The task force supported a $66 million plan to renovate The Domes and add amenities at Mitchell Park, an estimate that group’s chairman, Bill Lynch, said was too high. It was to be paid for by a combination of private sector and county and tax preservation dollars.
The plan never moved forward as a new task force created by the county found that the 2019 cost estimates were outdated, estimates on available tax credits were incorrect, not enough non-debt equity was proposed for the project, and revenue projections based on attendance and sales were speculative.
In addition, an attempt to secure $19 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, which was supported by Martinez and other county supervisors, to rehab The Domes was rejected in 2022.
Speaking personally, Diefenbach said, the time to identify a solution for The Domes is running out.
“There is no longer an opportunity to kick this can down the road,” she said. “This is the moment where we need updated information so that we can make the right decision for our community.”
Diefenbach, who said her organization is also planning to include information on the possibility of a capital campaign and what the philanthropic community could support in the report to the county, said the goal is to find a permanent solution to the issues that cloud The Domes’ future.
“We want a sustainable solution that doesn’t result in us being in the same place 10 years down the road,” she said.
As for Martinez, his current preference is to turn The Domes into a Latinx cultural center that hosts events and exhibits that highlight the history of different ethnic groups and neighborhoods.
He also wants any effort to address the future of The Domes to include a plan on how to return Mitchell Park to prominence.
“I want Mitchell Park to be what it used to be, and that was a great park,” he said. “All the attention goes to The Domes, but none of it goes to the park that surrounds it.”

author: Edgar Mendez


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Ron Smith
May 23, 2023


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He spent 20 years in prison. Now he’s spending his life helping those who have been incarcerated. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
May 25, 2023
After 20 years in prison, Ed Hennings has dedicated his life to giving back to Milwaukee residents who have been incarcerated.
Now the owner of Go Time Trucking, which employs Milwaukeeans with experiences similar to his own, Hennings also works as a speaker, author and life coach helping formerly incarcerated people reacclimate to society.
Hennings was sentenced to 40 years in prison for first-degree homicide in 1996.
He said he was a few months from graduating college in Phoenix when he decided to take a break and come back home to Milwaukee.
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“I didn’t understand patience,” he said. “Almost everyone I knew was making quick money, and I wanted to keep up. I felt I was trying to do the right thing, and it wasn’t paying off.”
So he told his mother he needed a break from college, and she sent him money to come back to the city.
“I told her I needed a little over $300 for a plane ticket but instead of buying a plane ticket, I bought a train ticket for $69.99 and pocketed the rest of the money,” he said. “I’d already plan to turn the money in my pocket into more money when I got home.”
He said that was the worst decision he ever made.
“When I got home, I hit the streets and started making fast money, and it was addicting,” he said. “I was 19 to 20 and I got hooked on the independence I had.”
Hennings said he made a lot of money in the few years before his arrest.
“I determined the day I was arrested that if I was given a second chance, I wouldn’t need a third,” he said.
Hennings said he has grown to appreciate his two decades spent in prison.
“That whole 20 years I was making myself the best version that I can be in every way possible,” Hennings said. “So it was like a boot camp to serve to a certain extent. I took every class, every program, I just did a total overhaul on the person that I was.”
After his release, Hennings did some odd jobs before working in a barbershop and eventually opening his own.
“One day a client came in talking about how much money you can earn trucking, and I immediately got intrigued,” Hennings said. “I started educating myself in the business and seeing what skills I had that would apply.”
He started Go Time Trucking five years ago, and things took off.
On top of his mentoring and trucking, Hennings now owns a clothing line, has two published books and is a podcast host.
“Because of the trucking business, I can do the community work that is important to me,” he said.
Mary Roby, Hennings’ mother, said her son is passionate and determined.
“He is so concerned with the well-being of the community that he gives his all,” Roby said. “He’s very open about it. He’s willing to help wherever he can.”
“Ed is a positive role model to our members because of his powerful life experience,” added Steve Lied, the program administrator at Partners in Hope, a prisoner re-entry program. “He hits on important topics that resonate with people. I wish we could have him more.”
Hennings said he does all this work because he loves Milwaukee.
“Some of my heroes are from Milwaukee,” he said. “When I was younger, I was fascinated with our culture. We were a place that brought people from all over the country together.”
He said one of his goals is to help Milwaukee get back to a place where people want to be.
“Some of the best advice I ever received was to be great where you are and let it carry over,” Hennings said.
Hennings holds Zoom calls every Saturday to help people learn how to get into the business and get a truck of their own. He has information about those classes available online.
Catch up with the people and organizations who make Milwaukee great by reading “NNS Spotlight.”

author: PrincessSafiya Byers


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Ron Smith
May 24, 2023


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5 things to know and do the weekend of May 26 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
May 26, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will signal the grand opening of the athletic field at Washington High School of Information Technology on Friday, May 26 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The school partnered with Common Ground for the reconstruction. The event takes place at 2525 N. Sherman Blvd. and reservations are required. More information and an RSVP link here
The mics are on for students across Milwaukee to catch a vibe at Sacred Garden Open Mic at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 26. The event will feature poet Unique Russ. The event takes place at the Arts @ Large, 908 S. 5 St. More information here.
As Mental Health Awareness Month ends, director Chad “C-Note” Roper from the Amplifiers Community Connections program speaks with therapist, Mickell Daniels and counselor Carla Nealy on Saturday, May 27 about various aspects of mental health. This free event will take place in Radio Milwaukee Walker’s Point Studios at 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.  or anyone can join in live on Radio Milwaukee and Amplifier’s Facebook pages.  More information and an RSVP link here.
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Black Rides Matter is Black Arts MKE’s first bicycle ride in which Milwaukee North Side residents will be biking to four Black-owned businesses or entities. The meetup starts at 9 a.m. on  Saturday, May 27, and riders will be departing from CopyWrite Magazine at 2209 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The stops include America’s Black Holocaust Museum, Spinn MKE, HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary and Coffee Makes You Black. The organization partners with Bublr Bikes, but bikes will be limited, so you are encouraged to bring your own bike. More information here.
Heal the Hood MKE hosts its 11 annual block party from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 27 on Burleigh Street between 8 and  12 streets. The event is open to everyone and will include vendors, entertainment and resources for families. Vendors can sign up as well. More information here.

author: Chesnie Wardell


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Ron Smith
May 25, 2023


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Ron Smith
May 25, 2023


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 5 things to know and do the week of May 29 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
May 30, 2023
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Public safety responder Monte Fronk is an Indigenous father spreading awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous people. His daughter, Nada Fronk, was among those murdered. His presentation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 31 at the Gerald Ignace Indian Health Center, 930 W. Historic Mitchell St, on the second floor.  More information here.
The Ambition Center MKE is providing business owners with an information session at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31. Owners will have the opportunity to learn about obtaining a suppliers diversity certification to secure contracts and other benefits in the future. This will take place at the Ambition Center MKE, 530 E. Vienna Ave. and will be streamed live. More information and a livestream link here.
Clippers and Cops of Atlanta is coming to Milwaukee to connect with the community. Clippers and Cops is a community engagement program that seeks to create a  dialogue between law enforcement and the community.
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A forum on “Bridging the gap between police and community” will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31 at Gee’s Clippers Barber and Beauty Salon, 2200 N. Martin Luther King Drive.
There will be free haircuts (ages 12-21), light refreshments and giveaways.
The Milwaukee Christian Center,  Ambrose Place MKE, Safe & Sound and City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention are collaborating on the event.
Red Bike & Green-Milwaukee, a group of cyclists, gathers for a bike ride to encourage quality sustainable development for Black and Brown people. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, riders will depart from Taste of Lindsay Heights on 1617 W. North Ave. The ride ends at 7 p.m. More information here.
Grab a blanket, a friend or family member as Martin Drive Neighborhood kicks off its free outdoor movie night for residents on Friday, June 2 from 8:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. Families will watch “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” in the Martin Drive Community Gardens and Pavilion, 1335 N. 46th St.  More information here.


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Ron Smith
May 29, 2023


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Ron Smith
May 29, 2023


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Ron Smith
May 29, 2023


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Ron Smith
May 28, 2023


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How the Benedict Center helps women who have been incarcerated | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
June 1, 2023
For roughly 50 years, the Benedict Center has assisted women involved in the criminal justice system.
Many of their needs are similar, and the center works with all women, including anyone who identifies as a woman, at any stage in the system, said Jeanne Geraci, executive director of the Benedict Center.
These stages include: pre-arrest; pre-trial;  incarceration; reentry; probation; and parole.
Recent data from The Sentencing Project reveals the number of women who are now incarcerated is six times higher than it was in 1980.
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But this increase has not been evenly distributed among races and ethnicities.
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2019, there were over 50% more Black women and roughly 27% more Latinas incarcerated in a state or federal prison than white women.
The Benedict Center, headquartered at the North Side, focuses on diversion and deferred prosecution agreements, or DPAs.
DPAs are an option in which women can avoid being criminally charged or can have charges dropped by participating in a substance abuse and/or mental health treatment program, EJ Miecielica, counselor at the Benedict Center, said.
Benedict Center staffers also provide the same counseling for women who have been released from incarceration.
Those in custody at the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center, formerly known as the House of Corrections, can take classes, attend workshops and receive counseling organized and provided by the Benedict Center.
Classes and workshops are varied, Julia May, bridge case manager at the Benedict Center, said.
Women can learn about the basics of the criminal justice system, employment and how to develop better coping skills, among other topics.
For women who have been released from incarceration, there are many pieces – small and big – with which staff can also help, May said.
Case managers assist with traveling to doctor’s appointments, getting Social Security cards and finding housing.
The staff also does street outreach to women engaged in the sex trade, and the Benedict Center runs two drop-in centers – one on the North Side and one on the South Side – where these women can access food, beds and showers. Case management and counseling are also available.
“Most women we work with are also victims and survivors of violent crime,” Geraci said.
The trauma – and lack of safety – women have experienced makes them feel less comfortable around men, so providing spaces and programs exclusively for women makes a big difference, May said.
A basic initial step in serving women in the system is to recognize that  “ … while the justice system isn’t built well for anybody,” Geraci said, “it especially has overlooked the unique and specific needs of women.”
For example, women face challenges trying to get back into the workforce after incarceration.
“They may find that a lot of the entry level jobs are traditionally held by men, like construction jobs,” May said.
In addition, women are most often responsible for child care as well as general caretaking within families.
“Periods of incarceration are incredibly disruptive for the females that are taking care of not only their kids, but also sometimes their parents or their grandparents,” May said. “So, if a woman is incarcerated for whatever reason, that does become a big stress for not only them but their entire family.”
People who are interested in learning more about what is available at the Benedict Center can call 414-347-1774 or email justice@benedictcenter.org.

author: Devin Blake


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Ron Smith
May 31, 2023


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Ron Smith
May 31, 2023


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Ron Smith
May 31, 2023


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Ron Smith
May 31, 2023


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BENEDICT CENTER photo | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
May 31, 2023


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FINALBENEDICTCENTER | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
May 31, 2023


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5 things to know and do the weekend of June 2 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
June 2, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Whether you want to be a seller or shopper, check out Washington Heights Neighborhood Association’s annual rummage sale – open to all Milwaukee residents – on Saturday, June 3. Hours may vary depending on the seller’s time frame, so also check the neighborhood residents’ rummage sale map to see the addresses, hours and types of items being sold on an individual’s property. More information here.
For those 18 and older interested in making an environmental impact,  Sixteenth Street Community Wellness is offering a free “Collect, Collaborate, Communicate: Health and Environmental Justice” training series. The first session will focus on ecological and human health. Register for the sessions as the first one begins Saturday, June 3 at Havenswood State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins St. Each session is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. .More information here.
Grab your bike and join Northwest Side Community Development Corporation for its sixth annual Promise Zone bike ride from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 3.  Riders will depart and arrive back at Garden Homes Park on 2600 W. Atkinson Ave. Free bike tune-ups will also be available from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. After a ride down Milwaukee’s 30th Street Industrial Corridor, free goodies will be given out. The event is free but registration is required. More information here.
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Every first Saturday of the month, Amani residents on Milwaukee’s North Side can attend community meetings to discuss needs for and concerns of the neighborhood. The meeting this month takes place at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, June 3. Residents can attend in person at the Dominican Center on 2470 W. Locust St. or virtually via Zoom. More information and a Zoom link here.
June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month and 13 organizations are collaborating to put on a series of events. On Saturday, June 3, Safe & Sound is holding a Paint the Streets Orange peace walk at 10:30 a.m. The walk will be on Sherman Boulevard to Roosevelt Drive, and Locust Street.  A drive thru memorial will also be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 on Sherman Boulevard and Townsend and Locust streets. More information here.


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Ron Smith
June 1, 2023


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5 things to know and do the week of June 5 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
June 5, 2023
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
If you are 18 years old or older, then you could be eligible for the Greater Milwaukee Urban League’s free virtual driving permit classes and behind-the-wheel lessons. The opportunity takes place from 11 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. on Monday, June 5. Email intake coordinator, Darnell Lathan at  dlathan@tmul.org about the qualifications individuals must meet. More information here.
Community members will come together on Wednesday, June 7 for a “Green Lounge Talk” discussion and workshop. This free event focuses on green initiatives and discussion of environmental topics. It will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Reiske Park, 1651 S. 23rd St. More information here.
Gather kids ages 3 to 5 years old to join the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition for its children’s story time from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 7 at 5235 S. 27th St. Please note that parents and guardians must be present. More information here.
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The Washington Heights Neighborhood Association is bringing its residents, vendors, local artisans, music and more to its night market on Thursday, June 8 on Washington Boulevard from 53rd to 54th streets. The event is free and will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone interested in volunteering for the event should be sure to complete a sign-up sheet. More information here.
The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation is hosting a business training event for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses. Registration is free and must be completed before Wednesday, June 7. The training will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, June 9 at 1533 N. Rivercenter Drive. More information here


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Ron Smith
June 4, 2023


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NNS Spotlight: How Revitalize Milwaukee helps residents repair their homes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
June 6, 2023
A letter in the mail changed Joy Moore’s life.
After living in her Lindsay Heights home for 22 years, she received a note from Revitalize Milwaukee inviting her to be a part of the nonprofit organization’s annual “block build.”
Her home, and many others in 2022, was repaired at no cost to the residents in August as part of the effort.
“They fixed leaks I’d had for years, gave me new security gates and made it safe for me to go out to my garden,” Moore said. “I’ve been here 23 years, and I plan to be here for the rest of my life, and they made it possible for me to do that.”
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Completing repairs people cannot otherwise do is the point of Revitalize Milwaukee.
The “block build,” which usually takes place over a weekend and repairs every eligible home on a block, is only one of the group’s many programs that help Milwaukeeans stay safe in their homes.
Revitalize Milwaukee is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to reduce social, economic and environmental disparities by providing free home repairs throughout Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.
According to Lynnea Katz-Petted, the CEO, the organization is the largest provider of home repairs to  homeowners in Southeast Wisconsin and the only one that provides them for free.
This year alone, she said, Revitalize Milwaukee has serviced 126 homes.
Most of its programs serve residents who have lived in their homes for at least five years and who are age 60 or older, have a disability or live with a person who has a disability or who is a veteran.
Revitalize Milwaukee does everything from providing ramps for people in wheelchairs to fixing doors broken in domestic disputes.
“We do a lot of what I call ‘comprehensive referrals,’ ” Katz-Petted said. “So, if we do home repair, for example, and we find out there’s a food issue, we ask questions so we can try to figure out how we get them resources for food. It’s the same with all other resources as well because people don’t know what they don’t know.”
Revitalize Milwaukee is best known for its emergency repair program, which provides repairs for urgent or life-threatening plumbing problems, furnace issues or electrical problems within 48 hours.
Moore said that after all the repairs were done to her home, she realized her water heater had been acting up, so she called Revitalize to come back. It did the day after.
“Turns out my water heater had been burning, and I didn’t even know it,” Moore said. “The guy that came out said it was a tragedy waiting to happen. They saved my life.”
The nonprofit provides about 10 other services, which include chore service for homeowners who can no longer mow, rake or shovel themselves and assessments meant to ensure repairs are as effective as possible.
“You can’t really determine what a homeowner needs in terms of resources to prevent them from falling (while) on the phone,” Katz-Petted said.
Wisconsin has the nation’s highest rate for deadly falls among the elderly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,635 residents ages 65 or older died from falls in 2021, giving the state a rate more than double the national average.
Katz-Petted says those statistics are why there is more work to be done in this field.
“We clearly need more people doing this work,” she said. “It starts with just being a decent neighbor.”
Catch up with the people and organizations who make Milwaukee great by reading “NNS Spotlight.”


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Ron Smith
June 5, 2023


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Amanda Clark draws from her experience to help Amani residents find safe and affordable housing | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
June 8, 2023
Amanda Clark’s experiences with housing instability have led her on a journey to help her community access safe and affordable housing.
Clark, 38, started her role as housing coordinator for the Dominican Center at the beginning of 2022 to help long-term Amani residents learn about available resources and to aid young adults in finding homeownership opportunities.
Born in Chicago, Clark moved to Milwaukee as a toddler and spent her childhood bouncing around the city – moving from home to home for one reason or another.
“We were very transient. We never stayed anywhere for more than a year,” she said. “Because we moved a lot, we changed schools a lot. We never had a consistent routine or friends.”
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Clark said the primary reason her family moved around so much was because of the living conditions in many of the homes.
“I remember we moved on Thursday night. We’d just moved in, so we didn’t have beds or anything because we threw everything out. And back then you’d have to wait for We Energies to come and hook up your gas and electricity,” she said.
“We had one mattress, and we all shared it. That first night, my mom went out for something. When she came back to me, my sister were on the mattress and we woke up (with) … so many roaches, just all around, walking all over,” she said. “And there were mice. So, my mom decided we weren’t staying there and left. We had to leave everything behind. We didn’t even get to unpack.”
Because of those types of experiences, she said she struggles with maintaining connections, taking ownership of things and finding stability in her adult life. But those struggles fuel her passion for the housing work she does.
“They had a devasting effect on me,” Clark added. “And I know there are kids still living in those types of situations.”
According to Maricha Harris, the executive director of the Dominican Center, Clark’s personal experiences allow her to connect with residents.
“Amanda has an effervescent personality in general,” Harris said. “But when she’s one-on-one with residents, you can see from the way she connects with them to how patient she is that she is a reflection of this community.”
Clark says her journey to her roles was nontraditional.
In 2008, she was charged with a felony and incarcerated. Upon her release a year later, she started working a string of warehouse jobs — until her then-girlfriend helped her find a new position.
“I just felt like because I had a felony no one was going to trust me enough to hire me,” she said. “I knew that community work came with like paperwork and people’s information, and I just thought no one would trust me with important information.”
But her wife thought otherwise.
“We’d always talk about our passion for community,” DeShanda Clark said. “And I knew how hard of a worker she was. So when I saw the position, I told her to go for it.”
Clark was accepted into Public Allies Milwaukee’s Class of 2019 and placed at Community Advocates’ Public Policy Institute. She worked on the 53206 Drug-Free Communities Project.
After her stint was up, Community Advocates hired her as the projects coordinator before she moved to the Dominican Center as the youth coordinator and finally to her role as the organization’s housing coordinator.
“I just knew Amanda wanted to do something purposeful,” DeShanda Clark said.
She said Clark is genuine, real and passionate. She loves to see her connect with youths. “It’s like she’s everyone’s cool aunt,” she said.
Clark said she’s learned that you can’t serve young people unless you address their core issues.
“How can I tell a teen not to do drugs when they feel like that’s their only way to escape an unsafe environment or when (they) got the drugs from a friend whose couch they’re sleeping on,” she said.
“I spent so much of my childhood stressed and so much of my adulthood healing from that stress that I don’t want to see any children worrying like that,” she said.


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Ron Smith
June 7, 2023


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5 things to know and do the weekend of June 9 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
June 9, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Prepare for financial wellness at the Mission is Possible Tour, where attendees will learn about investments, credit and more. The event will take place beginning at noon on Saturday, June 10 at Ruby J’s Restaurant, 4734 W. Lisbon Ave. Reservations are required. More information and RSVP link here.
A community pop-up event with a grocery giveaway and cookout will take place at the Saints Cathedral-Rehoboth Campus, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  on Saturday, June 10 at 2830 W. Elder Wallace Drive. Other activities include the Milwaukee Police Department serving snow cones to kids along with haircuts, resources and more. More information here.
LaPorche Barham is a mother who lost her son, Maurice Grimes Jr., in August 2019 to gun violence. Barham and her daughter Quenaysha Tucker organized Butterfly’s Sacred Journey, a program that helps others on a healing journey when dealing with grief, trauma and more. Their healing workshop will be held from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 10 at the Milwaukee Public Library Villard Square Branch, 5190 N. 35th St. Participants will be creating a memory box, so individuals should bring an image of their lost angel and other art supplies they would like to use. Registration is free. More information here.
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Step into a peaceful environment by attending a beginners-friendly yoga class at INVIVO Wellness on 2060 N. Humboldt Ave. Suite 300 . The free session will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 10. Fitness equipment is provided, but feel free to bring your own. Sixteen people is the limit, so register while there’s time. More information here.
The Maternal Outcomes Matter Showers (M.O.M.S.) tour travels across the United States, holding community baby showers, supporting Black and American Indian/Alaska Native mothers who experience the highest mortality rates. Milwaukee is one of the designated cities, with a community baby shower scheduled from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 11 at Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ, 3500 W. Mother Daniels Way. Volunteers for the event are also needed, so feel free to sign up. More information here.


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Ron Smith
June 8, 2023


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Post From Community: Northwestern Mutual invests nearly $3 million to help increase community access, inclusivity at prominent Milwaukee attractions | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Nicole Anderson
June 9, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
MILWAUKEE – May 24, 2023 – Today, leading financial services company Northwestern Mutual announced nearly $3 million in grants to increase community access to Milwaukee’s leading cultural destinations and attractions. The investment is being made through the company’s Foundation, and will be used to provide residents and visitors equal and affordable access to the city’s top attractions by meeting spatial, social and economic dimensions of inclusion.
“Milwaukee is home to many iconic destinations and attractions that make our city a cultural hub for residents and visitors,” said Steve Radke, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “We have a longstanding commitment to the city of Milwaukee and its people, and we’re proud to partner with many great local organizations that share our vision in ensuring equal access to these experiences.”
“Providing families opportunities to engage and connect with the community is key to our success,” said Jodi Gibson, president and CEO of the Zoological Society. “We are grateful for Northwestern Mutual’s support and commitment to Milwaukee and look forward to reaching more guests.”
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The Foundation is also supporting the Milwaukee Public Museum’s “Wisconsin Wonders” capital campaign. Northwestern Mutual’s investment will support construction of the new museum in downtown Milwaukee, which is inspired by Wisconsin’s diverse cultures and ecosystems. The new museum, which will be the largest cultural project in Wisconsin history, aims to connect the community and create a multi-generational impact.
The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in need. The Foundation has given more than $465 million since its inception in 1992 and is designed to create lasting impact in the communities where the company’s employees and financial representatives live and work. It accomplishes this by combining financial support, volunteerism, thought leadership and convening community partners to deliver the best outcomes. The Northwestern Mutual Foundation’s efforts are focused nationally on curing childhood cancer, and locally on education, neighborhoods and making the company’s hometown of Milwaukee a great destination. Visit Northwestern Mutual Foundation to learn more.
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With more than $558 billion of total assets being managed across the company’s institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, nearly $35 billion in revenues, and $2.2 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500.
Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with “Advisor” in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.

author: Nicole Anderson


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Post From Community: Why the Medicaid changes matter: A letter from a physician | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dr. Nkem Iroegbu
June 9, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
At our hospital, we are acutely aware of the dangers posed by patients losing their health insurance coverage. Aurora Sinai Medical Center proudly serves our patients in the Near West Side of Milwaukee, many of which are enrolled in Medicaid. We work hard to care for many people who have been historically underserved and to provide excellent, compassionate care.
For many of our patients, their insurance coverage can mean the difference between getting something checked out and delaying that appointment down the road. But here’s the thing: The longer you put things off now, the more health issues you might have later.
When I heard that over 300,000 people in Wisconsin could lose Medicaid coverage in the coming months, I thought about those health issues and the delayed appointments. Since coming to the United States from Nigeria, I have seen the challenges placed in front of many of our patients, especially our patients of color, when it comes to finding and paying for care. I understand having to overcome roadblocks to health care and want to make sure our patients can find the care they need when they need it.
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Over the course of the pandemic, Medicaid coverage was renewed automatically. Now, you may have to prove you still qualify in order to keep your benefits. Each month, thousands of Wisconsin residents will receive letters from the state.
Losing benefits can make it more difficult or more expensive to keep getting that routine care that you need to stay healthy. You don’t want to put off getting that care. That is why my next words are so important. For people enrolled in Medicaid: If you get a packet from the state, make sure you take action.  Submit your renewal form immediately after you receive it. Also, feel free to call our Aurora Health Care helpline at 1-800-326-2250 if you need more help. If you wish to keep your same providers, make sure to ask who is in network for the plan you choose, if you must switch. The state, our teams and other partners are all hard at work to ensure our patients have access to the coverage they need—and if you’re no longer eligible for Medicaid, there are other options that can help, including the Affordable Care Act Marketplace.
I want to make sure we can keep seeing our patients when they need care, and so do my teammates.
So, here’s your gentle reminder. Make sure your Medicaid benefits aren’t interrupted by watching for a letter from the state. If you have concerns, talk to your doctor – we are happy to help or point you in the direction of additional resources. We’re in this together.

author: Dr. Nkem Iroegbu


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NNS Summer Survival Guide: Here’s a list of resources offered by Milwaukee Recreation to keep your kids active this summer | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
June 14, 2023
Editor’s Note: Welcome to NNS Summer Survival Guide, which will give you the resources you need to have a successful summer. Did we miss anything? Email us at info@milwaukeenns.org and put “NNS Survival Guide” in the subject line.
A pastime of many in the city includes a review of the annual Summer Recreation Guide from Milwaukee Recreation, or MKE REC, a department of Milwaukee Public Schools.
In it, families will find tons of low-cost options to keep kids safe and busy this summer at 16 locales across the city.
Below are some of the highlights of the Summer 2023 Recreation Guide, including information on how to sign up for activities. It’s also important to note that MKE REC has an inclusion services policy that ensures equitable and ability-appropriate access to programs regardless of race, age, religion, age, ability, sexual orientation or gender identity.
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Check these out!
MKE REC offers tons of opportunities this summer to learn how to play or master your favorite instrument. Below is a list of all the different instruments you can jam out to this summer: Bass guitar, drums, piano, rock band, singing, harmonica and the ukulele. Prices, class dates and times vary. Refer to the recreation and guide and go to the music section, starting on page 11.
There are a great variety of sports options available for youths this summer in Milwaukee. Below are the different camps and leagues your kids or teens can join. Cost, dates and times vary. Refer to the recreation and guide and go to the sports section, starting on page 13.
Camps: Softball (7th, 8th, 9th grade girls), Volleyball (Ages 10-18), Beach Volleyball (Ages 12-18), Volleyball Academy (Ages 7-14), Basketball Shooters Camp (Ages 5-15), Milwaukee Tennis & Education Foundation (MTEF) Tennis Camp (Ages 8-15)
Sports and Leagues: Gymnastics (Ages 4-12), Tae Kwon Doe (Ages 3-17), Soccer (Ages 3-9), Tennis (Ages 4-15), Track (Ages 5-14).
Baseball and Softball: There are several baseball and softball leagues that are collaborating with MKE REC this summer, with different options for boys and girls of all ages. For more information on those leagues contact the Beckum-Stapleton Little League, email Martin Weddle of the Felix Mantilla Little League and Journey House Baseball Program or email the Milwaukee Baseball Club, which is the new Milwaukee Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities Program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.
The easiest way to sign up for a MKE REC program is to visit mkerec.net and register online at least one week before the class begins. You can also call 414-475-8811, or register in person at the Milwaukee Recreation Central Office, 5225 W Vliet St. or Citywide Programs Office, 2414 W Mitchell St. Hours for both sites are Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The deadlines for fax or mail-in registrations were June 8.
Finally, no summer would be complete without pools and parks! Wading pools (Ages 8 and under), splash pads (Ages 6-17) and Milwaukee Recreation Playgrounds are all open June 12. Nearly all of the playgrounds also serve as free meal sites.


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Ron Smith
June 13, 2023


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Post From Community: Milwaukee youth take tobacco prevention message to D.C. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
FACT Movement
June 14, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Members of the El Bethel/Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network FACT group, part of Wisconsin’s youth-led tobacco prevention movement, traveled to Washington D.C. recently to participate in a series of activities related to No Menthol Sunday.
No Menthol Sunday, a national day of observance organized by The Center for Black Health and Equity, is a time for youths, faith leaders and others, to raise awareness about the impact of menthol and other flavored tobacco on health.
An estimated 3.1 million youths reported using a tobacco product within the past 30 days,
according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey. The most common product was flavored
e-cigarettes.
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While in D.C. the youth attended a conference organized by Mobilizing Against Tobacco
Lies, which culminated in a rally at the location of Altria’s annual stakeholder meeting.
Altria, formerly known as Philip Morris Companies, is one of the world’s largest tobacco
producers and marketers.
Other activities included meetings with the offices of Congresswoman Gwen Moore and
Senator Tammy Baldwin, a visit to the National Museum of African American History and
Culture and a press conference at the Metropolitan AME Church. To learn more about FACT
or become a member visit Factmovement.org.

author: FACT Movement


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June 5, 2023

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Tuesday marks a key day for renters: What you need to know if you face eviction in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
June 15, 2023
Milwaukee County will pause accepting rental assistance applications Tuesday to ensure it isn’t committing more funds than it has.
“We want to make sure we aren’t expecting applications that we can’t pay,” said Connor Goggans, the lead community Intervention specialist with the Milwaukee County Housing Division.
This leaves many people working in housing uncertain about the future.
Nick Toman, the managing attorney of the housing division of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, said a big part of getting cases dismissed or settled has been the ability to connect people to rent assistance through Community Advocates and the Social Development Commission.
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Though Community Advocates is pausing applications, the Social Development Commission will still be able to help residents.
“We will continue to accept them for as long as funds last,” said Antony Okonji, the communications and media specialist with the commission. “We are hopeful that more funds will come through, but if they don’t, then we will follow suit and close applications as well.”
Okonji said the commission expects current rent assistance funds to last through at least August.
“We are trying to stay hopeful because the reality is there is still a need,” he said.
In the past few months, Milwaukee has seen a slight rise in eviction filings in comparison to the significant drop the city experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though lower than the deluge of filings the city was hit with at the beginning of 2022, eviction filings are returning to pre-COVIDS averages.
According to the Eviction Lab, a group that tracts eviction filings throughout the nation, there have been 962 eviction filings in Milwaukee in the past month.
But many of the initiatives created during the pandemic to keep families stable are still helping.
The Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee continues to run its program, Eviction Free MKE, providing legal services to Milwaukeeans facing evictions.
“The program has helped get about a third of eviction filings in the city settled or dismissed,” said Toman. “I believe that’s higher than the rest of the state.”
The program serves Milwaukee County residents at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. That’s $25,760 for one person and $53,000 for a family of four.
And the Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center, a collaborative designed to provide assistance and resources for both landlords and tenants, is still open to support those in need.


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Ron Smith
June 14, 2023


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5 things to know and do the weekend of June 16 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
June 16, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Community leaders are asking 500 fathers to meet at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 16.the COA Youth and Family Center’s Goldin Center, 2320 W. Burleigh St. Their goal is to set the tone for a safe summer and call upon the fathers in Milwaukee, specifically in the 53206 ZIP code, to commit themselves to a ceasefire Father’s Day weekend.
Black men who are chefs and owners of Black-owned restaurants should grab their aprons and register as a vendor for the “Taste of Black Milwaukee” event on Saturday, June 17 from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The 21st annual Men Who Cook competition will also take place.  So if you are a man who cooks or a chef, sign up for this competition. This will all take place at the Destiny Youth Plaza, 7220 N. 76th St. More information here.
Your Move MKE holds its first car show and car wash fundraiser on Sunday, June 18 at 1107 W. Historic Mitchell St. Come between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to enjoy food, an arcade bus and to see 25 trophies being awarded to top car show participants. More information here.
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Make your dad feel special Sunday, June 18 at the Community Brunch for Dads event presented by the City of Light Church. This free and interactive event takes place at 6725 W. Burleigh St. from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. More information here.
Top the summer off with festivities and a wide selection of foods at Enderis Park Farmers Market on Sunday, June 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2956 N. 72nd St. Local vendors will be in attendance with foods and vegetables that they’ve grown. More information here.
Feel free to visit the Wellpoint Care Network’s community garden on its Capitol Drive campus this weekend on 8901 W. Capitol Drive. Its opening was Wednesday, June 14. There are opportunities for individuals to have their own plot as there are over 40 plots, volunteer opportunities and sponsorships. More information here.


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Ron Smith
June 15, 2023


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Here’s how and where to celebrate Juneteenth in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
June 16, 2023
Juneteenth is an annual national holiday on June 19 celebrating the anniversary of when the last Black people enslaved in the United States learned of their emancipation in 1865. Since 1971, Milwaukee has celebrated this holiday with parades, local food and vendors, historical talks, panels and more.
You can learn more about the history of Juneteenth.
Here’s a roundup on how to celebrate Juneteenth in Milwaukee this week.
A Juneteenth celebration will be held at Fondy Farmers Market, 2200 W. Fond Du Lac Ave. on Wednesday, June 14 from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Food, giveaways, vendors, onsite clinics and more will be present during this free event. More information here.
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The Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. (the Nupes) is kicking Juneteenth weekend off with a cookout Saturday, June 17 at McGovern Park in area three, 5400 N. 51st Blvd.  from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Food, games and other entertainment will be provided. More information here.
Milwaukee’s annual Juneteenth parade and festival will be Monday, June 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The event is led by Voces de la Frontera, partnering with Service Employees International Union and Power to the Polls. It will take place at Northcott Neighborhood  House on 2460 N. 6th St.  More information here.
TRUE Skool Inc. is an organization that revolves around urban arts throughout Milwaukee. The organization will be leading a Juneteenth cultural arts mural contest Monday, June 19, beginning at 9 a.m. in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Place on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Ring Street. Applications are past due, but community members can still come out to enjoy the interactive mural walls and support participants as they paint to win a cash prize. More information here.
Red Bike & Green Milwaukee will be in attendance Monday, June 19 at the Juneteenth parade on Martin Luther King Drive and Burleigh Avenue. You can participate with the organization by riding your bike in the parade beginning at 7:30 a.m. Kids and adults are welcomed to join this slow-paced ride. More information here.
Join the Paradise Social Lounge for their Juneteenth party at King Hall, 3413 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. on Monday, June 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Vendors, food and music will be there. More information here.
Alice’s Garden Urban Farm is an urban farm located in Milwaukee. It will have its 10th annual Juneteenth celebration June 19 at 4 p.m. at 2136 N. 21 St. A libation will be led by the executive director of the urban farm, Venice Williams; elders will be honored; and other activities will take place. More information here.


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Ron Smith
June 12, 2023


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Some Milwaukee County parents leaving workforce due to sky-high child care costs | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Tyler Dedrick for Wisconsin Watch
June 16, 2023
Editor’s note: In an early morning vote, the Legislature’s Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted June 16, 2023 to end funding for Child Care Counts, a program launched during the pandemic that subsidizes child care providers.
This story was originally published by Wisconsin Watch.
Milwaukee County parents pour a larger share of their income into child care than Americans living almost anywhere else, according to a Wisconsin Watch analysis of the National Database of Childcare Prices.
The median Milwaukee County household spent 15% to 26% of their income for child care, depending on the type of service, according to the 2018 data Wisconsin Watch analyzed. That’s above the 7% benchmark the federal Department of Health and Human Services recommends.
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That disproportionately forces county parents to make tough choices — such as whether to leave careers to stay home with children, risking harm to their finances and the economy.
The U.S. Department of Labor database, updated in May, contains price data by provider type, age of children and county characteristics from 2008 to 2018. When measured as the share of a family’s median income, Milwaukee County ranked among the top 10 most expensive counties for six of eight types of child care listed in the database. It cracked the top five for costly infant and preschool care.
At more than $16,000 per year, median infant care prices in Milwaukee County are higher than in 97.5% of all counties — while household incomes fall squarely in the middle, Monica Vereen, a U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson, said in an email.
Statewide, annual child care costs eclipse the average rent or college in-state tuition.
That’s when care is available at all.
Much of Milwaukee’s South Side is considered a “child care desert,” where only one licensed care slot exists for every three young children. More than 8,300 Milwaukee County children lack any available professional care, according to the advocacy group Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed, leaving a 13.3% gap between kids and available slots.
Additional child care deserts stretch across Wisconsin, where providers face a financial cliff, advocates warn.
The state’s Child Care Counts program — launched in 2020 with federal COVID-19 relief funding — kept thousands of providers open during the turbulent pandemic. But funds will run dry by January unless lawmakers intervene.
“This is a crisis on the brink of happening,” said Ruth Schmidt, executive director of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association. “Some would say we’ve already been in crisis.”
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has proposed allocating more than $340 million to Child Care Counts in his 2023-25 budget. The plan’s fate depends on negotiations with Republican lawmakers.
The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee on Thursday plans to consider the Department of Children and Families’ budget, which could include child care subsidies.
Diana Rico is a married mother of four living on Milwaukee’s South Side. As her kids have grown — the oldest is in college and the youngest is 21 months — Rico has moved between jobs and school, but child care costs have sometimes required her to stay home with the kids.
“Raising kids with one income, it’s doable, but it does restrict the quality of life that we can be giving our children,” said Rico, who also serves as an Early Childhood Education Ambassador with Milwaukee Succeeds, which pushes for education equity. She said child care is so expensive that “often it’s not even worth it.”
Rico recalled paying $280 per week for care at one center.
At one point, Rico, who did not finish high school, made a promise to her oldest daughter: She would earn her equivalency degree before her daughter graduated from high school.
Rico delivered. But to cover child care costs while she studied, her husband worked more, diminishing family time. The couple also halted their daughter’s dance lessons and cut their cable subscription, Rico said.
“I was taking things away from them that they enjoyed, something that they can be themselves and build a personality outside of school,” Rico said. “The biggest one was having to take away time from my husband to spend time with us as family.”
In the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa, Cheyenne Pierce, a single mom and retail worker, lived in perpetual calculation mode as she juggled tasks and stuck to tight budgets. “It adds so much stress to someone’s life when they have to think that way constantly,” she said.
Many Milwaukee County families struggle to meet broader basic needs, with 17% earning less than the poverty level, according to 2021 data from United for ALICE, a research and advocacy program managed by United Way of New Jersey. That’s compared to 11% statewide.
Meanwhile, 27% of Milwaukee County families — and 23% of families statewide — live above the poverty level yet can’t afford basic costs. That is called the ALICE threshold, which stands for “Asset Limited,Income Constrained,Employed.” Those residents typically earn too much to qualify for traditional state aid.
Families of color in Milwaukee County disproportionately fall below the ALICE threshold, as do nearly three in four single mothers and nearly half of single fathers in the county.
Child care providers and educators also struggle to make ends meet, leaving centers statewide hard-pressed to retain workers.
Constrained by razor thin profit margins and broken economics, Milwaukee providers pay teachers only $13 an hour on average, below the county’s living wage for one adult with no children. Few centers offer benefits, and nearly half of workers receive public food or health assistance, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty.
The median Wisconsin child care worker must spend 59% of their earnings to put their own child in infant care, the Economic Policy Institute found.
But pricey tuition and low wages don’t translate into big profits for providers. That’s because they must maintain low staff-to-child ratios to meet safety requirements — spreading revenue across many workers.
Briana Stanford, a South Side Milwaukee mother of two, said she earned too little as a child care provider to live, even with government aid. She left her job and now stays home with her children.
“Pulling myself from the workforce was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “I like to make my own money, and I like to work.”
Toshiba Adams is an adjunct professor at UW-Milwaukee and chairs Milwaukee Area Technical College’s child development program. She couldn’t afford quality child care when her son was born in 1997. So she and her mother started a center on Milwaukee’s Northwest Side. But she couldn’t survive on her low salary, prompting her to dissolve the business in 2006 and move into a full-time role at MATC.
Yimma Davila-Castro, owner of Yimma’s Bright Beginnings Daycare on Milwaukee’s South Side, says her salary is “whatever is left over” after she pays the center’s bills.
“Which is, many times, not that much,” Davila-Castro said.
Two-thirds of Wisconsin early childhood educators surveyed last December by the National Association for the Education of Young Children reported staffing shortages. Nearly a third considered leaving their job or closing their child care home. The top thing that would prompt them to stay: competitive wages.
“You go to work at McDonalds, name any restaurant, you’re going to get paid more than we can pay,” Davila-Castro said.
Milwaukee mother and journalist Ashley Smart sees the staffing turnover first hand as her daughter’s favorite teachers come and go.
“We showed up one day, and there were all these new people,” Smart said. “We were like, we don’t know who these people are.”
The Wisconsin Policy Forum found that centers paying higher salaries tend to receive higher ratings on YoungStar, Wisconsin’s five-star rating system for providers.
But in deeply segregated Milwaukee, many providers in predominantly Black and brown communities are stuck at two- or three-star ratings because they lack equitable access to money, Adams said.
“Children are suffering,” she added. “A lot of people are suffering based on these inequitable structures.”
Investing in child care pays off in the long run, a range of studies show.
University of Chicago and University of Southern California researchers, for instance, found that high quality early childhood programs can deliver annual returns of 13% per child on upfront costs when considering outcomes in education, health, employment and behavior.
But, Adams said: “You can’t run a high-quality program without high-quality money.”
Schmidt of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association calls for a “three-legged stool” approach to investment that includes contributions from government, businesses and parents.
“Right now it’s one leg, it’s parents,” Schmidt said. “It’s just going to fumble, it’s going to teeter, it’s not going to be solid.”
Outside of the child care industry, some businesses offer employees stipends or flexible spending accounts, allowing them to withhold pre-tax dollars for child care expenses. Some pay child care centers a stipend for priority access to care slots. Additionally, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families’ “Partner Up!” grants help businesses cover costs associated with supporting employee child care needs.
But the third leg of the stool, government funding, remains key to stabilizing the industry, advocates say.
As Wisconsin’s child care sector suffered during the pandemic, advocates viewed the Child Care Counts launch as an acknowledgement of the industry’s importance to the economy and  wellbeing.
Stabilization payments totaling nearly $379 million have helped 3,300 statewide providers remain open, preserving 22,000 child care jobs, the Wisconsin DCF estimates.
The funding allowed Davila-Castro to give bonuses to her teachers, cover utilities and provide financial relief to her customers. She also purchased high-quality teaching materials, which she said helped boost the firm’s YoungStar rating to five stars.
More than a quarter of Wisconsin providers said they would have closed without the grants, survey data show, and 60% expected to raise tuition if stabilization payments end.
Evers’ $340 million Child Care Counts funding proposal survived an early Republican culling of 500-plus budget items. And it could move closer to law during Thursday’s Joint Finance Committee meeting.
“We need revenue coming into our child care industry,” Schmidt said. “Without it, they will have to raise their rates. And that is going to hit working families.”
The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

author: Tyler Dedrick for Wisconsin Watch


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Dwayne Burtin
June 15, 2023

author: Dwayne Burtin


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Dwayne Burtin
June 15, 2023


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Dwayne Burtin
June 15, 2023


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5 things to know and do the week of June 19 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
June 20, 2023
It’s Tuesday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Amani Day is a celebration that brings fun and entertainment to the Amani neighborhood. It takes place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20 on West 24th and North Locust streets There will also be other events at the Dominican Center, 2470 W. Locust St. Families and individuals can come to the center at noon to visit a mobile food pantry for free goods and a resource fair. Click here for more information.
The Wisconsin Bike Fed is offering free bike tune-ups across Milwaukee’s North and South sides. The week of June 20, tune-ups will be at Franklin Square Playfield, 2643 N. 13th St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other locations include Mitchell Park playground, Walker Square Park, Merrill Park and more. See the complete calendar for all dates. More information here.
Celebrate Gordon Park’s new playground from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20 at 2828 N. Humboldt Ave. Bring the kids for fun, food and sports. More information here.
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Cawker Park will soon be renamed  Al Jarreau Park after the Milwaukee musician who earned national recognition for his talents. Artist Tia Richardson will create two murals for the park. Residents are invited to join a listening session to share ideas on the murals on Wednesday, June 21 and Friday, June 23 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Moody Park Pavilion, 2201 W. Auer Ave.  More information here.
The American Black Holocaust Museum and HYFIN radio partners up to host a free book club Wednesday, June 21 at the museum on 401 W. North Ave. at 6 p.m. Discussions revolve around racism, history, current events, and more. The book selection of the day will be “Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures.” Readers should have bought the book before the event but attending the book club is free. More information here.
MKE Rec will host a cycling celebration on Thursday, June 22. Space is limited to 25 students who are in 6th to 12th grade. Riders can meet professional cyclists, get free bike tune-ups, experience a cycling station and get free ice cream at the end. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting at the Beulah Brinton Community Center on 2555 S. Bay St. Bring your own helmet. Free bikes will be available to use. Registration is required. More information here.
Walnut Way Conservation Corp. is inviting Milwaukee’s input on the Percentage of Income Program, an initiative through We Energies that helps Milwaukee residents pay their gas and electric bill based on an individual’s income instead of solely how much gas and electricity is used. To help, you may submit an online comment expressing your personal opinion or knowledge here.


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Ron Smith
June 19, 2023


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5 things to know and do the weekend of June 24 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
June 23, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Sherman Park  its annual housing resource fair from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 24. Thirty-one partners will be at the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club, 3000 N. Sherman Blvd., ready to give families and individuals assistance with housing. This includes tips on building credit, a panel discussion and more.  More information here.
Have some fun with the Northwest Side Community Development Corporation at Bike and Play Fest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 24 at 4350 N. 35th St. There will be entertainment and free bike repairs for kids and families. More information here.
The Homer Blow Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit charity organization that helps kids and teens in the community. Saturday, June 24 is the 29th annual “Birthday Party for the Kids” at The Oasis on 3120 W. Villard Ave. The festivities begin at 2 p.m. Youths from the ages of 2 to 13  have free admission to the party, along with free food, entertainment and chances to win raffles. More information here.
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Flip N’ Styles Barber partners with Your Move MKE to give kids a free haircut for those who serve at least two hours in Walker’s Point neighborhood’s clean-up on Saturday, June 24. The meet-up will begin at noon at the barbershop on 817 W. National Ave. and the clean-up will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Afterward, the festivities will kick off with food, free T-shirts and haircuts. Registration is required. More information here.
Rev-Up MKE is a competition like TV’s “Shark Tank” and provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to create a successful business in Milwaukee’s Near West Side neighborhood with the support of investors. Local businesses such as Pete’s Pops, Lisa Kaye Catering, Triciclo Perú, and A Goodman’s Desserts have benefitted from this opportunity in the past. By late July, panelists will be notified and a “Live Pitch Event” will be coming in September. Applications will close at 11:59 p.m. July 12 or they can be picked up at the Near West Side Partners office on 624 N. 24th St. More information here.


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Ron Smith
June 22, 2023


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Juneteenth brings out Milwaukeeans to commemorate freedom – and community￼ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
June 27, 2023
Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with the news – two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation – that slaves had been freed.
Juneteenth is a relatively new federal holiday, but Milwaukee has been observing the day for years and last Monday was no exception. An annual parade, replete with vendors and other attractions, drew thousands.
NNS was there, too, snapping shots of Milwaukeeans observing the day.
Do you see yourself? Enjoy.
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Dwayne Burtin
June 22, 2023


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NNS Summer Survival Guide: Here’s where you can find free summer meals for students | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Trisha Young
June 27, 2023
Though school lunches are provided free to all Milwaukee County students through the Community Eligibility Program, many parents and guardians struggle to get access to the food necessary for their children during summer break.
Over 61% of Milwaukee County students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
The Summer Food Service Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, ensures that children have access to nutritious meals during the summer period.
The Summer Food Service Program offers free breakfast, lunch and dinner at various locations.
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Here’s a list of places Milwaukee students can get the food they need. The meal options provided may vary depending on the specific location. For up-to-date times and locations of participating MPS schools, check out its Meal Program Updates Page. Or this document provided by MPS.
Locations include:
There are other resources as well. Among them:
USDA Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder
Click on the mapping tool above, created by the United States Department of Agriculture. It will help you easily search by city for places that offer meals to youths when school is not in session.
Call 2-1-1
By dialing the toll-free number 2-1-1, callers can access a wide range of health and human services available in their community at no cost.
Text ‘food’ to 304-304
Like the 2-1-1 number, this texting service will link you to available food resources in your community that are closest to your place of residence.
The National Hunger Hotline
The National Hunger Hotline, operated by Hunger Free America alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serves as a valuable resource for individuals and families in need of food-related information.
Staffed by knowledgeable professionals, the hotline facilitates connections between callers and emergency food providers, government assistance programs and a range of social services within their community.
To reach the hotline, dial 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. Spanish speakers can access assistance by calling 1-877-8-HAMBRE.
In case you missed it: NNS Summer Survival Guide: Here’s a list of resources offered by Milwaukee Recreation to keep your kids active this summ

author: Trisha Young


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Ron Smith
June 26, 2023


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Inside the NNS Newsroom: Meet Trisha Young, our new health reporter | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Trisha Young
June 28, 2023
Hello! My name is Trisha Young, and I am excited to be joining the Neighborhood News Service family here in Milwaukee. I will be covering health issues in the communities NNS serves.
A bit about me:
I graduated from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2019, shortly before the pandemic, with a degree in film, animation and new genres. Like many others, I experienced personal and external challenges post-graduation in a world of isolation and disquiet.
Writing had become an ever-increasing comfort to me. Providing even more comfort: keeping informed of the world around me via independent news organizations that were interested in sharing non-traditional points of views. These were a necessity for unsure times, then and now.
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This is when I first became acquainted with NNS, which covered COVID-19 issues and the very topical protests occurring all around our communities. I had seen trends of many other news organizations that very specifically chose which stories and points of view they would not cover while other views were repeated and glamorized.
This kind of interest began early. Since I was about 14, I have been taking part in organizing efforts in my hometown, Racine.
In high school, I joined Youth Empowered in the Struggle, or Y.E.S.
As a teenager, I realized there was power in my voice. More importantly, there was an avenue I could use to channel that voice, which I saw as integral as the daughter of an Asian immigrant growing up in a largely working class and disenfranchised city.
Truly listening to my Black, brown and financially burdened peers changed the way I would see the world and cemented my commitment to use my own privilege to help where I could.
During this time, I helped organize Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day Y.E.S. fought to be recognized by Racine Unified School District, or RUSD.
I also helped craft a new RUSD student handbook that would offer greater protections and rights to students. On a state level, our efforts included attempting to gain in-state college tuition for immigrants and driver’s licenses for all regardless of status.
In college, I organized for UWM to continue to be a sanctuary campus. Our student group also campaigned against the university buying furniture that was manufactured using the labor of incarcerated people of Wisconsin.
In 2017, while studying abroad in Berlin, I covered the rise of neo-Nazis both in the United States and Germany for my school’s newspaper.
I learned many valuable lessons in not only working with students but also school administrations and state representatives in getting our needs met.
I learned that, while you will not win every battle, it is possible to change the hearts and minds of some.
And that always starts with sharing a story.
Making people understand the struggles their neighbors, friends, family and community members face is where change begins.
Because these stories are so often overlooked, people are compelled when they see and hear things that everyday people go through when they do come into contact with them.
And I learned that those connections are some of the strongest tools we have as writers, creators and organizers.
Getting to the bottom of the questions of why people act and interact the way they do is an integral piece of humans being able to understand one another. This allows people to use their own agency in strengthening their communities.
And it’s why I feel privileged to work with NNS, an institution that I see as sharing those core values of lifting up the voices of members in our own community.
Though my background may not be typical of the average reporter or journalist, I am hoping I can use my experiences as a strength to bring a new perspective to NNS.
I plan to focus not only on examining issues but also on addressing obtainable solutions to fix problem areas our community faces.
I look forward to putting my skills as a trained filmmaker and documentarian to help better tell the stories that need to be told through a multitude of mediums and platforms.
And more than anything, I am excited to become a more active member in Milwaukee’s neighborhoods and meet those making a difference here in our city.


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Ron Smith
June 27, 2023


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OPINION: Closing the funding gap for choice schools will build a better Milwaukee future | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Shannon Whitworth
June 28, 2023
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service invites community members to submit opinion pieces of 500-800 words on topics of interest to central city Milwaukee. To send a submission for consideration, please email info@milwaukeenns.org. The views expressed are solely those of the authors.
Without a quality education, we are failing to set children up for success. This is especially true in Milwaukee – Wisconsin’s largest city – where a strong education is essential to providing an opportunity for a better life for so many families. But the current funding model for the state’s school choice programs limits the number of children that can be served.
Currently in Wisconsin, private schools in the state’s choice programs receive $9,045 or less per student, depending on the grade level.
Independent charter schools receive $9,264 per student. Compare that to the $14,500 that the average public school receives in state and local funds, and the fundamental unfairness is clear.
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The education, opportunity and hope that school choice provides to our community are vital.
“When education ran away from Milwaukee, we moved in,” says Cole Braun, CEO of the Lutheran High School Association of Greater Milwaukee.
The association owns and operates three high schools and a middle school, including Milwaukee Lutheran where I teach.
Braun explained that more than a decade ago, when looking at the desperate educational needs of our inner-city community, Milwaukee Lutheran answered the call to serve those students.
They did not do it for the money. Tuition is now $12,500 per year per student at Milwaukee Lutheran, more than $3,000 higher than the voucher. That leaves about a $2.4 million gap that needs to be covered each year by the school just to break even.
The result is that a school that has capacity to take over 1,000 students can only take 850 and still survive economically.
Milwaukee Lutheran would love the opportunity to reach more souls, but it is an undertaking it simply cannot afford. Other choice schools in the Milwaukee area that were providing high quality education to students have closed because of this unsustainable model.
So, the question is why should you care about low-income families in places like Milwaukee and Racine?
Well, the answer is easy. The kids in school right now will be entrusted to fill the jobs of tomorrow, to raise families of their own, to pay taxes and to support the community. I am not saying anything new here, but how far will we go to secure their future and consequently Wisconsin’s?
Providing parents with educational choice drives options, competition and innovation. When it’s provided in education, it raises the quality of all schools in our state – public and private, religious and non-religious.
When that happens, our kids win. But this can’t be achieved with the current status quo. It’s critical that we take bold action to close the funding gap that exists in Wisconsin and fully fund all students.
Without action, the status quo leaves two options:
Schools are either forced to annually raise a significant amount of money to close the funding gap, or they must limit the number of children in the choice program they can serve.
Closing the funding gap would be a significant step toward education reform in Wisconsin.
“We started it, but we haven’t perfected it,” was how Andy Locke, the director of advancement for the Association for Greater Milwaukee, characterized school choice in Wisconsin.
By closing the funding gap, Wisconsin can be a leader once again without reinventing the wheel.
Wisconsin was once a leader in school choice, having created the nation’s first school choice voucher program in 1990. But that position has been jeopardized by an underfunded program that cannot meet the needs of all the families who want to access it.
Now is the time to do even more. Closing the funding gap for those families is a winning proposition for everyone.
Shannon Whitworth is the executive director of the Free Enterprise Academy at Milwaukee Lutheran High School.

author: Shannon Whitworth


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Ron Smith
June 28, 2023


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NNS Summer Survival Guide: What you need to know to have a safe summer with the kids | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
June 29, 2023
Summer is here, and school is out.
Here are some things to know about keeping your kids safe and engaged.
Marcey Patterson, community relations and engagement manager for the Milwaukee Police Department, said the MPD will be “heavily promoting curfew.”
“We need to know where our young people are this summer,” said Patterson.
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Summer curfew hours are from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. from June 1 to Aug. 31, Patterson said.
Violations of curfew can result in citing a child or teen under 18, and their parent could be cited as well, MPD Sgt. Efrain Cornejo said.
A curfew ticket is $94. A parent’s responsibility curfew ticket is $195, said Cornejo.
The Office of Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson is referring families to Safe & Sound, an organization that works year-round to increase public safety for communities throughout Milwaukee.
This summer in particular, Safe & Sound will serve as a broad “community connector,” Melissa Buford, staff assistant to Johnson, said.
“The Mayor’s Office put together a list of close to 100 organizations and agencies that service young people … and Safe & Sound will serve as the connector between the community and those agencies,” Buford said.
A calendar of events can be found on the organization’s website. Many of these events put particular focus on safety education and awareness.
MPD, in collaboration with the United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee, or UNCOM, also provides some citywide opportunities for safe and engaging events over the course of the summer.
At any one of the eight UNCOM locations, people can take part in the recently relaunched Police Athletic League, or PAL.
Despite the name, athletics is not necessarily an emphasis of PAL.
“We are doing more of a mentoring component, and so focusing a lot on character development, positive behavior, leadership, self-esteem,” said Patterson. “You can do mentoring through sport. But it’s heavily focused on raising self-awareness in young people and making the right decisions.”
The mentors at PAL are police officers, and the programming will include anything from games to arts & crafts to preparing food.
The young people participating will be the ones who get to decide what their time will include, Patterson added.
MPD also is promoting its calendar that organizes events according to respective police districts.
Outside of PAL, UNCOM offers other “varied and credible programming for the summer,” Renée Logee, executive director of UNCOM, said.
The specifics of the programming depend on the local center, but each one has different events and often field trips around the city, county and across  southeastern Wisconsin.
Some centers provide agricultural and gardening activities. Some have dancing events. Some have sports programming. Some have regular barbecues for families.
“There is something special about each center,” said Logee.
To get started, people can go to their nearest center or call Logee for assistance at 414-978-2000, ext.  100.
A third citywide resource for the summer is Milwaukee Recreation, a department of Milwaukee Public Schools, providing events and activities for kids, and families, of all ages.
While most of the locations are at an MPS building, you do not need to be a student or have a student at MPS to take part.
In addition to these locations, Milwaukee Recreation will be running its free summer playgrounds program at various sites throughout the city. These are safe, supervised locations, open to children ages 6 to 17 that also include opportunities for water play and field trips. This programming began June 12.
For older kids, ages 10 – 18, Milwaukee Recreation also runs what it calls Twilight Centers, which are free drop-in centers open during evening hours. These centers also are supervised.
For detailed programming, check out Milwaukee Recreation’s comprehensive summer guide.
At various Planet Fitness locations, teens from the ages of 14 to19 can work out for free this summer, through Aug. 31. Information and registration details are available on its website.
NNS Summer Survival Guide: Here’s where you can find free summer meals for students
NNS Summer Survival Guide: Here’s a list of resources offered by Milwaukee Recreation to keep your kids active this summer


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Ron Smith
June 28, 2023


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Residents document housing conditions in Milwaukee. Here’s what they have learned. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
June 29, 2023
Iran Jennings knows firsthand about the housing conditions of her neighbors.
That’s because Jennings was part of a project by the Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods (RON) Coalition and Rocket Community Fund that surveyed the exterior of Milwaukee homes.
“I got involved because I want to see my community thrive,” Jennings said. “Doing it this way allowed me to see what challenges my neighbors are facing.”
Eighty-six residents conducted surveys in 15 Milwaukee neighborhoods.
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The surveys resulted in a report created by Data You Can Use that presents a summary of exterior housing conditions in 2022. The report was released in April.
Among the report’s key findings? About 25 percent of homes surveyed need at least one major repair and around 15 percent need at least two.
Another finding: Investor-owned properties represent a larger portion of homes in need of repair than those that are owner-occupied.
In total, 19,827 properties were surveyed, of which 16,913 were residential or mixed use.
“We want to have a better understanding of housing conditions so it can be used as a means of displacement prevention,” said Adrian Spencer, the director of neighborhood engagement for United Methodist Children’s Service of Wisconsin, a partner organization of the RON Coalition. “Being able to see what resources people need will allow us to come up with plans that provide resources and keep people in their homes.”
The report found that of all the residential and mixed-use properties, 3,818 need at least one major repair and 2,486 properties need multiple major repairs.
It also found that the percentage of investor-owned residential properties that need multiple major repairs is nearly double the percentage of owner-occupied homes in a similar condition, and the total investment needed across the 15 neighborhoods is $54.094 million, using estimated average costs for the major exterior repairs identified.
The RON Coalition is made up of  11 neighborhood nonprofit partners, including Amani United, Dominican Center, VIA CDC, Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, Milwaukee Christian Center, Muskego Way Forward, Sherman Park Community Association, United Methodist Children’s Services (UMCS), Riverworks Development Corp, Near West Side Partners and Walnut Way Conservation Corp.
The information from the survey was combined with data from the City of Milwaukee, including information about ownership and tax delinquency status, to create a dataset.
Robert Lockett, the team leader of national housing stability for Rocket Community Fund, said his organization got involved to give the city a better lens to discern how leaders can better coordinate resources.
Rocket Community Fund, which sponsored this project, aims to dismantle inequitable systems by finding innovative ways to help communities.
The results of the survey provides another glimpse into Milwaukee’s housing crisis.
A 2021 report by the Community Development Alliance said the city needed 32,000 additional Black and Latino homeowners and 32,000 more affordable rental units.
To tackle this crisis, the Rocket Community Fund and RON Coalition call for increased funding for affordable housing and home repair, better code enforcement, fair housing policies and more investment in historically neglected neighborhoods.


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Ron Smith
June 28, 2023