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NNS Spotlight: How Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers plans to be a one-stop shop for health care | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Trisha Young
August 24, 2023
It’s an ambitious goal: to create a more integrated health care model while serving a higher number of patients.
And that’s one of the reasons the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers’ flagship site will be transformed into a three-story, 21,000-square-foot facility.
The new facility will offer a new pharmacy, primary care, supportive social services, behavioral health services and wellness classes that will be available to the community. A groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place earlier this month.
Currently, Sixteenth Street serves 45,000 people annually at all its locations, according to the organization. The expansion, which will add to the existing clinic’s north end, will accommodate an additional 32,000 visits a year.
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Sixteenth Street’s flagship location is at 1032 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive on Milwaukee’s South Side.
The clinic’s goal is to be a one-stop shop for health care needs for the underserved communities on the South Side.
Sixteenth Street opened its doors in 1969 in the heart of the South Side and became the first community health clinic in the state. Since its inception, the health center has provided a wide array of health services to diverse and largely Latino populations around Milwaukee.
Designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center, Sixteenth Street operates as a community-based nonprofit health center. The clinic offers primary care, social services, behavioral health and many other services to medically underserved areas and populations. Patients receive care without regard to their insurance, immigration status or their ability to pay.
Sixteenth Street uses a sliding pay scale based on income and takes a variety of insurances. No one is turned away from services.
With the addition of a pharmacy, Sixteenth Street clients will be able to visit a doctor and go straight to the pharmacy and get needed medication without having to worry about language or transportation barriers.
Members of the community, Milwaukee County and state officials as well as medical partners such as Froedtert Health took part in the groundbreaking.
Deb Standridge, the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, also spoke.
“We know that not every community has the same access to health care services, and this disparity can lead to disparities of health,” she said. She said this is especially true of people with “low income and communities of color.”
Gov. Tony Evers awarded Sixteenth Street more than $2 million from the State Healthcare Infrastructure Capital Grant Program, with help from the American Rescue Plan Act, for the clinic’s expansion. Total funds for the project came in at $9 million.
Other Sixteenth Street community programs will also be housed in the expanded clinic, including its lead program.
In partnership with the City of Milwaukee Health Department, this program provides testing for more than 6,000 children annually. This testing and education allow families to detect lead poisoning and find solutions to lead remediation in family homes.
The clinic’s Women, Infant and Children, or WIC, program will also be moved during the expansion. This program provides nutritional and breastfeeding counseling and medical resources for pregnant and postpartum women. Sixteenth Street pediatrics care and WIC will soon be under one roof, supplying greater accessibility to those in need of these services.
At the event, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley lauded Sixteenth Street’s commitment to serving Milwaukee’s South Side.
“We want to make sure that we are preventing poor health outcomes before they even materialize in the community,” Crowley said.
He said that Sixteenth Street is an incredible resource poised to act on such issues as addiction and poor health generally.
Construction for the expansion is slated to start in late September with hopes of finishing in fall of 2024.
Dr. Mark Lodes, the chief medical officer for population health and medical education at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network, announced Froedtert’s $4.7 million donation to the new expansion.
“They’re committed to tailoring care to the needs of the local neighborhoods and populations,” Lodes said. “And they deliver culturally and linguistically competent care.”
Many providers and staff at Sixteenth Street are bilingual, reflecting the South Side community’s population, with Spanish being a mainstay.
“Sixteenth Street has been a trusted service provider for the community for 50 years,” Sixteenth Street President and CEO Dr. Julie Schuller told NNS after the groundbreaking ceremony.
Schuller said that health care providers are meant to be in the community and of the community.
This is why at least 51% of board members are patients of the clinic.
“We’re constantly adjusting and adapting to meet the changing needs of the community because we are directly plugged into it,” Schuller said.
If you or a loved one would like to make an appointment in Milwaukee, call (414) 672-1352 or visit Sixteenth Street’s website.
Catch up with the people and organizations who make Milwaukee great by reading “NNS Spotlight.”

author: Trisha Young


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20747140685_2f53d91d21_k-1-1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
August 23, 2023

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Ron Smith


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53120042565_862be44e05_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
August 23, 2023


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5 things to know and do the weekend of Aug. 25 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
August 25, 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 50 anniversary of Mexican Fiesta takes place this weekend from noon to midnight Friday, Aug. 25 through Sunday, Aug. 27 at Henry W. Maier Festival Park, 200 N. Harbor Drive. More information here.
The Hampton Heights neighborhood will come together during a  festival on Saturday, Aug. 26 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at  Mt. Lebanon Lutheran Church, 4809 N. 60th St. More information here.
Brown, Black + Brews is back and will take place on Aug. 26 at 1128 N. 9 St. The event will feature sampling from regional Brown- and Black-owned breweries, including Funkytown, Moor’s Brewing Company, Casa Humilde Cerveceria, 18th Street Brewery, CAC Brewing, Torzala Brewing and Vennture Brewing, as well as Milwaukee’s own Soul Brew Kombucha. HYFIN’s Tarik Moody will be DJing at the event and HYFIN will also host a pop-up shop of its community partners selling items. VIP and general admission tickets for “Brown, Black & Brews: The Fifth Ingredient” are available for purchase at brownblackbrews.funraise.org. General admission sampling will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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Jelly Sosa’s Hair Bakery is having a back-to-school self-care event for students under 16 to receive free haircuts, manicures, school supplies and more on Sunday, Aug. 27 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 1123 W. Oklahoma Ave. More information here.
A Black August bicycle ride will be held on Sunday, Aug. 27 at Rose Park, 3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, “in honor of political prisoners, activists, and fallen comrades.” Meet at 1:30 p.m. to begin ride at 2 p.m. More information here.

author: Chesnie Wardell


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Ron Smith
August 24, 2023


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August 24, 2023


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Milwaukee gets national attention for collaborative housing effort | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
August 25, 2023
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has honored the Greater Milwaukee Foundation for working on housing issues with the Community Development Alliance.
Since 2020, the alliance – an affiliation of community development funders and practitioners – has led Milwaukee’s first collective affordable housing plan, which advocates for racial equity through systemic change, including creating opportunities for 32,000 Black and Latino residents to become homeowners.
“2020 was when the funders and other folks said: ‘We need to focus on housing. We’re in a housing crisis. Let’s focus on housing,’ “ said Teig Whaley-Smith, Community Development Alliance’s chief alliance executive. “And that’s what was the impetus of doing the plan.”
In June, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, a founding partner and a principal funder of the alliance, received the 2023 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships for its work with the alliance.
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The award was given to organizations with partnerships that have transformed the relationship between the public and philanthropic sectors and led to measurable benefits in housing and community development, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD.
“Collective action is difficult but important, and I think everyone involved with the housing plan would agree that safe and affordable housing is worth it,” said Janel Hines, vice president of community impact for the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
The alliance includes the Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods Coalition, Take Root Milwaukee and Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. Its financial support comes primarily from philanthropy and banking partners, including Bader Philanthropies, Zilber Family Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation and Wells Fargo.
Brian Sonderman, the executive director of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, said the alliance – also known as the CDA – is what the city needed to make strides in the housing sphere.
“Before the CDA’s leadership, we’ve had a lot of really well-meaning organizations and efforts that have had some level of success,” he said. “And I would count Habitat in that category in that we did our thing and other organizations or entities would do their thing. But it wasn’t collective. It wasn’t intentional.”
Milwaukee Habitat has aligned with the CDA’s Collective Affordable Housing Plan to make housing more affordable, and more equitable. Through the partnership, Milwaukee County has designated $4.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help create affordable homeownership opportunities in Milwaukee’s King Park and Midtown neighborhoods.
Since 2020, the housing plan has leveraged over $24 million to advance three key goals of investing in the construction of 150 new homes, acquiring 100 homes per year for homeownership and supporting hundreds of families with down-payment assistance.
Whaley-Smith said one of the CDA’s strengths is its relationship with residents.
“Our job as an alliance is not to substitute our judgment for residents’ judgments,” he said. “They’re the ones that are going to be purchasing homes. They’re the ones that are going to be in the communities spending their time and energy and network connections.”
Anyone who would like to connect with the CDA can subscribe to its newsletter to stay informed.
Neighborhood groups or organizations that are not involved are invited to email ideas@housingplan.org.
Editor’s note: The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is a funder of NNS but plays no role in editorial decisions, which are made solely by newsroom leadership.

author: PrincessSafiya Byers


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Ron Smith
August 24, 2023


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5 things to know and do the week of Aug. 28 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
August 28, 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.
The Midtown Neighborhood Alliance MKE is hosting its monthly community meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at PEAK Initiative, 2480 W. Cherry St. Join a discussion about improving the Midtown neighborhood for residents. More information here.
The Garden District Neighborhood Association invites you to view the supermoon that is expected to light the sky on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. in its community garden on South      6 Street and West Howard Avenue. Bring your chair. More information here.
Thursday, Aug. 31 is Overdose Awareness Day. Serenity Inns and Twelve Step Club are hosting an event from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 4102 W. Townsend St. Those interested can come to hear speakers and learn about resources to prevent and reduce the number of overdoses. Check our archives for coverage on Milwaukee’s overdose crisis.
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Learn how to help your child get to sleep safely through free classes offered by the City of Milwaukee Health Department  Wednesday August 30 at 9 a.m. at the Southside Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St. To make an appointment call 414-286-8620. More information here.
If you are someone who works in motion graphics, also known as mographs, and want to network, check out this MotionMakers event by Blackbox Visual. The event takes place on Thursday, Aug. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Vine Humboldt, 3000 S. Howell Ave. Tickets are free but limited. More information here.


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Milwaukee renters face higher lead poisoning risks as city struggles to hold landlords accountable | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Farrah Anderson
August 28, 2023
Two Milwaukee parents say they faced homelessness and scrutiny from Child Protective Services after their children were found to be poisoned by unaddressed lead hazards in their rental homes. Advocates say such stories are common in Milwaukee, where more than half of households rent.
Landlords see few incentives to renovate on their own, and Milwaukee regulators — limited by a lack of funds and a state law capping inspection fees — provide little oversight over lead-tainted rentals.
A 2022 Milwaukee ordinance designed to prevent landlord retaliation and stiffen penalties for landlords who refuse to address detected lead has yielded little impact.
Acknowledging shortcomings, the Milwaukee Health Department plans to roll out a new strategy for spurring landlords to act.
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Listen to Farrah Anderson’s report on WPR.
Deanna Branch thought she found the perfect home to rent on Milwaukee’s North Side: a two-story house with a balcony near her sons’ school, two grocery stores and a park.
Perfect until severe lead poisoning in 2015 sent Branch’s then-2-year-old son Aidan to Children’s Wisconsin hospital.
Her landlord replaced the home’s lead-painted windows but didn’t address remaining hazards, Branch said. After Aidan returned to the hospital three years later, state Child Protective Services said Aidan couldn’t leave unless she could provide a lead-free home, she recalled.
She broke her lease and immediately moved in with family and later lived at a shelter.
Her rental company management, Ogden and Company, Inc., sued Branch and garnished her mother’s wages for years, since she had co-signed on the lease, she said. The situation hardly seemed fair.
“I broke my lease, but you almost killed my son,” Branch said of her landlord. “So I figured we will be a little bit even.”
Branch has since become an advocate for parents facing lead hazards, even spotlighting the issue as a guest during President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address.
But her experience remains common in Milwaukee. More than half of city households rent — the highest percentage in the Midwest — and an estimated 200,000 aging housing units likely have paint made with lead, a neurotoxin that damages the brain and nervous system, especially in young children.
Through its News414 collaboration, Wisconsin Watch also spoke to Dennise Honegger, who moved between four lead-tainted Milwaukee-area rentals between 2017 and 2023, leading to hospital stays for her daughter and grandson, scrutiny from Child Protective Services and months of homelessness before finally finding a lead-free home.
Homeowners can make their properties safer by removing lead paint, dust or water pipelines, and some government programs subsidize that process. But renters, whose children disproportionately face lead risks, rely on landlords to take action. Landlords see few incentives to renovate on their own, and Milwaukee regulators — limited by a lack of funds and a state law that capped inspection fees on landlords — provide little oversight over lead-tainted rentals.
That reality reinforces deep racial and socioeconomic disparities in one of the nation’s most segregated cities.
Branch is co-founder of the Coalition on Lead Emergency, which educates renters about lead hazards and advocates for more oversight. The group hears from many families who struggle to respond after their children were poisoned in rentals, said Richard Diaz, another coalition co-founder.
Few tenants feel comfortable complaining about unaddressed lead hazards, and some who do may risk retaliation — whether through rent hikes or eviction, particularly in Milwaukee’s most lead-impacted neighborhoods, he said.
“You hear the same story, just time and time again,” Diaz said. “Kids lead poisoned, landlord doesn’t care, they get evicted.”
The Milwaukee Common Council sought to tackle this problem in July 2022, enacting an ordinance designed to prevent landlord retaliation and stiffen penalties for refusal to address detected lead. That included allowing the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) to allow tenants to withhold rent when landlords fail to comply.
But DNS received zero rent-withholding referrals during the first year of the ordinance, a spokesperson said.
DNS can refer lead-related complaints to the city health department for enforcement, but the agency says few complaints specifically mention lead. DNS often receives complaints about peeling paint, a common sign of lead hazards. But it has authority only over building codes and not the health codes that deal with lead hazards. So if a child isn’t yet found to be lead poisoned, DNS simply orders landlords to repaint without abating lead.
That risks further contaminating properties if a contractor scrapes away old paint without properly cleaning up, said Michael Mannan, the city health department’s director of home environmental health.
In those cases it’s up to landlords to act in good faith — to recognize they might have lead, test their properties and remediate if need be, DNS Commissioner Erica Roberts said.
The city health department issued just 26 citations to 13 companies or individual landlords for unaddressed lead problems from July 2022 to June 2023, with nine citations against four entities later dropped due to out-of-date inspections, according to public records obtained by Wisconsin Watch.
Four entities were deemed guilty of eight citations due to a failure to show up in court — with each citation carrying an $801 fine. Three entities had six citations dismissed because they responded and received funding for abatement, records show. Two citations against a company were returned as undeliverable.
Landlords sometimes refuse inspectors entry for fear they will find other code violations, Mannan said.
“We know it’s not working,” Mannan said about broad city efforts to rid rentals of lead. “We have to do something.”
To be sure, not all landlords are the same. They include mom-and-pop landlords who “just don’t have the resources to be able to abate properties,” Diaz said. The average cost of lead abatement is about $40,000 per unit, according to the Milwaukee Health Department.
Most landlords try their best to maintain their properties amid challenges with costly repairs and maintenance, said Chris Mokler, director of legislative affairs for the Wisconsin Real Estate Investors Association, which advocates for landlords and property investors.
“They don’t want any children infected. But again, they didn’t paint the property,” he said, arguing that health departments should focus more on incentives than punishments.
Mokler’s group years ago pushed for a statewide low interest loan program for landlords to cover lead abatement costs. The legislation never gained traction.
The state’s Lead-Safe Homes program covers 100% of abatement costs to landlords, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). It has completed lead abatement in 332 homes statewide — 119 rentals and 213 occupied by owners — since its launch in 2020.
Like many parents, Branch didn’t learn about lead risks until a test showed her child was poisoned. She didn’t know how to react.
“I just felt like as a mother, I was definitely failing him because I didn’t know the answer,” Branch said.
Federal law requires landlords to inform tenants about lead paint in properties built before 1978. Branch doesn’t recall receiving such information when moving into her rental. Brittany Schoenick, an attorney with Legal Action of Wisconsin who represents renters in court, said she has frequently seen landlords flout the federal disclosure law.
A test through the state’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program showed about 40 micrograms of lead per deciliter in Aidan’s blood, Branch recalled. That was eight times the level the state defines as poisoning: 5 mcg/dL.
Living in an aging North Side Milwaukee rental, Aidan was among Wisconsinites most likely to face lead exposure. In 2022, Wisconsin’s Black children were four times more likely than white children to face lead poisoning, data show.
Childhood lead poisoning rates in Milwaukee and statewide have dipped in recent decades — in line with national trends since lead was phased out in paint and gasoline. But hazards still persist.
The majority of Wisconsin’s lead-poisoned young children live in Milwaukee County, where 4.7% of children under six tested in 2021 had blood lead levels above 5 mcg/dL. That’s compared to 2.8% of the young children tested statewide, according to DHS data. Those are just known cases. Testing decreased during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Testing data from 2018 to 2021 show childhood lead poisoning in some North Side Milwaukee census tracts ranging above 15% or even 20%.
Aidan’s initial level was high enough to send him to the hospital, and it seemed to explain his early behavioral issues.
The test also detected lead at twice the threshold for the city health department to require the landlord to fix the hazard (15 mcg/dL), with the city covering the costs.
But after the health department finished its inspection, officials weren’t initially sure where to send their report, Branch recalled: Four landlords had cycled through the property during Branch’s time as a tenant, she said. Milwaukee tenants say they commonly face such challenges in seeking accountability for lead poisoning, particularly with out-of-state landlords.
Branch’s landlord replaced the home’s window, but that didn’t stop Aidan’s exposure.
A 2018 health department test of the home found lead in deteriorating plaster and wood in the bedrooms, pantry, hallway and front porch.
Another blood test detected 50 mcg/dL in Aidan’s blood, sending him back to the hospital. That’s when CPS told Branch that Aidan couldn’t be discharged without a lead-free home, Branch said.
“I thought: ‘Oh my God. I’m going to lose my kids. I’m a terrible mother,” Branch recalled. “The people who were supposed to be helping me provide a safe place for my son — it felt like they were against me. They were blaming me for what happened to my son.”
Gina Paige, a Wisconsin Department of Children and Families spokesperson, said her agency does not track how often lead poisoning prompts CPS involvement. In such situations, the agency says, CPS may work with local health departments to aid families.
Medical professionals say it’s critical to immediately remove children from lead sources. But the waitlist for abatement is about a year long, Mannan said. In most cases, the local health department will vacuum up immediate hazards once a child is found to be poisoned. Waiting on full renovations can take much longer.
Branch said her landlord promised to fix all the lead hazards once she re-upped her lease for another year. She refused and broke her existing lease early — especially scared after CPS’ warning.
“I lost all trust in landlords. I lost all trust in this building,” she said. “And I’m not going to sign anything because I’m already hurting my son by being here.”
The move prompted Ogden and Company to sue, damaging Branch’s credit and siphoning her mother’s wages until the debt was paid. Branch said she didn’t learn of the lawsuit until landlords elsewhere denied her rental applications.
The family this year successfully petitioned the court to seal records from the lawsuit.
An Ogden and Company spokesperson declined to comment on the litigation and wrote in an email: “In most cases, we are a third party management firm for an ownership entity that we neither own nor control.”
Branch initially turned to extended family for housing and later moved into a shelter when she “became a burden to live with,” she said.
With funding scarce, the city health department offers few home relocation resources other than making referrals to other agencies. The home must be condemned for renters with written orders from DNS to receive such support. That might include 30 days of rent assistance from Community Advocates, a social services nonprofit, Mannan said.
That’s what Honegger, a retired nurse, discovered when she was forced to relocate when her daughter and grandson were exposed to lead in four Milwaukee rental properties. Doctors at one point found paint chips in the daughter’s stomach, causing her lead levels to skyrocket, Honegger said.
Honegger said she received a 30-day hotel voucher, but she paid out of pocket for the rest of the year and lost lead dust-covered possessions as she continued searching for a safe, affordable rental.
“We lost clothes, furniture, everything. We had to catch up with hospital bills,” Honegger said.
The health department said it’s working with philanthropy, hospital systems and foundations to expand funding for lead abatement and associated costs, Mannan said.
“We’ve already built a system,” Mannan said. “We just need you to help fund it. The taxpayers can’t fund it on their own.”
The city health department is taking a new approach with landlords. It ended a process in which a landlord would automatically qualify for a taxpayer-funded abatement when a child was found to be poisoned — and would be cited only when refusing to hire a contractor. However, low-income property owners can still receive subsidized abatement.
Under the new process, the city will charge re-inspection fees to unresponsive landlords as the first step in an escalated enforcement strategy for compliance. If a landlord doesn’t abate after two warnings, the city can continue reinspection fees at $350, issue citations, or ask a judge to allow the department to perform the work itself and add the costs to the landlord’s building taxes.
Still, those actions come only after a child is found to be poisoned. Renter advocates want the city to proactively investigate lead and other hazards.
Rochester, New York, and Cleveland, Ohio, are among cities that require inspections for lead hazards before tenants move in. Advocates say those ordinances could help curb childhood lead poisoning.
That’s not possible in Milwaukee due to the state law capping inspection fees, Mannan said. With so many suspect properties, the city could not afford proactive inspections without raising fees on landlords.
Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Legislature capped fees as part of a series of laws that limited local renter protections. Beginning in 2011, lawmakers — including some who themselves are landlords —  also prohibited municipalities from requiring rentals to be certified, registered or licensed and limited the scope of rental inspection programs.
The changes prompted Milwaukee in 2016 to shutter a DNS program that performed additional rental inspections in areas dense with rental properties.
The Wisconsin cities of Eau Claire, Racine and Oshkosh require rental inspections for certain building hazards, using careful wording to comply with the state’s narrowed law. State law allows targeted rental inspections to address “habitability” violations that pose a “substantial hazard to the health or safety of the tenant.” Cities can define that to include lead.
Eau Claire’s targeted inspections prompted two full lead inspections at properties in the last year, according to Matt Steinbach, the environmental sciences division manager for the Eau Claire City-County Health Department.
Roberts acknowledged that Milwaukee could legally target lead similarly, but said the city lacks funding to do so on a large scale.
Branch’s family now lives in a lead-free rental. Aidan, now 10, still faces challenges that Branch suspects relate to early lead exposure. He struggles to stay focused due to an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis, and he can turn angry and argumentative — symptoms of his diagnosed oppositional defiant disorder.
But Branch has learned to better communicate with Aidan. He now helps take care of his little sister and enjoys drawing pictures — including for a children’s book Branch authored in which Aidan defeats the “evil lead monster.”
“It really is awesome to see how much he’s grown,” Branch said. “I never thought we would get there.”
As for Honegger, her 12-year-old daughter is enrolled in school special needs programs, and she said lead exposure did not help the behavioral issues of her four-year-old grandson who is on the autism spectrum.
But Honegger was relieved in June to sign a lease at a lead-free rental.
“There is not one speck of lead in my house now. I am so happy,” Honegger said. “I got tears in my eyes.”
The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with 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.
This article first appeared on Wisconsin Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

author: Farrah Anderson


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Milwaukee regulators can force landlords to fix lead hazards, but only if they can find them | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Farrah Anderson
August 29, 2023
News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Learn more at our website or sign up for our texting service here.
It was one landlord. And another. And another.
By the time Deanna Branch learned of severe lead hazards in her home several years ago, she wasn’t even sure who owned the North Side Milwaukee house she was renting.
When her son Aidan was sent to the hospital for the second time with severe lead poisoning, the Milwaukee Health Department initially struggled to find the landlord responsible for removing the hazards — a problem the department says it often encounters.
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The city of Milwaukee may penalize landlords who don’t fix lead hazards in their properties, but only if they can track them down.
A growing share of Milwaukee property owners live outside of Wisconsin. And in properties where low-income renters live, ownership frequently changes, leaving tenants confused about who should be held accountable for any hazards.
In 2022, landlords outside of Wisconsin owned more than one in six Milwaukee rental homes.
Out-of-state investors are increasingly buying properties in Milwaukee’s Black-majority neighborhoods, according to a report by John Johnson, a research fellow in the Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education at Marquette University Law School.
Landlords outside of Wisconsin own 24% of rental properties in majority Black wards, a 9.3 percentage point leap since 2018, according to the report. Yet from 2018 through September 2022, the number of out-of-state-owned houses in majority white neighborhoods fell by nearly 100, the report said.
The Milwaukee Department of Health Services struggled to find Dennise Honegger’s landlord after tests showed her daughter and grandson were lead-poisoned. The department eventually tracked him down in California where he was difficult to reach, Honegger said. Some lead abatement happened at Honegger’s rental, but only sporadically as the landlord did not consistently pay contractors, she added.
State law does not limit how often landlords change their business names, and those that frequently change their limited liability companies are particularly hard to find, said Michael Mannan, the health department’s director of home environmental health.
“It makes it very hard to bring someone to court if they’re constantly changing their ownership,” Mannan said.
Allowing cities to set up and fund rental registry programs would help address this problem, Mannan said, but state laws that limit local power to regulate rental properties make doing so difficult.
“We’d know who the owner is, you’d have to renew every year. If you had code violations, you wouldn’t be allowed to rent your property, Mannan said. “All that we’re allowed to do are Band-Aids.”
Mannan said his colleagues are lobbying lawmakers to require that agents submit additional information when registering an LLC — an “uphill climb” in the current landlord-friendly Legislature, he acknowledges.
Heiner Giese, an attorney and lobbyist for the Rental Property Association of Wisconsin, said he is not aware of landlords that are changing their business names to avoid enforcement.
Changing an LLC name still requires paying state fees and listing a registered agent, Giese said.
“There’s somewhat of a myth out there that landlords are hiding,” he said. “You’ve got to have some sort of live human being that’s connected with an LLC.”
The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with 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.
This article first appeared on Wisconsin Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.


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lead-shoe2-scaled-1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
August 29, 2023


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Worried about lead as a Wisconsin tenant or property owner? Here’s what to know. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Farrah Anderson
August 29, 2023
Lead is a serious public health hazard — a neurotoxin that damages the brain and nervous system, especially in young children. Exposure can delay growth and development and cause problems with learning, behavior, hearing and speech, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Children can be poisoned by ingesting lead paint, lead-tainted water, soil, dust or other lead-based products. Lead poses the greatest risk to brain development, where damage can be irreversible, but medical treatment and nutrition changes can lower lead levels in blood.
Homeowners have power to remove lead hazards from their home, if they have the resources. But renters rely on their landlords to take action. That doesn’t always happen.
Here’s what to know if you’re a tenant concerned about lead in your home.
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No level of lead is considered safe. Young children are particularly vulnerable to lead and may face higher levels of exposure because they often put their hands or other objects in their mouths, including paint chips. Drinking water can make up 20% of a person’s total exposure to lead, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — or up to 60% for infants consuming mostly mixed formula. Children with elevated lead levels do not typically act sick, meaning blood tests are the only way to confirm a problem.
Adults can be lead poisoned, too. Lead is a particular concern for pregnant women because exposure could harm a developing fetus. If your child has elevated lead levels, get yourself tested, too.
Most insurance plans cover lead testing. You may be asked to complete a second test if the first one shows high lead levels.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services recommends universal testing for children living in Milwaukee or Racine due to the high proportion of old, potentially hazardous housing in those communities. Those children should be tested at least three times before age 3 — at 1 year, 18 months and 2 years. Children ages 3 to 5 years should be tested annually if they meet at least one of the following criteria: they live in a home built before 1950 or one built before 1978 with recent or ongoing renovations; they have a sibling or playmate with lead poisoning; they are enrolled in the Medicaid or the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program or are uninsured; they have no record of a prior test.
Health care providers should weigh the above criteria when considering whether a child living outside of Milwaukee or Racine should be tested around ages 1 and 2 years, or between ages 3 and 6 years, DHS says. Find more details here.
If you’re living in Milwaukee and concerned about child lead exposure contact the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Milwaukee office at 414-672-1353. It provides free lead testing for elevated blood levels and information about how to permanently remove lead hazards from homes.
Children’s Wisconsin is piloting a testing program focusing on Milwaukee’s North Side neighborhoods. The hospital is partnering with MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary, which offers free lead testing for children under 10 years old on select Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents should call 414-404-0900, extension 5, or email KDLeadtalk2@maccanonbrown.org, to confirm testing dates.
The federal government banned lead paint in homes built after 1978, and federal law requires landlords to disclose certain information to tenants who move into a building that predates that ban. That includes anything known about the property’s lead paint hazards, a pamphlet and a lead disclosure agreement to the lease.
If you’re considering moving into a home built before 1978, ask the property owner about any lead hazards in the home.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services established the Lead Safe Homes Program, which helps remove lead hazards in homes. You may qualify if you are: enrolled in Medicaid or BadgerCare Plus, part of a family with children under 19, are pregnant or live with someone who is pregnant.
The state requires local health department investigations and case management services for children when one venous blood test detects at least 20 mcg/dL per deciliter of lead — or if two tests conducted at least 90 days apart find lead at 15 mcg/dL. That includes inspecting properties for lead and requiring landlords to remove hazards.
The Milwaukee Health Department is using federal American Rescue Plan dollars to fund a pilot program that helps families with children who test between 10 and 14.9 mcg/dL. This includes lead abatement, education, lead safe kit distribution and nurse case management.
The Milwaukee Health Department also established the Childhood Lead Primary Prevention Program, which taps federal funding to provide landlords up to $40,000 for abatement. Qualifying landlords must be willing to rent the unit to low-income families with children — and currently have low-income tenants.
Local health departments are not required to test water for lead during inspections. Milwaukee residents can check whether their properties are connected to a lead service line at the city’s website.
Milwaukee in recent years mandated replacements for lead pipes found to be disrupted or leaking — and those that serve private schools and child care providers. For mandated replacements, a city cost-sharing program limits the tab for participating property owners to $1,592.
Properties with more than four units are not eligible for cost sharing for required replacements. Also ineligible for the subsidy: Milwaukee property owners who choose to replace service lines when not required. They must pay 100% of the bill.
The city of Milwaukee recommends that residents of homes connected to lead service lines install a lead-certified water filter. The Milwaukee-based Coalition on Lead Emergency regularly passes out filters to Milwaukee residents free of charge.
The Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services recommends first contacting your landlord if you are concerned about lead at your rental. If that doesn’t prompt action, you can file a complaint with the department. But DNS oversees building codes, not health codes. So it can order a property owner to fix peeling paint, but it cannot order a full abatement. That’s the job of the Milwaukee Health Department, which typically only orders an abatement based upon a child’s lead-blood test.
To check if you qualify for full lead abatement, contact the Milwaukee Health Department at 414-286-2165.
If you report lead concerns to your landlord, do so in writing so you can prove when you notified them, according to the Tenant Resource Center, a Madison-based nonprofit.
A letter helps prove when the landlord knew about the lead paint — potentially helping you show negligence later on, the center says. It is also a “paper trail that will force the landlord to disclose all known lead paint violations to future tenants.”
The Milwaukee Health Department has acknowledged difficulties in holding landlords accountable for lead hazards, but the department has vowed to ramp up enforcement in the coming months.
Milwaukee residents should contact IMPACT 211 (dial 2-1-1) if they are experiencing homelessness. They can also visit IMPACT’s in-person sites on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Repairers of the Breach, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and St. Ben’s Clinic, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Residents can contact the Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center (414-895-7368) if they are: facing eviction, late on rent or experiencing landlord/tenant issues. They can walk in to 728 N. James Lovell St. or visit renthelpmke.org.
To learn more about resources, events and grassroots organizing around lead, contact the Coalition on Lead Emergency at CoalitionOnLeadEmergency@gmail.com.
For concerns about evictions or other legal issues call Legal Action of Wisconsin at 855-947-2529.
The Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union also provides resources for renters. Call 414-410-9714.
The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with 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.
This article first appeared on Wisconsin Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.


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explainer | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
August 29, 2023


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Leaders seek solutions after outbreak of gun violence on South Side | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 31, 2023
The sounds of blaring music, four-wheelers, motorcycles, and celebration were interrupted by automatic gunfire Aug. 19 on the South Side, leaving hundreds fleeing and nine people shot. Luckily, no one died. The victims included four teens and three men in their 20s.
The shooting was one of several on the South Side this month, including one the following night that injured four and another overnight that left a man dead. The second shooting occurred on South 12th and West Mitchell streets, just two blocks from the mass shooting that happened during a street gathering on South 14th and West Burnham streets.
The surge of violence has left many residents fearful and community leaders pondering what can be done to stop it.
Drea Rodriguez, executive director of the Peace Learning Center of Milwaukee, said conflict resolution needs to be taught.
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“We need to proactively teach people how to use language and other behaviors to create peace and how to work on conflict together,” she said.
Rodriguez said some young people have become more reckless.
“Behind a gun or a fast car they think that they are invincible, and they are wrong,” she said.
She said her organization has the tools to help youths and adults make better decisions. She’s working with elected officials and others to gain the support needed to make conflict resolution training accessible to everyone.
Pastor Marty Calderon, a leader of Team Unified, a group that conducts street outreach on the South Side to promote safety, said he believes the key to reducing violence is building relationships with people.
“People have to trust you enough to sit down and talk to you before resorting to violence,” said Calderon, who participated in a peace vigil at the site of the Aug. 19 violence.
Calderon said the fact that another shooting occurred two blocks away hours after the peace vigil did not discourage him.
“It drives me to do more and proves that our job is not done,” he said.
“People are going to have family feuds and neighborhood beefs, but we have to keep building these relationships with them to help them understand that there’s a better way to deal with things,” he said.
Community organizer Travis Hope said that schools and parents need to become more innovative with their messages to young people. Part of that includes teaching children at a young age about the dangers of guns.
“We’ve had so many cases this year alone where kids have been injured by guns,” he said.
He also believes another way neighborhoods can become safer is for people to treat each other better.
“We just need to have more respect for each other,” Hope said. “People came together during COVID and we still need that.”
Julian Haliga, program coordinator for the Milwaukee Baseball Club and Milwaukee Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities, said he thinks the key to reducing violence is bringing back an opportunity that he and many others enjoyed as youths.
“When we were growing up, we always had somewhere to go,” said Haliga. “We need more free after-school programs and community centers to keep kids off the street.”
Many youths, he said, come from broken or struggling homes and lack structure and purpose. Bored and with nothing to do, they get together with friends and find trouble without realizing the consequences.
He said many of his baseball players, most from the South Side, come in with that attitude but quickly let their guards down.
“They come in rough, but after I show them that I love them, they melt; they go nuts when you show them that you care,” he said.
Another major challenge of working with youths, he said, is that there is a lack of adult volunteers and workers available to help them.
“Volunteerism is way down,” he said. “We also need to support people who want to work with young people by paying them a decent wage.”
Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa, who represents the South Side, agreed that there needs to be more investment in community organizations.
“I feel that after the pandemic and through the pandemic, we pulled resources from these youth-serving organizations,” she said.
She said the recent shootings, in a district that neighbors hers, caused her to question whether parents and other guardians are keeping tabs on their children.
“We have got to make sure that we know where our kids are,” said Zamarripa, adding that many of the shooting victims were teenagers.  “How can I implore my community to please keep track of your young people?”
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson issued a statement in response to the violence, insisting that those responsible be prosecuted and directing the city’s Office of Violence Prevention to intervene. He also called on the community to help and for legislators to also take action.
“I again ask everyone – parents, neighbors, teachers, preachers, and mentors – to step up in ways that will help stop the bloodshed,” Johnson stated. “I will add: Leaders and legislators must take a renewed look at our gun laws to decrease the likelihood that guns end up in the hands of people who should not have them.”
Charges in both cases are pending review by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. Police ask you to call 414-935-7360 if you have information. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS, with any information on either shooting.
Peace Learning Center of Milwaukee
Office of Violence Prevention
Project Ujima
414 Life

author: Edgar Mendez


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53136462662_e343d68973_b | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
August 30, 2023


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5 things to know and do the weekend of Sept. 2 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
September 1, 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 Urban Ecology Center, 1859 N. 40th St., invites everyone to come on a walk to clean up Washington Park on Saturday, Sept. 2 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. More information here.
The Apostolic Missionary Church will hold a rummage sale outside the church, 2686 S. 12th St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2.  More information here.
Ride with Red Bike & Green-Milwaukee to Grafton to visit the original site of Paramount Records on Sunday, Sept. 3. The group asks bikers to meet at the Pursenality, 6209 N. Teutonia Ave. at 9 a.m. More information here.
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The 100 Black Men of Milwaukee is hosting its DNR Fishing Clinic for middle and high school students from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3 at Lakeshore State Park, 500 N. Harbor Drive, The clinic has a limit of 30 youths, and youths must be accompanied by an adult. More information here.
The last outdoor market for the 414Flea Summer Series is Sunday, Sept. 3 at the Zócalo Food Park: 636 S. 6th St., from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 30 small businesses will gather to sell goods, clothing and more. Free parking is available, and everyone, including pets, are welcome. More information here.

created: September 1, 2023


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Ron Smith
August 31, 2023


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driversedSEPT11 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
August 31, 2023


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Ron Smith
August 31, 2023


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Ron Smith
August 31, 2023


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Ron Smith
August 31, 2023


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Ron Smith
August 31, 2023


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Ron Smith
August 31, 2023


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SET1REVOBOOKS | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
August 31, 2023


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5 things to know and do the week of Sept. 4 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
September 4, 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.
The Norwood Neighborhood Community Game Night will take place at the Sherman Perk Coffee Shop, 4924 W. Roosevelt Drive, on Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The featured games will include Azul and Sagrada. More information here.
The Sherman Phoenix Foundation is hosting its “Pink Hustle Business Series,” where you will learn what it takes to grow your business and strategize your finances. The free event takes place at the Sherman Phoenix, 3536 W. Fond Du Lac Ave., on Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. More information here.
The Home to Stay Re-Entry Resource and Job Fair takes place the first Wednesday of the month. Although the general public is welcome, the job fair focuses on those in the justice system, those re-entering the community after incarceration and their families. The event will take place Wednesday, Sept. 6 from noon to 2 p.m. at Partners in Hope, 324 W. North Ave. Employment opportunities, housing services, on-spot interviews and more will occur. More information here.
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The Community Development Alliance and its partners invite residents to plan for the future of quality, affordable homeownership in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Gather at Deer District, 333 W. Juneau Ave. More information here.
Come to Kosciuszko Park, 2201 S. 7 St., on Friday, Sept. 8 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for Milwaukee’s biggest free library. The event is hosted by Literary Services of Milwaukee. There will be free books for all ages along with other activities such as face painting for children. Resource tables and the Milwaukee Children’s Museum Wonder Wagon will also be present.  More information here.

created: September 4, 2023


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53162892573_a010c5b002_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
September 3, 2023

created: September 3, 2023


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Housing Authority residents double down on investigation demands | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Residents speak out, , Board of Commissioners
September 5, 2023
In April, residents demanded an investigation and leadership changes at the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, alleging lost rent payments and poor management and maintenance.
Last week, residents continued pushing their demands as more than 300 people gathered in the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church to insist Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, or HACM, leaders be held accountable.
Several people gave testimonials on how they had been overcharged, charged unfair late fees or charged for bills they’d already paid.
“What we are hearing here is that HACM is incompetent and negligent in its rent collection and that it steals from its residents,” said the Rev. Will Davis, who co-chaired the assembly. “The organization has known for over a year that’s its residents are being mischarged and (HACM) has (done) nothing to fix the issue.”
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Florence Riley, who has lived in her Westlawn apartment for three years, said she’s been charged late fees for seven months in a row despite paying her rent on time.
“When I take it to management, they just adjust the bill and say it’s a glitch in the system,” said Riley. “My concern is for my senior and disabled neighbors that don’t know how to look for these things. Are they giving them their money back?”
Others said they have been pressured into filing false claims for rent assistance from Community Advocates and the Social Development Commission.
According to a statement from Amy Hall, the marketing and communications officer with HACM, the Housing Authority has implemented a substantial number of monitoring, compliance, evaluation and enforcement requirements.
The Housing Authority is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the mayor and  confirmed by the Milwaukee Common Council. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.
Earlier this year, residents and Common Ground, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works on community issues, gathered to demand an investigation into the Housing Authority. This occurred after its staff spoke with 1,000 residents in public housing across 17 different developments in Milwaukee who expressed  concerns about having experienced assault, bedbugs and rats, “lost” rent payments, abusive management, mold and no heat.
The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee provides public housing to about 5,000 low-income, elderly or disabled Milwaukeeans and their families.
“It took me eight years to get into my unit, where I can afford to live like an actual person,” said Riley. “I don’t plan on leaving. I am going to keep trying to hold this organization accountable.”
According to Roye “Chris” Logan, a HACM resident who is heavily involved in trying to hold the agency accountable, some of the residents’ concerns are beginning to be addressed, but there has still been no accountability for HACM’s management team.
“They got rid of the abusive manager we’d been complaining about for months, made a few repairs and gave us back access to community spaces,” she said. “But there is much more that needs to be done.”
Davis said the group had hoped to discuss concerns with HUD regional administrator Diane Shelley, but said she backed out because of its line of questioning.
NNS reached out to HUD officials but has not heard back.
“We request reports and don’t get them,” Logan said. “We complain, and they tell us we need more people, so we find more people. We are doing HUD’s job for them, and they still find excuses not to show up.”

created: September 5, 2023


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53151051998_8975ad010f_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
September 4, 2023


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Milwaukee youths now have another place to go to discuss their conflicts: The library | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
September 6, 2023
School can be a stressful place, with problems often arising between students and their peers, teachers and parents.
The Circle Keeping program at the Milwaukee Public Library provides an alternative space for youths to go with these problems.
The program seeks to help them develop the skills needed for a healthy and safe life.
“We sit in a circle . . . and I ask them questions that they normally wouldn’t want to answer in front of their parents or their teachers,” said D’Shaunta Stewart, who facilitates the circles. “We work out real-life situations.”
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“Basically,” Stewart said, “it is just an outlet for students to express themselves.”
Jackie Addison, 16, attended a June circle at the Atkinson Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library. She said many of her friends “don’t have anybody to talk to.”
Terone Greaves, an 11-year-old who attended the same circle, often sees this sort of isolation in his peers.
“There are a lot of kids who look sad and depressed some days,” he said, “but they don’t say anything the entire day.”
The percentage of high school students in the U.S. who felt “persistently sad or hopeless” went up across all racial and ethnic demographics from 2011 to 2021, according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The percentage of Black, Hispanic and white students who made a suicide plan also increased.
This worrisome trend was taking place before COVID-19 disrupted our lives, but things have gotten worse since the pandemic, observers say.
The pandemic “happened when I was in fourth grade, and I was online until the middle of fifth grade,” Terone said.
Upon returning to in-person class, “most of the things about my school were different. Plus … I didn’t know as much stuff because online school didn’t do anything for me, and that just made me feel less smart,” he said.
A 2023 report from the American Psychological Association also points to other stressors that coincided with the pandemic.
In Milwaukee, this includes violence.
Data from the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission shows that homicides and nonfatal shootings among people 17 years of age and younger have more than doubled since before the pandemic.
In 2019, there were 54 such victims. Three years later, there were 136 victims.
The number of suspects of these crimes also rose dramatically among the same age group.
In 2019, there were 23 such suspects. In 2022, there were 47 suspects.
These trends have conspired to create the conditions that Terone and Jackie, and their peers, are living through now.
Stewart said the circles emphasize understanding the many facets of conflict, especially anger.
It’s not about placing blame on the students but helping them “correct what needs to be corrected,” she said.
“I had a circle once where one of the young ladies mentioned that she said something mean to a student, and she felt really bad. And her question was: Should she go and apologize, even though it’s been days?
“So as a circle, we sit and we talk about that, and we talk about what she could have done, how she could have handled that. And in the end, she felt she should apologize, and she did,” Stewart said.
The idea to implement these circles at the library came from experiences with at-risk youths, said Tammy Mays, public services area manager of branch libraries at Milwaukee Public Library.
“We were trying to figure out a way, “Instead of just continuously banning them from coming to the library – we were like, ‘We have to think of another way to reach our youth,’” Mays said.
“Banning keeps you from participating in the library,” she added. “The library is a safe space, and we want it to be.
“If we can incorporate circles – say for example, they are acting out. Let’s pull them into the room and have an immediate circle and find out what’s going on.”
A more long-term goal is to “make better citizens, where we catch our youth now, before they become adults, and have the same problems they were having.” Stewart said.
Terone and Jackie said they would recommend circles to kids they knew.
“I think it would definitely, genuinely be a safe space to share things that are on your mind and get advice,” Jackie said. “And that’s what a lot of people my age need: Someone to confide in.”
Youths from the ages of 11 to 18 can participate in these circles, which currently take place at four different branches: Atkinson; Center Street; Mitchell Street; and Washington Park.
Here’s more information on the Circle Keeping program.

created: September 6, 2023

author: Devin Blake


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52979129501_758fc58e9d_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
September 5, 2023


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Psychiatric hospital that serves Milwaukee County residents has corrected safety flaws, state says | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
September 7, 2023
Granite Hills Hospital, the private psychiatric hospital for people who do not have private insurance that contracts with Milwaukee County, has corrected serious safety deficiencies, the state’s Division of Quality Assurance, or DQA, reports.
The DQA is a division within the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that helps monitor medical facilities.
In December, Granite Hills Hospital was found to be in violation of health and safety regulations.
NNS reported in March that family members and mental health advocates were concerned about the safety of patients at Granite Hills, which plays a central part in the plans to reimagine Milwaukee County’s mental health system to better serve those in need.
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The hospital’s deficiencies included a failure by staff to identify instances of assault, aggression or possible abuse at the facility as well as a failure to report the instances to the appropriate authorities.
“The cumulative effect of these systemic problems reduces the ability to ensure a safe environment for patients and staff and affects all patients and staff in the facility,” according to the DQA report filed in July.
Deficiencies of sufficient seriousness such as these are known as “condition” level deficiencies, Mike Lappen, chief executive officer of the county’s Behavioral Health Division, said in an email.
If not corrected, the hospital would have faced possible decertification and would no longer be able to participate in state and federal programs, such as Medicaid and Medicare.
In an email, Angela Sanders, chief executive officer of Granite Hills Hospital, said: “We value the perspective our surveyors provide, embrace feedback, and are committed to continuous improvement. Any issues or complaints are thoroughly investigated and reviewed as they are identified.”
According to records requested from the West Allis Police Department, from February to mid-July, there were roughly nine calls regarding battery or assault by patients against staff; four calls regarding battery or assault between patients; and one call regarding battery or assault between staff members.
This rate of calls has decreased compared to last year, from January 2022 to January 2023. During that time period, there were roughly 20 calls to West Allis police about battery or assault against patients by other patients; and roughly 25 calls concerning battery or assault against staff by patients.
Sanders would not comment directly about continued calls to West Allis Police Department but said the hospital has a “productive, solid working relationship” with the department, something that is “important for every behavioral health facility, given the field of service we are in.”
A problem throughout health care – nationwide – continues to be recruiting and keeping staff.
For example, Lappen said, Advocate Aurora Health is closing its psychiatric unit at Aurora St. Luke’s South Shore in September and consolidating behavioral health programming at its Wauwatosa facility.
“I just think it’s important to point out that many are critical of Granite Hills for their issues recruiting and retaining staff,” Lappen said. “But each major hospital system has now closed a unit in our market in the last year, citing staffing issues as the reason.”
“I have never seen anything like this as far as staff openings and the inability to find anyone across the behavioral health system,” Lappen added.
Devin Blake is the criminal justice reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. His position is funded by the Public Welfare Foundation, which plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.

created: September 7, 2023


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52723665956_75ebc24bb7_k-1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
September 6, 2023


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Rev-Up MKE finalists prepare to pitch their Near West Side business dreams | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Meredith Melland
September 7, 2023
Jameelah Love has a goal of making her Merrill Park neighborhood a place where she can live, work, eat and play.
As one of the finalists in the Rev-Up MKE small business competition, the certified nursing assistant and Milwaukee native hopes to check off the “work” and “eat” parts by opening her own brunch cafe.
“I can’t stop smiling, and I probably look crazy to other people, but my face keeps turning up. I can’t stop it. I feel more inspired about life than I’ve ever felt before,” Love said.
Rev-Up MKE is a live pitching event in the style of the “Shark Tank” television show. Entrepreneurs will share their ideas for a small business in front of a panel of judges and audience and can win cash prizes and in-kind services to help them open a storefront on the Near West Side.
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“The cool thing about this is that it’s ‘Shark Tank’ on a local level that is happening inside this neighborhood where you can see the tangible businesses in this community that have come out of that process,” said Kelsey Otero, Marquette University’s senior director of community engagement who has coordinated the competition since its inception in 2015.
Near West Side Partners, the organization that hosts the event, announced this year’s five finalists will be pitching their ideas at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 at The Rave/Eagles Club during Near West Side Week.
The business ideas include:
Before they can hit the stage, a lot goes on behind the scenes.
The entrepreneurs get training and support from Otero and business mentors through Near West Side Partners to make sure their business plans are feasible and that they’re ready to answer questions from judges.
To prepare for pitch night, Love meets with Otero and Tom Avery of Avery Consulting Group. Avery provides business consulting services for Near West Side Partners to help finalists.
He started with a consulting contract at Marquette’s 707 Hub, which puts on similar business competitions, and got connected to the Near West Side.
“My role with Near West Side is more formal now than what it was in the past, which I really like because I love working with neighborhood people,” Avery said. “I’ve met so many … hardworking, dedicated people and those are the kind of people you want to help.”
Avery had Love write a full commercial kitchen equipment inventory with the prices of each item if bought new.
“He helps you map out the realistic version of what it means to start a business, which is extremely helpful,” Love said.
Avery has direct experience as a business owner, many years of advising other businesses and knows how to “talk bank.”
When poring over Love’s business plan and sales forecast, Avery and Otero check the math used to determine key figures such as gross sales and net profit. They explain what a bank might say.
Love wants to locate her cafe in a building in Merrill Park that has been sitting empty for 40 years, which would be costly to renovate.
“So, Tom actually made me make two business plans: one of them is assuming that I have to lease a space and the other one is assuming that I can get the space renovated,” Love said.
Rev-Up MKE works with entrepreneurs during and after the competition to figure out how to find and set up a customizable space, since the process can be complicated and lengthy, Otero said.
“We also connect the entrepreneurs that are finalists with other resources based on their needs, so sometimes that might be marketing, architecture, legal services, connecting with a bank to understand what loan terms could look like,” Otero said.
The winner selected on pitch night will receive a $10,000 cash prize; $25,000 in in-kind services; and advertising and recognition from Near West Side Partners.
The second-place winner will receive $4,000 and in-kind services as needed; and the audience’s choice for the winner will receive $1,000. The cash prizes are contributed by Town Bank.
Though not all contestants will win prizes, they will continue to receive support from Near West Side Partners because the goal is creating a thriving community of entrepreneurs, Otero said.
“The value of that community helps increase the value of your business, and so they have to be involved as well,” Love said. “I just want to get the word out there. This is my vision. This is what I’m working on. Come help me.”
Learn more about Rev-Up MKE’s finalists and live pitch event.
Business class is in session: Catching up with previous Rev-Up MKE winners and finalists
‘We want to help build the foundation of the next big business’: Rev-Up MKE competition helps launch new entrepreneurs
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.

author: Meredith Melland


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5 things to know and do the weekend of Sept. 8 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
September 8, 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.
VIA Community Development Corporation hosts the 12th annual Silver City International Festival on Saturday, Sept. 9 from noon to 5 p.m. This free event celebrates the culture and diversity of the Silver City neighborhood. It will take place on West National Avenue between 33rd and 35th streets. Come and enjoy the food and other festivities. More information here.
Near West Side Week begins Sunday, Sept. 10 and goes through Saturday, Sept. 16. Each day will consist of activities for residents and others. Some activities are free and others require payment. More information here. In case you missed it: Rev-Up MKE finalists prepare to pitch their Near West Side business dreams
Kidical Mass MKE, an organization that promotes safe bike riding, will host a clothing swap for kids and adults on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Riverwest Farmers Market between North Pierce and East Center streets. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Individuals are encouraged to bring clothes to swap. Any remaining clothes will be donated to charity. More information here.
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Bembè Drum & Dance will present an Afro-Latino performing arts program on Sunday, Sept. 10 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Zócalo Food Truck Park, 636 S. 6th St.  Come enjoy singing, dancing and learning the tradition of this culture. More information here.
Epikos Church is having a fall kickoff gathering on Sunday, Sept. 10 from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Sherman Park, 3737 N. Sherman Blvd. Come for food, fellowshipping, a bounce house, and more. More information here.

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The city seeks your input on how Milwaukee grows. Here’s how to provide it. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
September 8, 2023
There are still opportunities for Milwaukeeans to help decide how the city will grow.
The Department of City Development is leading a project called Growing MKE, a citywide planning effort concerning housing growth and choice.
Since early summer, the department has sought input from residents.
“We know that the city is going to grow, and we want to make sure that our zoning codes and our related policies are set up to facilitate the type of growth that residents want to see,” said Sam Leichtling, the city planning manager for the Department of City Development.
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Initial recommendations have included increasing housing supply within the city; supporting new housing that creates walkable urban neighborhoods; increasing transit options; and creating access to jobs.
The department will accept input on phase one of the project through early fall.
Members of the Department of City Development will host a pop-up for seniors from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 at the Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 W. Vliet St., and from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14 at the Jackson Park Farmers Market near the boathouse north of the pond.
Leichtling said the feedback collected during the first phase will be presented to the public in the fall.
“What has resonated with people, I think, is the idea of ensuring that we are setting ourselves up for housing growth and choice across Milwaukee neighborhoods,” Leichtling said. “That includes options for types of housing that allows residents to age in place, housing styles that support walkable commercial corridors and access to jobs and transit.”
For more information
Go to engage.Milwaukee.gov to find out about public events.
For those who can’t make the in-person events, there is a short-minute survey to give feedback on the types of housing you would like to see throughout the city. The survey will close on Friday, September 15. You can take the survey here.
Email GrowingMKE@milwaukee.gov if you have questions.


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5 things to know and do the week of Sept. 11 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
September 11, 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.
Rev-Up MKE will host a live pitch event Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Rave/Eagles Club, 2401 W. Wisconsin Ave. You will hear finalists give their pitch in this “Shark Tank”-styled competition to help develop a flourishing business in the Near West Side neighborhood. By attending, you’ll be able to cast a vote for the winner, celebrate and try food samples. More information here.  In case you missed it: Rev-Up MKE finalists prepare to pitch their Near West Side business dreams
Literary Services of Wisconsin is offering free U.S. citizenship classes beginning Thursday, Sept. 14 through Dec. 14.  The classes, which will take place from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, are designed for refugee and non-refugee immigrants from any language background. Small group classes and tutoring are available in person and virtually. Call 414-344-5878 for information.
IMPACT is a nonprofit organization that connects residents with the resources they need during hard times, including  housing insecurity or homelessness.  On Thursday, Sept. 14, IMPACT is staffing a resource table at the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch, 906 W. Historic Mitchell St., from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. More information here.
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Come to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, 1700 W. Fond Du Lac Ave., on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m. to learn solar fundamentals, financial aspects of renewable energy and much more. The event is hosted by Grow Solar Greater Milwaukee, Full Spectrum Solar and the Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office. More information here.
The Department of City Development is leading a project called Growing MKE, a citywide planning effort concerning housing growth and choice. Since early summer, the department has sought input from residents. Friday, Sept. 15 is the deadline for residents to complete a survey. More information here. In case you missed it: The city seeks your input on how Milwaukee grows. Here’s how to provide it.

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Inside the NNS Newsroom: Reporting Intern Chesnie Wardell selected for New York Times mentorship program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
September 11, 2023
Chesnie Wardell, a Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporting intern, has been selected to be in the second cohort of The New York Times Corps, a mentorship program that allows undergraduate students to receive guidance from Times journalists.
Wardell, a junior majoring in journalism and digital media in the Diedrich College of Communication at Marquette University, has worked for NNS since her first year in college. She now compiles the popular “5 things to know and do” columns as well as writes news and feature stories.
In addition to her work in our newsroom, Wardell writes for her family’s business in Friars Point, Mississippi. Wardell has volunteered at the student-run Marquette Wire, where she’s reported on weather, sports, anchored the news desk and put together news packages. Along with modeling and acting, Wardell enjoys freelance photography, being a substitute teacher and mentoring teens across Milwaukee.
Participants in The Times’ program meet with their advisers several times a year to receive mentoring on their careers, In addition, they will hear from speakers and participate in training sessions.
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Launched in 2022, The Times Corps serves students from underrepresented groups in journalism, such as students of color and students who come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

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OPINION: Deadly chemicals are harming us. The DNR needs more power to correct this. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kelda Roys
September 12, 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.
In Wisconsin, we expect and deserve to have clean rivers and lakes, excellent public schools, and safe neighborhoods.
Over the past twelve years, our state Legislature has strayed from those commitments, and as a result, our communities and natural resources have been harmed. At the same time, the public has become more aware of and educated about the significant harms from environmental pollutants – chemicals that have contaminated some of our water, soil, and air.
Wisconsinites are being harmed by deadly chemicals that individuals cannot control or remediate on their own. Whether it’s Trichloroethylene (TCE) or Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), we know that significant negative impacts on human health come from pollution in our communities.
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Unfortunately, our current laws don’t do enough to protect people from these potential negative health effects. Too often, polluters are given a pass because our Department of Natural Resources (DNR) cannot independently test to verify that pollution has been remediated.
For TCEs, we need to grant the DNR the ability to set standards for inspecting and mandating remediation of TCE when detected. For sites that have been contaminated but the responsible party is gone, the DNR should have the authority and resources to remediate sites. Public entities also need the power to test sites for contamination where evidence exists to indicate TCE has been present.
With respect to PFAS, a “forever chemical” that threatens safe drinking water across the state, Republican politicians took a victory lap for supporting funding to address PFAS contamination, even as their proposals make it much more likely that corporations will not be made to pay to clean up the pollution they created and profited from.
While Republicans pay lip service to addressing PFAS, they have so far refused to advance legislation to ensure standards or enforcement. Democratic legislators, by contrast, are focused on protecting people’s health, preventing future contamination, and holding polluters accountable.
We routinely hear from people who ask about bipartisan solutions and finding common ground. While we always work to build support from broad groups for our proposals, on this issue compromise is difficult. That’s because Republicans want to let polluters off the hook – socializing the cost of pollution – while blocking efforts to establish clear standards for safety, and Democrats can’t agree to that. We want public funds used to cover costs left after polluters have paid their share.
More broadly, despite strong public support for protecting public health from contaminants, Republicans have little incentive to compromise with Democrats, because gerrymandering allows them to ignore the will of the people without suffering electoral consequences. Beyond environmental health and safety, we know that Wisconsinites want abortion rights restored, public schools fully funded, and quality, affordable child care.
For Wisconsinites in every community to thrive, we need responsive, accountable representation in the legislature.
Our political leaders should enact laws to protect reproductive freedom, so that people can choose when and whether to have a child.
We need public support for quality child care, so that parents don’t have to choose between caring for their children and economic stability or pursuing their career goals.
Our kids deserve well-funded public schools and higher education, where they have the freedom to learn and achieve their full potential.
And above all, we deserve to be safe from harm when we breathe air in our bedrooms or drink water from our faucets – to know that the homes our children inhabit will not poison them.
Protecting human health and helping families thrive should be priorities for the Wisconsin Legislature. All of us who want our state to be a place where everyone can thrive – no matter your ZIP code – should pressure Republicans to stand up to elements in their party that are thwarting meaningful progress on these issues.
By returning to our core values of protecting natural resources, investing in education, and protecting our freedoms, we can make Wisconsin a place where young people want to build their families and their futures.
State Sen. Kelda Roys represents the State Senate’s 26th District.

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Residents express concerns that changes to Fire and Police Commission will lead to weaker oversight of Milwaukee police | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
September 12, 2023
Various groups that engage the criminal legal system say Milwaukeeans have lost something special – something that very few cities have: meaningful community oversight of its police department.
Residents now have, these groups argue, far fewer opportunities to have a hand in the way the Milwaukee Police Department operates.
The cause for the change is the 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, which was approved in July. Among other things, the legislation limits the power of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, or FPC, to create, amend or suspend departmental policy – transferring much of this authority to the respective city departments.
Where FPC had the power to “prescribe general policies and standards for the departments,” it can now “advise the Common Council regarding any recommended policy changes,” according to the text of the law.
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The final authority on policy now lies with the chief of each department.
Amanda Merkwae, advocacy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, said that what makes police oversight important is precisely the opposite – that is, independence from these departments.
“It’s critically important,” Merkwae said by email, “to have an independent civilian review board to allow for public input and ensure police accountability. Act 12 flips that on its head and makes the police department far less accountable to the public by removing a primary vehicle for public input on policy changes before they go into effect.”
Alan Chavoya, outreach chair of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racism & Political Repression, puts the change in even starker terms: “Basically, the number one source of power that the FPC had for any accountability was the policy-making power and that has been stripped away.”
The alliance is a grassroots organization led by Black and Brown residents who are fighting for community control of the police department.
The role of the Common Council regarding police policy also has been significantly changed.
Instead of being able to suspend or modify policies created by the FPC, it can now suspend or modify policies created by the police chief with a two-thirds vote.
In the wake of Act 12, Edward Fallone and Amanda Avalos resigned from their positions on the FPC, chair and vice chair, respectively.
They called the change, an “attack” on Milwaukeeans’ “fundamental right of self-government,” according to their resignation letter.
“Act 12 was a blow to the whole city,” Avalos later told NNS. “It took away something that was a really positive thing that the city had … . It was a really unique form of community power.”
In the United States, a civilian body with this kind of power is unique.
“If you look around the country, at other civilian oversight bodies, they’re much more limited in their authority and so sometimes they just review discipline. Sometimes they just review hiring. Sometimes they have recommendation power, but not final authority power,” Fallone told NNS.
“It was just a handful in the country like that,” he added.
Recent examples of the FPC exercising its power to create policy include a ban on the use of chokeholds as well as a ban on “no knock” search warrants – bans Avalos said she was “really proud” to be a part of.
It was FPC’s exercising of this sort of policy-creating power, especially in the past two years, that engendered backlash, Fallone said.
“That was not an authority that we used very often … . But it’s good to have that potential hard authority in your pocket,” Fallone said.
Andrew Wagner, president of the board of the Milwaukee Police Association, MPD’s police union, disagrees.
Wagner said that vesting policy power in the police chief is simply the operationally smart thing to do and will make the police department more effective.
“The changes to the FPC were really put into place to make sure the expert, who is the police chief, is able to manage his department,” Wagner said. “It’s a police chief that has to stay steady and know what’s best for his officers and putting those policies in place with sound judgment.”
“I don’t think a civilian board should have oversight,” he added.
An MPD spokesperson said in an email that it is “working with its intergovernmental partners to determine the best way to move forward with the state law changes. Our department is committed to transparency with the public and establishing practices that keep both our partners and public fully informed of policy changes.”
“To date,” the statement added, “the Milwaukee Police Department has not altered Standard Operating Procedure since Act 12.”
Fallone said that although the FPC lost its “hard power,” it can still exercise “soft power.”
“The FPC still has final authority over all hiring and promotion. It still has final oversight over the disciplinary process. And it obviously can still communicate with the police chief about proposed policy changes,” he said. “It just doesn’t have the authority to approve or disapprove those policies.”
Fallone recommends residents continue to participate in the oversight process by expressing their views at FPC meetings – something which Avalos said she certainly intends to do as a community member moving forward.
The city maintains a calendar where FPC meeting agendas and minutes can be found.
Fallone also said engaging with community outreach officers, within the Office of Community Outreach & Education, or OCOE, can be useful, too.
MPD Sgt. Amy Rivera, who works within OCOE and helps oversee these officers, can be reached at 414-935-7377.
Devin Blake is the criminal justice reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. His position is funded by the Public Welfare Foundation, which plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.


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