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Planning begins on new bus service | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matthew Wisla
January 15, 2016
A new east-west bus rapid transit line was recently discussed at an urban planning workshop at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. (Photo by Matthew Wisla)
Danny Benson, a graduate student in urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, rides the bus and sees how state budget cuts have limited the Milwaukee County Transit Service’s ability to connect city residents with growing outlying job centers.
“Good transportation planning allows for opportunity and upward mobility for people, but we’re just not seeing that now,” Benson said at a recent UWM workshop on transit issues. He added that new measures are needed to reverse more than a decade of MCTS budget cutbacks.
One possible solution, a new bus rapid transit line, is now under serious consideration by Milwaukee County officials. The county has begun evaluating proposals from transportation consultants to coordinate planning for a bus rapid transit line that would connect city residents with western job centers such as the Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road.
Funding support would come through a grant from the Federal Transportation Authority. The completed plans and feasibility assessments developed by the yet-to-be-hired consultant are intended to provide data and information needed for the grant application. Additional funding could come from eliminating existing, slower-running bus lines along the route, budget adjustments within MCTS or other sources, according to Joe Peterangelo, senior researcher at the Public Policy Forum.
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One option for a bus rapid transit line on Wisconsin Avenue includes dedicated bus lanes in the center of the street, along with new pedestrian medians and bus shelters. (Image courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
“We’re excited about the potential for bus rapid transit and are actively ready to look at options,” said Brian Dranzik, MCTS director of transportation. The county hopes to submit its grant application in the fall, which means funding could be available next year with the new federal budget.
The exact route followed by a bus rapid transit line has yet to be determined, but would likely run along east-west surface streets, including Wisconsin Avenue. Depending on when the new route is launched, it could ease highway congestion during ongoing interstate repairs and reconstruction along I-94, Dranzik said.
The Southern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, which has consulted with the county on the proposed project, likes Milwaukee’s chances of receiving federal money. “Compared to other similar projects around the country that have been funded, this project will definitely be competitive,” said Kevin J. Muhs, principal planner at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. “And you can’t really turn down a project with 50 percent or more federal funding,” he added.
Bus rapid transit improves travel speeds by allowing buses to drive in dedicated lanes and make fewer stops than typical buses. The Institute for Transportation Development and Policy reports an increase in the popularity of bus rapid transit around the country with route-miles quadrupling in the decade prior to 2014. Today, 19 U.S. cities are running 34 bus rapid transit routes carrying about a half-million passengers daily.
Many bus rapid transit routes have features commonly found on light rail lines, such as kiosk or off-board fare collection that speeds up boarding, and dedicated stations with platforms that are level with the height of the bus, making it faster and easier for passengers to get on and off buses. A recent report from the Public Policy Forum, Picking Up The Pace, compared bus rapid transit to light rail and said the bus option was more flexible and less expensive to implement.
At the recent UWM Bus Rapid Transit Workshop, urban planning professors and students discussed research about a possible new bus rapid transit line and potential benefits for city and county residents. Access to suburban jobs was a key feature, since most job growth occurs outside the city. Jobs in Washington, Ozaukee and Waukesha counties increased by 56,271 from 1994 to 2009, while the city lost 27,858 jobs, according to a report published last year by the Center for Economic Development at UWM.
About 17 percent of city residents don’t own a car, according to Robert Schneider, UWM assistant professor at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning. This makes it difficult for them to look for work outside their neighborhoods. “The city today lacks efficient, attractive rapid public transit options,” he said.
A new bus rapid transit line could reduce travel time from the central city to western job centers from about 50 minutes, which it now takes via bus lines, to about 36 minutes, making the commute competitive with cars driving on I-94 or surface streets, according to information presented at the UWM workshop.
Costs for a new bus rapid transit line are estimated between $46 million and $48 million, and include buying new buses, along with bus stops and shelters. The largest expense for the 6.5-mile route would be constructing new bus stations and pedestrian medians in roadways and at several high-traffic points. Workshop participants estimated that bus rapid transit construction projects would create between 730 and 760 short-term jobs.
The total cost to get bus rapid transit up and running was estimated at between $7.2 million to $7.5 million per mile. The investment compares favorably to the streetcar at $51.2 million per mile and the I-94 rebuild and expansion project at $243 million per mile.
Last month, Chicago completed a new bus rapid transit line through downtown. The $32 million Loop Link project is designed to cut bus travel time in half, and includes separate, dedicated lanes for bicycles and buses. The route intersects with six bus lines, helping connect neighborhoods with downtown. Planners hope to ease downtown congestion and increase bus ridership. One bus can take up to 60 cars off the road, they say.
Attracting “choice riders” who prefer public transportation over their cars is the ultimate goal of urban planners across the country. A new bus rapid transit line in Milwaukee would increase ridership, according to data presented at the workshop. Ridership increases in most cities with bus rapid transit lines because of the convenience, and studies show people are willing to walk up to a half mile to reach speedier bus routes. Local experts estimate a 35 percent increase in ridership on an east-west bus rapid transit line, taking the current 21,900 daily bus passengers up to about 29,500.

author: Matthew Wisla


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 14, 2016

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: January 14, 2016

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

author: Adam Carr


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A day to dream of health equality | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Phillip Bowers
January 18, 2016
Monday, January 19 is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It’s a day to remember his dream of equality as well as the work that’s been done to make that dream a reality. Efforts are still needed in Wisconsin to fulfill Dr. King’s dream, particularly around the issue of health inequities such as tobacco use.
Last month, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced a record low smoking rate for the state of 18%. Those numbers don’t translate to the state’s African American community where 27% still smoke, with the numbers rising even higher for individuals with a low income (35%) or less than a high school degree (33%).
It’s no coincidence that these populations smoke at higher rates than the state average. African American communities in Milwaukee and elsewhere are bombarded with tobacco advertising. Conducting environmental scans, which are assessments of retail establishments to collect information about advertising and product availability present, confirmed what many in the community already know. Tobacco companies target low-income African American neighborhoods.
The Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network (WAATPN) is working to decrease tobacco use disparities in our community by connecting adults with quit smoking resources and involving youth and adults in local tobacco prevention and control activities including conducting environmental scans. To learn more about our efforts, contact ADD.
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Sincerely,
Phillip Bowers
WAATPN

created: January 18, 2016

author: Phillip Bowers


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Bus System Will Go Paperless | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 18, 2016
UrbanMilwaukee.com

author: Andrea Waxman


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From Laos to Milwaukee, Hmong Heritage Stays Strong in Charter School | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 18, 2016
WUWM Radio Milwaukee


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Milwaukee YMCA to cut $1.7 million this year | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 18, 2016
jsonline.com


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NNS on Lake Effect: Vicious cycle of payday loans | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
January 18, 2016
NNS reporter Marlita Bevenue goes on the air with Mitch Teich to discuss the growth of the payday loan industry in Milwaukee, and why it has some in the city concerned.
Read the full story
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author: Dwayne Burtin


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23642021461_d0b76652bb_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
January 18, 2016


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Northside Housing Initiative tackles housing and employment issues plaguing the city | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
January 18, 2016
The Northside Housing Initiative renovates blighted homes. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the 15 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). The Northside Housing Initiative is a finalist for the BMO Harris Cornerstone Award, which recognizes an organization for its commitment and effectiveness over time.
Nikesha Bynum had nothing seven months ago. The mother of three young children had no job, no home and no hope.
But it was then, during her darkest moments, when the trajectory of her life dramatically and instantly changed with a routine visit to the food pantry at Northcott Neighborhood House, where she learned about the Northside Housing Initiative.
“I walked in for the food pantry and walked out with an opportunity to advance my life,” she said.
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She quickly signed up for the initiative’s job training program that prepares unemployed Milwaukeeans, like herself, for careers in the construction trades.
“From there, I went forward and I am the leading supervisor now, after seven months,” said the 30-year-old Bynum, wearing safety goggles and a hardhat. “The program means a lot to me. I’ve learned so much.”
Workers put boards up to protect windows at a house being renovated by the Northside Housing Initiative. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Bynum, who now has a home and has gotten several job offers, is a prime example of the positive impact the Northside Housing Initiative is having on some of the city’s poorest residents and neighborhoods.
In 2007, Milwaukee officials approached Gorman & Company seeking help to deal with the growing number of blighted foreclosed houses on the North Side that the city owned. In response, Gorman & Company partnered with the city, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority and several community development organizations to create the Northside Housing Initiative.
“I view the blighted, tax-foreclosed home as an opportunity and an asset for Milwaukee (while other) cities see that tax-foreclosed home as a liability,” said Ted Matkom, Wisconsin market president at Gorman. The partnership “was based on improving the housing stock, number one; and number two, reducing the crime rate because these tax-foreclosed homes, according to the police department, are the number one cause of crime.”
During eight phases of the project, the Northside Housing Initiative has purchased 250 vacant lots and blighted homes from the city and has invested $84 million in redeveloping the properties. The effort has resulted in 282 affordable rental homes being put back on the tax rolls in the Metcalfe Park, North Division, Sherman Park, Washington Park and Amani neighborhoods.
The need for the initiative to address blighted housing in the area has been accentuated during the last several years by the $40 million Century City project, an 86-acre business park in the 30 Street Corridor, according to Matkom.
“The neighborhood around there is really in need of an upgrade so that employers and employees feel safe and welcomed,” Matkom said.
The Northside Housing Initiative is filling a gap in the redevelopment efforts in the area, according to Willie Smith, housing director at Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, which partners with the initiative on several other community development fronts.
“Looking at the properties in a number of these areas, we just could not afford putting the kind of investment into them that was needed,” Smith noted.
Smith said he is able to leverage the work that is being done by the Northside Housing Initiative when he tries to sell a property in the area.
“If there is a house that is near us that we can’t afford to rehab, they can acquire that property and make it a rental house, thereby having us not have this eyesore next to a property that we are trying to sell,” he said.
All tenants who live in a home owned by the Northside Housing Initiative will have the option to purchase their property after 15 years for the remaining debt amount, which is expected to be about $30,000.
“We are looking for homeownership,” Matkom said. “There’s such a perception of crime here and that this is a war zone. Perception is everything and we are trying to switch that around.”
The initiative is also trying to address the considerable unemployment on the North Side of Milwaukee, where more than one-fifth of residents do not have a job. More than 200 individuals, like Bynum, who were unemployed or recently released from prison, completed a soft skills program and then were trained in construction trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical and HVAC, before working on renovating and building sites.
“We are going one step further with the workforce initiative,” Matkom said. “We are trying to put these able-bodied people back to work (in) the construction trades and reform the North Side of Milwaukee.”
Gorman created and implemented the initiative through partnerships with several workforce development programs including the Milwaukee Workforce Investment Board, Northcott Neighborhood House and Big Step, a pre-apprenticeship tutoring program.
About 840 people are on the waiting list to join the program, proving that people want to work, Matkom said.
“It shows that as long as you do as you are supposed to do … you can progress. I went from nothing to something,” Bynum said. “My future is definitely bright now.”

author: Brendan O’Brien


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 17, 2016

created: January 17, 2016


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VITA program begins free tax preparation | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
January 18, 2016
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program will provide free preparation of state and federal taxes by a Milwaukee organization. The program serves residents of Milwaukee County. The Social Development Commission is the lead agency for VITA.
The program provides low and middle income residents with a household income of $56,000 or less to receive tax services at no charge. Eligible residents can get all of their tax returns back and avoid high preparation fees or refund anticipation loads.
Tax preparation is offered through April 18 at two sites Monday through Saturday, and two additional sites that will operate on different days of the week across Milwaukee County.
Monday – Saturday sites
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SDC-Richards
4041 N Richards Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Mon., Wed., & Fri.: 8:00am – 5:00pm; Tues & Thurs: 10:00am -7:00pm; Sat: 9:00am- Noon
Closed: March 25 and March 26, 2016
SDC-Teutonia
6848 N Teutonia Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53209
Mon., Wed., & Fri.: 8:00am – 5:00pm; Tues & Thurs: 10:00am -7:00pm; Sat: 9:00am- Noon
Closed: March 25 and March 26, 2016
Additional sites
MATC Downtown (Room S115)
700 W State Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Tues.: 6:00pm -7:30pm- 20 Taxpayers Only; Sat.: 10:00am- 1:30pm- 30 Taxpayers Only
Closed: March 26, March 29, and April 2, 2016
Sixteenth Street Community Health Center (Chavez Site)
1032 S. Cesar Chavez Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Thurs.: 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Start Date: January 21, 2016
Closed: February 4, March 3, and April 7, 2016
Qualifications for Milwaukee County residents, information on what to bring and the schedule for services is available in English and Spanish.
Residents meeting qualifications can use the online Facilitated Self Assistance service which provides the ability to file electronically for free at www.MyFreeTaxes.com.
This if the 15 season that the VITA tax service program has helped residents maximize their tax returns. In the first 14 years of the program almost 163,000 returns have been filed resulting in more than $174 million in tax refunds and credits back to residents and the local economy. The program will run through April 18.
For more than 50 years, the Social Development Commission has operated as the Community Action Agency for Milwaukee County. SDC serves as a planner, coordinator, and provider of human service programs for low-income individuals and families residing in Milwaukee County. The agency is an intergovernmental commission and is governed by a board of 18 citizens from Milwaukee County, each of whom hold the title of “Commissioner.” For more information on SDC’s programs and services, visit cr-sdc.org. Connect with us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/SDCMilwaukee and Twitter www.twitter.com/CRSDC.

author: Social Development Commission


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MPS student selected for America SCORES National Poetry SLAM! in NYC | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
America SCORES Milwaukee
January 19, 2016
Pashia B., a fourth grade Milwaukee Public School student from LaFollette School (3239 N. Ninth St.) and three year America SCORES Milwaukee participant, has been selected to represent Milwaukee at the America SCORES National Poetry SLAM! in New York City in April.
“Pashia was selected to advance to the national level not only for the creation and performance of her original poem, but for her admirable sportsmanship and outstanding leadership in the classroom and on the soccer field,” said Jennifer Taff, school social worker and Pashia’s America SCORES Milwaukee soccer and writing coach.
To be held during National Poetry Month at the SVA Theatre in Chelsea on Monday, April 11th, the 10th annual National Poetry SLAM! will celebrate the achievements of 15 poet-athletes from across the United States. Pashia’s experience, as well as her fellow 14 poet-athletes that were chosen by their peers in their respective cities, will include participating in writing and performance workshops with renowned poets and spoken word artists, a tour of New York City, the opportunity to play soccer in Central Park and conclude with the event itself where she will take to the theatre stage to recite her poem to an audience of America SCORES supporters and advocates.
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“Pashia’s hard work and determination earned her this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Kate Carpenter, America SCORES Milwaukee Executive Director. “Approximately 150 poet-athletes in our program competed at the local level and while each participant did a wonderful job pulling from their personal experiences to express their individual voices through poetry, Pashia excelled allowing her to stand out and her personality to shine through.”
For more information about the America SCORES organization that inspires urban youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world, contact Kate Carpenter at kcarpenter@americascores.org.

created: January 19, 2016

author: America SCORES Milwaukee


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On the Block: Lock your doors | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
January 19, 2016
James Lair, 31, said gone are the days when he could leave a bike outside of his Lincoln Village home and expect it to be there when he came back. His car was also recently broken into. He cautions others to lock their doors to avoid becoming a victim as well.

author: Edgar Mendez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 19, 2016


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Wells Fargo grant brings long-awaited resources to Washington Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
January 19, 2016
The Washington Park pool building will get much-needed repairs this summer. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity will receive $225,000 toward physical improvements in the Washington Park area, as part of a nationwide Wells Fargo program.
The money will allow Habitat to rehab six vacant, foreclosed properties, and will provide funding for 10 existing homeowners to make “affordable, critical repairs to their homes,” according to Executive Director Brian Sonderman. Habitat will match a portion of the funds, which will go to make “much-needed” improvements to the Washington Park pool building.
“The funds that we’ll receive through this grant are going to have a dramatic impact on the park itself,” Sonderman said. “It’s one that’s in desperate need of repairs, and that will draw in more families to be able to utilize this wonderful asset.”
Since 2013, Habitat has focused Neighborhood Revitalization efforts on the Washington Park area through new construction, rehabs and community partnerships. Sonderman said the initiative is “striving to eliminate poverty housing and its effects on the families of Washington Park.”
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A crowd of corporate partners and local government employees looks on during the announcement. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
“The end goal is to have a neighborhood where property values are stabilized — they’re on the increase — to be able to continue the positive momentum in terms of safety,” he said.
Habitat for Humanity has also partnered with Washington Park Partners, Safe & Sound and the 3rd District Police to implement the Byrne Grant, a three-year, $600,000 effort to reduce crime in the area.
“Law enforcement … is focusing a lot of effort here, as well,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “We’re going to continue to do that because we know that this is a very livable neighborhood and we want it to be a safe neighborhood, as well.”
Regional President Sang Kim said Wells Fargo has “a great partnership with the city and Habitat for Humanity” and called the efforts in the area “a perfect opportunity for us to step up.”
He added, “We relied on our partners … to make sure that [the money] gets allocated into the right places. And, you know, Washington Park is an area that we’re very familiar with and committed to help to revitalize.”
Sonderman said Milwaukee Habitat’s strategic plan and Washington Park Partners’ Sustainable Community Plan directly align with Barrett’s Strong Neighborhoods program, “in terms of preserving homes and stabilizing neighborhoods through a comprehensive approach.”
Barrett said if there are multiple foreclosures on a block, they will drive down the value of the properties around them. “When Habitat announced its five-year plan [in 2013] … to focus resources here in the Washington Park neighborhood, [that] was, I think, really a turning point for this neighborhood,” he said.
Washington Park, which had just over 10,000 residents in 2010, is 71 percent black. According to a study by LISC, 45 percent of residents live in poverty and only 47 percent of residents are employed, compared to 58 percent across the city. Forty-two percent of residents in the neighborhood are under the age of 19.
“What’s really amazing about Habitat is that they’re able to really keep the homes affordable for low- to moderate-income families,” said Bess Earl, sustainable communities director at Washington Park Partners and a coordinator with the Byrne Grant.
Habitat has served nearly 90 families through “housing-related projects” over the last three years, according to Sonderman. There are 200 families in Washington Park already in Habitat homes, he said.
Earl said assessments on new Habitat homes are between $60,000 and $90,000. She said investment would raise property values slightly. “In 2009 their homes were assessed at $135,000,” explained Earl, referring to area homeowners, many of whom are older. “Now, their homes are assessed at $35,000. They can’t borrow against their home to repair their home, they’re getting hit with code violations, they’re losing their home insurance because they can’t fix their roof.”
A search of the real estate website Zillow shows 38 homes for sale in Washington Park, the area bounded by North Avenue, Vliet Street, 47th Street and 35th Street. Of the 38, 24 are foreclosed or in pre-foreclosure; 12 of the 15 foreclosed properties for sale are listed between $51,000 and $80,000. Median household income in the area is $26,415, almost 30 percent lower than the median citywide.
Sonderman said rising values driving out low-income residents might be an issue in the long term but it isn’t an issue, right now. “We’re optimistic,” he said. “We don’t see that as being a real significant challenge over the next five to 10 years.”
According to Milwaukee County Parks Director John Dargle, the pool has been in disrepair for some time, but the resources for repairs just weren’t there. He said a Parks Department partnership with the YMCA; a new long-term lease with the Urban Ecology Center; a county commitment to renovate the band shell and baseball fields; and the involvement of many different partners have made this investment possible.
Dargle said there has been a spotlight on the park in the last two years. “We want to continue that momentum.”
He added that the county plans to involve area residents in every aspect of the improvements. “We’ll start getting the word out and getting everybody fired up and cheering for this improvement,” said Dargle.
Sonderman added, “We look forward to the next chapter of this neighborhood.”

author: Jabril Faraj


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 18, 2016


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Homeless families struggle to find shelter | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 20, 2016
The Ropers, a homeless family living at the Salvation Army Emergency Lodge, take advantage of the children’s library area on a recent winter morning. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
When Shiredon Roper and her children fled their home two months ago to escape a violent situation, they took shelter in abandoned buildings. Roper dared not sleep as she watched over her son, 15, and daughter, 10, she said.
Roper, a diabetic in stage-five renal failure with no local family, called 211, Milwaukee’s coordinated shelter entry system that prioritizes callers based on their level of vulnerability. After three days, she was offered and accepted a room at the Salvation Army Emergency Lodge.
IMPACT 2-1-1 Coordinated Entry for Homeless Services, implemented here in 2013, has improved the process for matching Milwaukee’s most vulnerable homeless people with shelter space, according to experts. But stories like Roper’s indicate that emergency shelter space is inadequate, especially for families with children.
Family shelter space is very limited, agreed Audra O’Connell, Impact’s Coordinated Entry program director. It is especially tight for larger families and families with challenging circumstances such as medical problems or disabled adult children who need parental supervision, she said.
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Directors of nine local homeless shelters report that their facilities are currently full or near full. Eight of those are open around the clock and don’t require guests to leave during the day. The Cathedral Center is not usually open 24 hours, but in extreme weather, the staff works overtime to allow guests to stay all day, according to Donna Rongholt-Migan, executive director.
Eighty to 90 percent of people calling 211 seeking shelter do not fit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of who is in need of immediate shelter, O’Connell said. Her staff strives to come up with alternative solutions to the problems that cause people to feel vulnerable, she added. Such things as utility assistance, landlord-tenant mediation and referrals to Wisconsin Works (W2), a program that provides job services, case management and cash assistance to eligible families, often allow people to stay in their homes.
O’Connell noted, for example, that many people don’t understand that the first eviction notice they receive is an order to come up with a “cure” (a payment plan, a plan to move elsewhere, etc.) in five days, not an order to vacate.
Impact assesses the situation of each caller seeking shelter. Then O’Connell’s staff matches “those most likely to die in their current situation” (category 1) with available shelter beds or warming centers, she said.
On a recent day when the high temperature hovered near zero, Impact received shelter requests from 12 families it classified as category 1 homeless, said O’Connell. All who could be reached by phone or text were offered shelter or warming rooms that day, O’Connell said. For those put in warming rooms, Impact continued to search for shelter space. Shelters are preferable because, in addition to offering social service programs, families can sometimes stay for up to 90 days, she added.
In 2014, the last year for which complete figures are available, Impact received calls from 3,409 families seeking shelter. According to Impact’s assessment guidelines, 340 to 680 families needed immediate shelter, an average of 6.5 to 13 families per week. On average, Impact cannot find shelter for about half the families on the day they call, O’Connell said.
Homeless mothers search through the clothing bank at United Way’s Homeless Connect, an all-day resource fair held annually at Marquette University. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
With a number of warming centers open during the recent cold snap there is currently some kind of shelter available for most of the homeless people in the city, she said. But for families with children at school and in daycare centers, gathering up the family and finding transportation to a shelter is difficult and sometimes impossible. O’Connell said she has brought this to the attention of government officials and funders and hopes this gap will be filled.
The coordinated entry approach initiated by HUD and required for shelters receiving federal funds, has improved the process of getting the city’s most vulnerable homeless people into shelter, said Faith Kohler, a homeless advocate, volunteer and director of the film “30 Seconds Away: Breaking the Cycle,” about homelessness in Milwaukee. The system “does a better job of filtering who is in emergency and who really is on the street, homeless, versus who may be able to wait for a better option that will be available shortly,” Kohler said.
Since calling 211 does not work with some flip-style cell phones, Impact is also publicizing a local phone number: 414-773-0211; and a toll-free number 1-866-211-3380. Calls are taken 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
Adelson Thompson and his wife and sons, ages 9 and 13, needed shelter last summer. Thompson, 45, lost his job as a certified nursing assistant in February and started to fall behind on his rent. He went to court to try to work out a payment arrangement.
“I was trying to get my unemployment going, W2, somebody to help me. It took a while and by that time, we were (further) behind in rent,” he explained. By June, unable to catch up with their bills, the Thompsons got an eviction notice. Thompson understood it to be an order to vacate in five to seven days, he said. He called 211 every morning for five days until his family was offered shelter at Hope House of Milwaukee, 209 W. Orchard St.
“I almost broke down and cried (when I got the call). I didn’t know where we was going to go with our kids … My sons go to Longfellow School and they’re straight A students. I didn’t want anything to interfere with their education,” Thompson said.
Several shelter directors noted that there are fewer people seeking shelter early in the year. Many low-income families and individuals are eligible for earned-income tax credits and get tax refunds at the beginning of the year, explained Patrick Vanderburgh, Milwaukee Rescue Mission president. In addition, laws prohibit energy companies from shutting off power from November through April and it’s harder to evict tenants in winter, he added.
Also, people are more receptive to sheltering others in cold weather, said Nancy Szudzik, director of homeless services at Salvation Army Emergency Lodge. But in summer when children are not in school, their constant presence can cause friction with hosts sheltering homeless family and friends.
O’Connell noted that when people who consider themselves in crisis call Impact, their circumstances may be fluid. They will often refuse shelter placement, instead making their own arrangements for a temporary place to stay that eventually falls through. “This is very difficult to navigate as we try to place people and they refuse space for something less stable,” O’Connell said.
The shelters participating in the Coordinated Entry system are: The Cathedral Center, Guest House of Milwaukee, Hope House of Milwaukee, Salvation Army Emergency Lodge and Milwaukee Women’s Center.
Faith-based shelters do not receive federal funds and are not part of Impact’s Coordinated Entry system though anyone seeking shelter is invited to call 211 and Impact’s staff will notify them if space is available in independent shelters.

created: January 20, 2016


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23812702224_b98ba42b46_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 19, 2016


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 20, 2016


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The Salvation Army reaches Red Kettle Campaign $3.9m goal | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Salvation Army Milwaukee County
January 20, 2016
“We are grateful for the giving hearts of so many Milwaukeeans donating $3,970,921 to help The Salvation Army in Milwaukee County reach it’s $3.9M 2015 Red Kettle Christmas Campaign goal, thank you Milwaukee for your generous support,” said Major Dan Jennings, Salvation Army Divisional Commander for Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.
“A successful Red Kettle Kickoff at the Milwaukee Public Market, an outstanding Celebrity Bell Ringing Day, dedicated bell ringers and a host of volunteers and Christmas season events, all made for a wonderful and successful 2015 Red Kettle Campaign,” said Major Dan Jennings. “The success of the annual Red Kettle Campaign will ensure critical needs of the unemployed, underemployed, homeless and others who are often over looked and underserved, are met,” continued Jennings.
“With eighty-four cents of every dollar donated used to sustain 85 distinct year round programs and services including emergency shelter, food and clothing, disaster relief, utility and rent assistance, employment services and summer lunch programs for children, The Salvation Army maximizes the generous contributions made by the wonderful people of Milwaukee County,” said Major Jennings.
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author: Salvation Army Milwaukee County


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How Community Prosecutors Prevent Crime | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 21, 2016
UrbanMilwaukee.com

created: January 21, 2016


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Immigrants Speak Out Against Bill Targeting ‘Sanctuary Cities’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 21, 2016
Wisconsin Public Radio


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The Unfair Opacity of Credit Cards Peddled to the Poor | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 21, 2016
The Atlantic


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2016 State of the City at Hmong American Peace Academy | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee
January 22, 2016

created: January 22, 2016

author: City of Milwaukee


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 22, 2016


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Rebuilding Together keeps elderly, disabled in their homes, stabilizes neighborhoods | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wyatt Massey
January 22, 2016
Geraldine Tate’s home on the North Side has been renovated by Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the 15 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee is a finalist for the PNC Bank Trail Blazer Award, which recognizes an innovative approach to a community problem.
Since 1965, Geraldine Tate’s home address has not changed. The longtime Harambee resident raised seven foster children in her place near Fourth Street and Keefe Avenue. By 2013, her home was badly in need of repairs.
“Between my foster kids and maintaining my job… I really didn’t realize how much I had let the house go down,” she said.
The windows had to be replaced and the bathroom needed to be remodeled. The problem was that Tate, 84, could not afford the renovations. “I just had no way to get the money to fix this bathroom and it really needed fixing then.” Tate feared that she could lose her home and be forced to move. When she attended a community meeting, Tate learned about an organization dedicated to keeping aging adults living in their homes by providing repairs for free.
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Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee provides free home repairs to veterans, seniors and people with disabilities. Representatives from the organization visited Tate’s home and completed the renovations. Beyond the changes to the windows and bathroom, workers identified other needed repairs, such as installing new flooring, water pipes and a sink, to ensure that Tate could continue living safely in the home on her own.
Tate noted that the RTGM staff checked in with her after they made the repairs to make sure she was satisfied. That showed the team’s dedication, she said.
Lynnea Katz-Petted is CEO of Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee, an organization dedicated to helping Milwaukee residents age in the communities they love. (Photo by Emmy Yates)
Bruce Elliott, executive vice president of commercial lending at Tri-City National Bank, volunteers for RTGM doing home repairs. The most rewarding part of volunteering is being able to help individuals remain active in their neighborhoods, he said. “These are people who have given blood, sweat and their time to their community,” he said. “It’s time to give them something back for what they’ve done.”
Since the Milwaukee chapter of the national organization was founded in 2000, RTGM averages 500 volunteers a year and has invested more than $10 million in almost 1,500 properties. RTGM is funded almost entirely from private donations and grants. The expansion of the organization’s budget, from $42,000 in 2005 to more than $1 million today, allowed it to move from serving 14 properties per year to more than 300.
The organization hires 17 local contractors and has seven full-time staff members. Staff members meet with homeowners to assess specific needs and connect with other organizations that can help.
Minor changes to a home, such as adjusting the height of a toilet or installing a ramp, can have a large impact. “You’d be surprised what a difference an inch can make,” said Lynnea Katz-Petted, CEO of RTGM.
The changes also empower homeowners to continue investing in their local communities. Tate is thankful for the freedom of owning her own home, which allows her foster children and foster grandchildren to visit at any time. She makes big meals of meatloaf, collard greens and cornbread for her visitors, who share the memories that come with returning to the place where they grew up.
When individuals are forced to move to assisted living facilities, properties are left vacant, neighborhoods suffer and taxpayers pay more, Katz-Petted said. “These neighborhoods would be a lot worse off if the people who’ve lived there for 30 or 40 years left.”
Paying for home modifications is especially difficult for individuals on a fixed income. According to a study by the Milwaukee County Department on Aging, 18 percent of Milwaukee seniors do not have, or are not confident, in a financial plan. Nearly a quarter of seniors are not certain that they will be able to cover expenses in the next 5 to 10 years. Home repairs or improvements are often overlooked in favor of paying for food or medication. Offering these services at no cost benefits homeowners and neighborhoods, said Jonette Arms, interim director of the Milwaukee County Department on Aging.
“People can stay in the community that’s familiar to them and with people they may have known for many years, so they can stay connected,” Arms said.
Each situation is unique, whether people are experiencing diminishing physical abilities or having trouble paying bills. “It’s surprising but we still get calls from people who haven’t had hot water for two years,” Katz-Petted said.
RTGM works with homeowners to determine what can be done to keep them living in their neighborhood. The organization can put them in contact with local food agencies and also partners with Social Development Commission for weatherization repairs.
Nina Johnson, senior vice president at Guaranty Bank and a member of the RTGM advisory board, praised Katz-Petted’s efforts to work with other groups. “She goes above and beyond,” Johnson said. “The amount of impact they’ve made in the community, and to do it without a cost to the homeowner, is incredible.”
To receive help from RTGM, applicants must own their homes, fall within established income guidelines and be up to date on property taxes. Volunteers usually complete the repairs within 30 days. Elliott said he especially enjoys being able to sit down with homeowners and learn about their lives. These interactions can often be emotional, he said, as homeowners struggle to put into words what it means to be able to stay in their homes.
RTGM’s biggest challenge is raising awareness about issues facing veterans, the elderly and people with disabilities, Katz-Petted said. “I don’t think there is a lot of help out there for the people who built our city and the people who kept us safe.”
RTGM will host its first Block Build MKE on May 20-21. In other years, the one-day building event focused on completing projects across Milwaukee County. This year, however, RTGM is focusing on one block, between 17th and 18th streets and Lloyd Street and Meinecke Avenue. Nearly 1,000 volunteers will be present, Katz-Petted said, providing critical repairs to at least 15 homes and completing other projects, such as new lighting or mailboxes, at another 15 to 20 homes.
“Once we leave that block, the whole thing will be revitalized,” Katz-Petted said. “Hopefully, everyone’s spirits will be lifted.”

author: Wyatt Massey


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 21, 2016


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Wal-Mart closing poses new challenge to Midtown Center — and perhaps new opportunity | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 23, 2016
Milwaukee Business Journal

created: January 23, 2016


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We’ve come too far to let e-cigarettes become the next generation’s tobacco | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance
January 23, 2016
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data showing that 70% of middle and high school youth were exposed to e-cigarette marketing in 2014. More than half of surveyed youth said they saw the advertisements in retail stores, with online advertising not far behind. While there is limited data on youth e-cigarette use or exposure in Milwaukee, community groups and school officials report that e-cigarettes are increasingly a problem. With e-cigarettes sold at almost every corner store and several vape shops having opened in the city, there is no doubt that Milwaukee youth are being put at risk by e-cigarette marketing.
This is all much to the delight of still completely unregulated e-cigarette companies who increased their spending on marketing from $6.4 million in 2011 to $115 million in 2014. Their investment is clearly earning a return. In addition to formal advertising, research underway at UWM’s Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health suggests that youth may also be exposed to e- cigarette messaging through more informal channels on social media.
expanding their reach into the lives of young Americans and hooking a new generation on nicotine.
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The more we learn about e-cigarettes, the more cause for major concern. Vaping, regardless of the device used (e.g. e-cigarettes, e-hookas, hookah pens, vape pens, vaporizers, e-cigars, and e- pipes) is more than inhaling ‘harmless water vapor’ as often claimed. E-juice often contains nicotine, which in addition to being highly addictive, also negatively affects the developing brains of adolescents. Even if products claim they are nicotine-free, there is currently no FDA regulation to ensure or enforce that this is the reality. In fact, there is no safety regulation at all of either e-juice or e-cigarette devices. In addition to nicotine, secondhand e-cigarette vapor has been found to contain heavy metals and other cancer-causing and lung damaging chemicals.
The $115 million spent on e-cigarette marketing last year has fueled a boom in e-cigarettes, and along the way, we have been fooled all over again because these marketing tactics are not new; sadly, we’ve seen it before. E-cigarettes are being sold to youth as something that will make them independent, sexy, cool, and daring. These are the same exact themes we saw in traditional cigarette advertising for decades and worked so hard to get rid of. This is tobacco all over again, only this time we have an opportunity to learn from past lessons and take early action.
The re-mainstreaming of smoking among youth, whether an e-cigarette or traditional cigarette, is a huge step backward for everyone trying to maintain a healthy place to live for our families and ourselves. For the sake of the health of our communities, we need to inform and educate the public and policy makers. We’ve come too far to let e-cigarettes become the next generation’s tobacco.

author: City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance


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EQUALIZING OPPORTUNITIES | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 25, 2016
MilwaukeeMag.com

created: January 25, 2016


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GOP bill would create more ‘zombie’ homes, Milwaukee officials say | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 25, 2016
jsonline.com


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Lake Park protest calls attention to Indian mounds | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Margaret Rozga
January 25, 2016
(Photo by C.M. DeSpears)
Margaret Rozga, poet, civil rights activist and professor emerita of English at UW-Waukesha, writes that sacred Indian mounds in Wisconsin, including one in Milwaukee, would be destroyed if proposed state legislation moves forward.
Near the deep cold blue lakes in the Bamyan Province of Afghanistan, rugged mountains rise dramatically. For 15 centuries these mountains were home to two immense statues of Buddha, one 170 feet tall, the other almost 140 feet tall.
When the Taliban destroyed these statues in March 2001, people around the world gasped at the audacity and felt outrage at the destruction of these works important to Buddhists, and to the cultural heritage of the world. These statues were marvels of human creativity, and they were irreplaceable.
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Very near the long stretch of life-giving blue at Milwaukee’s lakefront, there is another cultural and sacred treasure, an Indian mound, even older that the Bamyan Buddhas and also irreplaceable. I went to the site of this mound, at Lake Park, on a cold Tuesday. There I joined with Native American leaders and scholars, poets, the Overpass Light Brigade and others who support the Ho-Chunk in defending their sacred sites, places important to the cultural heritage of the world, especially of all of us who live in Wisconsin.
I stood in the cold to read a part in a cento, a poem that drew together the voices of many poets, lines that speak to our conviction that money is not everything, that human culture and creativity are to be embraced, celebrated and protected from the outrage of destruction. In the words of poet Allison Hedge Coke, “Our wealth abounds / within what we preserve.”
I felt outrage in 2001 when the Buddhas were senselessly destroyed. I feel it again now. Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin) and other sponsors of the bill display a disregard for the cultural heritage that doesn’t fit their own narrow definitions.
This bill, Wisconsin Assembly bill 620, would force the Wisconsin Historical Society to allow excavation of the mounds to determine whether they contain human remains. If they do, the mounds are covered by a 1986 state law that gave the Historical Society the power to preserve the sites and the land surrounding them.
One problem with the bill is that if human remains are found, then their burial site has already been disturbed. Another problem is that even if excavation uncovered no human remains, there are other reasons to value these mounds and to refrain from compromising their integrity as important heritage sites.
AB 620 is specifically intended to force the Historical Society to excavate a mound on land outside of Madison, owned by Wingra Stone and Redi-Mix, Inc., where many such mounds were destroyed before passage of the 1986 law.
We’ve had enough destruction. We also have enough ignorance, a fault that I own up to for myself.
Before this action, I did not even know of the Indian mound in Lake Park though I have lived in Milwaukee virtually all of my life. Others who gathered there on that cold Tuesday also said they had only recently learned of this sacred site within their own city. I write at least partially to bring about greater awareness throughout the city of the treasure that lies so close at hand. As schools teach Wisconsin history, I urge them to include lessons on the Indian mounds, including the one in our own city.
More immediately I write to express support for those who value these mounds that exist nowhere else in the world and to oppose this shortsighted measure. The good news is that after the Jan. 12 protest at the State Capitol and the protest in Lake Park, AB 620 has been tabled, which means that it will not immediately advance.
Given the Republican-led legislators’ hostility toward the accomplishments of Wisconsin’s recent progressive past, I suppose I should not be surprised at their cavalier attitude toward a more ancient past, toward the remaining evidence of cultures whose people took care of this land long before the arrival of Europeans. But I am surprised, astonished and alarmed.
Some destruction is beyond the pale. We saw that clearly when the destruction happened half a world away. I write, I speak, I gather with others who are concerned, so that this ill-considered proposal to force destruction close to home may be seen for the similar outrage that it is.

author: Margaret Rozga


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 24, 2016

created: January 24, 2016


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Mentoring program gives at-risk boys guidance, role models | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
January 25, 2016
Rodney Bourrage created Operation DREAM in 2006 after 20 years of teaching and other community work. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the 15 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). Rodney Bourrage is a finalist for the Northern Trust Navigator Award, which recognizes individuals for leadership and collaboration.
Davon Carter, 14, has never known his father — he left when Davon was a year old. He and his younger brothers were raised by their mother. Then, when Davon was 12, that all changed. “She basically couldn’t take care of us no more,” he said, “She didn’t have a lot of money and we were very bad.”
Davon’s brothers went to their grandparents’ house; Davon went into foster care. “When I first came to foster care, I always had an angry look on my face, and I never liked to talk,” he said.
Davon then went to live with Melissa Carter, who adopted him in November 2014. By that time Davon was participating in Operation DREAM. “Just being in this program with all boys, keeping them active, getting out and doing stuff in the community, he loved it.”
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Rodney Bourrage founded the mentoring program for at-risk boys in 2006. Bourrage, who had taught and worked in the community for 20 years, saw a need for role models, particularly males, in the central city. The organization serves more than 300 boys, ages 4 to 18; 97 percent are African-American.
Melissa Carter (right) said Rodney Bourrage and Operation DREAM have helped to provide her son Davon with stability and positive role models. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
“When I was young, there were people there for me. There was the teacher, the preacher, the neighbor, the older siblings, the older neighbors, my parents’ friends — everybody was there,” said Bourrage, who grew up in the 53206 ZIP code during the 1960s. “Now … you have shady characters.”
Even though he had support, Bourrage had his own challenges. He wasn’t a great student; he “didn’t do a whole lot of studying or learn how to study.” Bourrage said his father told him from a young age that he would play football at Michigan or Ohio State, so he immersed himself in sports.
“I was a good student, you know, as far as conduct, but wasn’t the best academically and didn’t know how to excel. My father had a third-grade education and my mother, she had graduated from high school and had some technical college,” he said. “Academics wasn’t something that was really big as far as enhancement, enrichment.”
Bourrage, who graduated from Washington High School, eventually did learn how to study. After flunking out of UWM and UW-Eau Claire, working in a Milwaukee factory for four years and starting a family, Bourrage returned to UWM and graduated in 1987. Later, he completed a graduate degree in cultural education, also from UWM.
But none of that diminished his love for sports. “It was kind of like an outlet from … poverty and being poor, growing up poor,” he said. “You always had positive activities, you always had people that were there for you.”
In 1989, Bourrage began coaching baseball at Beckum Stapleton Little League, near North 8th and West Brown streets. Shortly after, he started coaching soccer and basketball, as well. The basketball team included boys from the central city and from the Jewish Day School.
Bourrage said it was difficult, even then, because he knew about the barriers the young black boys would face. “I knew a lot of the Jewish kids … would end up being very productive people in life — doctors, business owners, lawyers,” said Bourrage. “And, a lot of these boys playing ball with them, on the same team, a lot of them wouldn’t be around — they would be dead or in jail.”
“I can name 10 black boys that are dead from gun violence,” he said. “Our boys are dying in the streets.”
For Bourrage, the urgency could not have been more pronounced. But he was only scraping the tip of the iceberg. “They were still dying. I knew I had to do more.”
So, 10 years ago, he created Operation DREAM. The organization began with Saturday programming at the Boys and Girls Club and field trips, including trips to ballgames, Discovery World, horseback riding, college visits. “Member Support Coaches,” mentors who work with 12 to 15 boys, help to manage the boys’ lives “as a parent would,” making daily phone calls, weekly home visits and taking the boys to do fun activities.
Larry Willis, the first of five coaches, has been involved in community work for more than 20 years, putting young men in his neighborhood through military drills, working with St. Charles Youth and Family Services and the Social Development Commission.
“I like success stories,” said Willis. “And, I look at the youth nowadays; if you think about it, the odds are stacked against them.” He added, “There’s a tremendous need for people to really interact with these boys.”
Bourrage said, “I want the kids to know that they have the world to conquer; that they have a chance to be who and what they want to be.”
“I knew I needed a gym to keep these boys focused, keep that carrot and keep them coming,” he said. “Once they had a gym, things were fine. But, as we found out, as the boys got older … the gym didn’t keep them engaged — they needed money.”
According to Dan Parman, an advisor to the Operation DREAM board, once the boys turned 12 or 13, they were disappearing from the program. Parman, a business owner and philanthropist, had connected with Bourrage through a board member. They talked and, in 2010, Parman sold his interest in the company he owned at the time to help create Operation WORK.
The program, which operates alongside the mentoring aspect, trains the boys in work skills and provides them with work experience, including cleaning up the neighborhood, working at camps, landscaping and more. Once the boys turn 14, they can get work permits and can do internships at Milwaukee businesses such as Gruber Law Offices, the Jewish Community Center and the Green Team.
“You know, most of these kids, they just don’t have a support system. They have no choice but to go into the street,” Parman said. “They might be smart … there’s just nobody there for them … And, given a choice, a lot of these boys are making good choices.”
Bourrage called Operation WORK the “flagship program for our teenagers.” He said the ultimate goal is to instill a work ethic, morals and an understanding of the value of education. “We try to let the boys know that they have options, that they have these people that care about them and that are going to be there for them,” he said.
“These children, they need consistency, they need structure in their life,” said Bourrage. “That’s what they want, and what they really deserve.”
Antwan Powell, 20, has been a part of Operation DREAM since he was in fifth grade. Powell, who does maintenance for Schlitz Park and now works as a mentor on weekends, also grew up without his father. “A lot of the kids now, believe that what they see outside is just what they’re gonna get,” he said. “Everyone was willing to tell me what to do; no one was really willing to give me guidance and help me understand why it is I’m doing what I’m doing.”
“Mr. Bourrage gave an alternative to what I saw out in the community,” said Powell.
“I want the kids to know they’re just as good as anybody else … that [they] do have a purpose here on earth to achieve, and that you have to know and search for that purpose,” Bourrage said. “Then, you have to work hard to make sure you’re fulfilling those dreams.”
Bourrage said that all the community and volunteer work he’s done over the years brought him to where he is now. Even though he called Milwaukee a “war zone,” he said, “Now, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Powell said he tries to give the boys “the understanding that Mr. Bourrage gave me” because, even though he won’t be around forever, what he’s teaching can be passed on. “For anyone who really wants to understand the program … they need to speak to these boys, they need to hear stories,” Powell said.
Melissa Carter said Bourrage and Operation DREAM have helped Davon’s behavior and grades in school. “[He’s] very respectful, now,” she said. “They said he’s a big brother to a lot of the boys.”
Davon, who said his favorite part of the program is “just being there,” is looking forward to college; he wants to work with computers and become an Air Force pilot. And that anger he felt? It’s not there anymore.
“Sometimes, I would have nightmares,” he said. “Every time when I fell asleep, my dreams would be the same thing, of how [my father] left.”
“They’re gone now.”


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No extensions to health insurance deadline on January 31st | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Enrollment Network
January 25, 2016
Unlike tax season, where individuals can file for an extension, consumers who wish to avoid the fine for lack of coverage in 2016 have only a few days left to sign up under the Affordable Care Act. A handful of events are scheduled in the Milwaukee area – including Saturday and Sunday – where ‘last-minute’ enrollees can get free, in-person help signing up.
After January 31st, a person will likely need to wait until next November for another chance to sign up. Only certain qualifying life events, like loosing employer coverage, or adding a child or spouse, will allow for enrollment during the rest of the year.
The penalty for not having health insurance in 2016 is $695 per person or 2.5% of household income, whichever is more.
Covering Wisconsin, the region’s federally designated enrollment Navigator organization, the City of Milwaukee Health Department, and others in the Milwaukee Enrollment Network are making extra efforts to assist all those who need help in the final week of this open enrollment period. Consumers should dial 2-1-1 to find enrollment help in their community.
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The public may drop in at any of the following five enrollment events available in the city of Milwaukee, but are strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment by calling 414-270-4677.
Mon. Jan. 25: 4 – 7 pm, Center Street Library, 2727 W. Fond Du Lac Ave.
Tues. Jan. 26: 4:30 – 7:30 pm, Forest Home Library, 1432 W. Forest Home Ave.
Fri. Jan. 29: 1:30 – 5:30 pm, Zablocki Library, 3501 W. Oklahoma Ave.
Sat. Jan. 30: 10 am – 4:00 pm, Community Advocates, 728 N. James Lovell St.
Sun. Jan. 31: 10 am – 4:00 pm, Community Advocates, 728 N. James Lovell St.
Consumers should be prepared when signing up for healthcare coverage. Whether attending an enrollment event, visiting healthcare.gov or calling 1-800-318-2596, they should have the following information about themselves and their household:
Adults with income below 100% of the federal poverty level ($11,670 per year for an individual) and children and pregnant women in households with income under 300% of the poverty level ($71,550 for a family of 4), may enroll anytime in BadgerCare Plus.
About the Milwaukee Enrollment Network
The Milwaukee Enrollment Network is a consortium of more than 100 organizations committed to promoting adequate and affordable health insurance coverage, with a focus on low-income uninsured and underinsured people in Milwaukee County.

author: Milwaukee Enrollment Network


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Why Are There So Few Black Children in Gifted Programs? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 25, 2016
The Atlantic


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Why Poverty May Be More Relevant Than Race For Childhood Obesity | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 25, 2016
National Public RAdio


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Doors Open Milwaukee celebrates city’s history, architecture | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Karen Slattery
January 26, 2016
Doors Open Milwaukee, which celebrates the area’s history and architecture, is housed in the historic Mitchell building on East Michigan Street. (Photo Mark Doremus)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the 15 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). Doors Open Milwaukee is a finalist for the Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award, which recognizes a public space that helps build the community.
Stacy Swadish was a runner in high school in the early 1980s. The West Allis native said that when she was running, she would notice dilapidated buildings on the Milwaukee VA Soldiers Home grounds just south of I-94 and on nearby property owned by Milwaukee County.
“It made me feel sad,” Swadish said, “because pigeons and raccoons were using them for homes.”
But at the time, according to Swadish, people were not thinking about preserving the historic buildings. Rather, they worried about their families and jobs as industries around them began to collapse.
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Now, decades later, Swadish makes her living celebrating historic buildings in the Milwaukee area.
Swadish is the executive director of Historic Milwaukee, Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the area’s history and architecture, and the importance of preserving the environment that’s been built around us.
A replica of a Milwaukee grocery story is on display at the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear, one of the 150 participants in the annual Doors Open Milwaukee event. (Photo Mark Doremus)
Doors Open Milwaukee is one of Historic Milwaukee, Inc.’s signature programs. Every September for the past five years, Doors Open Milwaukee has hosted the largest open house in the city. For two days, people are invited to explore 150 buildings, parks and businesses in area neighborhoods.
Individuals and families craft their own itineraries from a list of places that has included public and private buildings and business operations that are not always open to the public. Opportunities have ranged range from admiring historical architecture in a Frank Lloyd Wright System Built Home and the McIntosh/Goodrich Mansion (Wisconsin Conservatory of Music) to watching a Milwaukee blacksmith and his sons create ironwork used for Milwaukee homes. Visitors can learn how head cheese is made at Glorious Malone’s Fine Sausage, a company started by an African-American family in the Bronzeville neighborhood 40 years ago, or take a tour of the refurbished Ambassador Hotel. The Soldiers Home Historic District, which had attracted Swadish’s attention in the early 1980s, is also on the list long list of places to visit.
The organizers ensure that there are 20 family-friendly sites each year. These sites have included the Milwaukee Bucks locker room and the Milwaukee Fire Education Center and Museum. Swadish said that Historic Milwaukee knows that there are a lot of young families living in the city and “they want their children to explore the same parts of the city that they know and love.”
In addition to highlighting the area’s history and architecture, the purpose of Doors Open Milwaukee is to encourage people to notice their surroundings. The event helps people to understand why the city looks the way it does and how it works.
A survey of last year’s participants revealed that 58 percent of the attendees went to neighborhoods they had not been to before and said that they were likely to return again on their own, according to Grace Fuhr, who oversees Doors Open Milwaukee for Historic Milwaukee, Inc.
Fuhr said respondents also reported that the experience had changed their opinion of the neighborhoods, adding, “I think that is really interesting to hear.”
Fuhr noted that 700 volunteers staff the Doors Open event every September. “It is an amazing production,” she said, “and we would not be able to do it without the hundreds of people who are willing to participate.”
Finding volunteers is not difficult, according to Fuhr. Citizens in the Walker’s Point neighborhood created Historic Milwaukee, Inc. in 1974 because they were concerned about historic preservation. The grassroots organization was made up of volunteers and that tradition continues.
Rod Podszus, one of the volunteers, spent part of a recent morning putting note cards and envelopes into boxes to be sold to raise money for the organization. He said he got involved after he and his wife took a tour offered by Historic Milwaukee when it moved to the area two years ago. “I’m impressed with what is being done,” he said. The organization “works hard to let longtime residents and new residents learn about the city and appreciate its history.”
Swadish said the Doors Open project has expanded to include historic sites in Wauwatosa and Hales Corners. Sites had to be convinced to participate when the project started five years ago. Now, according to Swadish, “People are calling us on a daily basis asking, ‘What is the application process?’ and ‘How do I get in?’”
For the upcoming event in September, about 120 to 130 returning sites will be included in the lineup and new sites will be added. The list will be capped at 150 because that number works well with the number of volunteers available, Swadish said.
The sixth annual Doors Open Milwaukee will be held Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17 and 18. The event is free.

created: January 26, 2016

author: Karen Slattery


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 25, 2016


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24483093282_e8bd9ab282_h | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 25, 2016


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Gospel groups share passion for music, support local health services | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wyatt Massey
January 26, 2016
Six local gospel groups will perform at Turner Hall Ballroom on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. to support Progressive Community Health Centers. The groups include Holy Hill Ensemble, Levi Gospel Singers, Milwaukee Community Quartet, Skylight Singers, New Gospel Five and Voices of Faith. The health center provides health care to underserved and uninsured populations in the central city.
The jubilee is sponsored by Froedtert Health & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Aurora Health Care, Colectivo Coffee, Kapco, John Shannon and Jan Serr, Black Shoe Hospitality/Maxie’s, BMO Harris Bank, HGA Architects and Engineers, Hunzinger Construction, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.
Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at the Pabst Theater ticket office and online.
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NNS on Lake Effect: Homeless families struggle to find shelter | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
January 26, 2016
NNS reporter Andrea Waxman goes on the air with Mitch Teich to discuss the difficulties families face finding emergency shelter space in Milwaukee.
Read the full story.
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23814091793_aaff64f52e_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
January 26, 2016


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On the Block: Making his father proud | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wyatt Massey
January 26, 2016
James Peters, 30, is struggling with unemployment and homelessness. He said he wishes he could get more help, but he’s committed to finding a job because that would have made his late father proud.


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Bill Would Give Banks A Year To Sell Abandoned Homes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 27, 2016
Wisconsin Public Radio

created: January 27, 2016


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Bronzeville Arts Ensemble Aims to Illuminate the Black Experience | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 27, 2016
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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Enterprising brothers run inner city innovation technology workshops | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 27, 2016
jsonline.com


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Health center moves into larger, more efficient space in old Goldmann’s store | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
January 27, 2016
Dr. Lyle Ignace, the executive director of Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, stands in the fitness center in the center’s new building. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
The grand staircase and the creaky wooden floors of the Goldmann’s Department Store were a source of warm familiarity for generations of Milwaukeeans on the city’s South Side until the department store closed about a decade ago.
Now restored, the staircase leads to another community treasure: the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center. The building at 930 W. Historic Mitchell Street, once home to the all-inclusive department store, now houses the all-inclusive community health center, which moved from its former location a block west about a month ago.
“It’s a one-stop shop and now it aligns more with our mission to improve the health and wellness of native people in the greater Milwaukee area,” said Dr. Lyle Ignace, the health center’s executive director.
Workers put the finishing touches on the renovation at the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
“Isn’t it something…look at it,” said Marge Makowski, a health center staffer, as she climbed the staircase and walked past a few workers who were putting the finishing touches on the ceiling. “Goldmann’s was the place to shop. Everything you needed was here, right here.”
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Ignace, Makowski and the rest of the staff have spent the last few weeks unpacking boxes and getting settled into their new space. The move, according to Ignace, was made to accommodate the growing health and wellness needs of the community that the center serves.
“It’s a big deal for me because I live only 10 blocks away, and other doctors would have me go way far out,” said Levi, a 50-year-old unemployed man who declined to give his last name as he sat in the waiting room. “This clinic comes in handy for me because my doctor is right here if anything happens.”
The 40,000-square-foot health center, paid for through $5.5 million in tax credits from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, is more than triple the size of the old space. The new space consists of a medical clinic, a behavioral health clinic, fitness center, a large community meeting room equipped with a full kitchen, a youth center and board room. The health center eventually will include eye and dental clinics.
The old space “was out-of-date and inefficient” while the new location is “more conducive and more inviting. This is light years from what we had before,” said Ignace as he strolled through the spacious, brightly lit hallways on the department store’s refinished hardwood floors.
The health center has about 7,500 patients, many of whom are poor and have had trouble accessing health care in the past. The Affordable Care Act has allowed those people much more access to care and, as a result, has created a need for a larger, more efficient health center, Ignace said.
“There is a lot of unmet need out there and the Affordable Care Act has helped tremendously reach the non-insured and underinsured,” he said.
The wide variety of services the health center offers was the vision of Ignace’s father, Gerald, who helped open the original location in 1999. He wanted to serve Native Americans and others through a holistic approach that focuses on the body, mind and spirit of the individual.
“It’s not just a medical clinic. It’s about providing a community with a wellness center,” Ignace said.
In addition to being larger, the design of the health center’s interior creates more efficiency. The space has wide hallways and a dozen examination rooms, twice as many than the old location, allowing for more doctors to see patients and a better flow throughout the clinic, Ignace said. Other touches are intended to put patients at the center of their care, such as waiting areas and an examination room designed for children.
While focusing on creating an efficient, inviting space for patients, Ignace wanted to instill a sense of community. As a result, he promised Makowski that he would keep and restore the famed staircase. He kept his promise.
“You get the feeling of community here. It’s all of us,” she said.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 26, 2016


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How Fears of Deportation Harm Kids’ Education | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 27, 2016
The Atlantic


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Children remember Dr. King at Walker’s Point art center workshop | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Emmy A. Yates
January 28, 2016
Children ages 6 to 12 celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a recent workshop led by poet Victoria Porter and teen mentors from Arts @ Large.
The children viewed Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech and created artwork and poems inspired by his famous words at the free event, held at Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, 839 S. 5th St., as part of its education programming.

created: January 28, 2016

author: Emmy A. Yates


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Listening session attendees call for civil rights investigation of MPD | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
January 28, 2016
Maria Hamilton addresses the DOJ panel during the event. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Parents of unarmed people who have been killed by Milwaukee police and others called for a civil rights investigation into the patterns and practices of the Milwaukee Police Department at a recent United States Department of Justice listening session held at the Milwaukee Public Library.
“I have suffered for a long, long time,” said Victor Rodriguez, whose son Samuel was shot and killed in 2002. “These officers, this system doesn’t seem to realize the pain they bring on family members. And, it doesn’t die the next day — it stays with you forever.”
The listening session was the first of many, according to Mary Brandenberger, press secretary with the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). It signaled the beginning of a “collaborative reform” process that Police Chief Ed Flynn requested and was entered into voluntarily by the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). The process calls for an initial report and recommendations for MPD, followed by reports six and 18 months later to verify compliance.
Brandenberger made it clear that COPS does not have authority to legally enforce the recommendations. “We don’t have the court of law behind us. But we do have the court of public opinion,” she said in an interview.
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Many of the attendees said it wasn’t enough.
“We don’t need you to go around and do anything else — just look at the patterns and practices,” said Debra Jenkins, whose son was also killed in 2002. “Anything that goes on [in] the streets is within our police department. We need you to take a hard look.”
Many attendees expressed a lack of confidence in the DOJ and suspicion of the collaborative reform process. William Muhammad, a student minister at Muhammad Mosque #3, 4202 N. Teutonia Ave., said historical context, especially in regard to the deaths of Dontre Hamilton, Corey Stingley and Derek Williams, is necessary. Hamilton was shot to death by a police officer; Williams died in police custody; and Stingley’s death at the hands of white civilians prompted calls for a federal civil rights investigation.
Attendees packed the 700-seat Centennial Hall. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Muhammad also criticized DOJ for failing to secure convictions or indictments for the deaths of Tamir Rice,  and Trayvon Martin. He called the collaborative reform process a “dog and pony show.”
Keith Bailey, a founder of Milwaukee Matters, an organization whose mission is to help victims of violence, said he and a group of 15 to 20 individuals met with former U.S. Attorney James Santelle and other DOJ officials more than 50 times over a three-year period with the hope of forming a local task force on police-community relations. Santelle has since resigned and is under federal investigation.
The group brought in a number of people who have experienced police violence, including the Hamilton family, but Bailey said he ended the meetings because no progress was being made. “We would be meeting just to meet,” he said. “We could never solidify and come to [an] agreement.”
Added Bailey, a candidate for alderman in the 2nd District, “We knew there was a problem; the Department of Justice knew there was a problem.”
Harrison Kern, a retired Milwaukee police officer who served 24 years on the force, detailed a 1993 investigation by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Milwaukee-area office. The three-year probe, which resulted from a letter written by Kern and a few other black officers, “found patterns and practices involving the Milwaukee Police Department that were biased [and] racially motivated.”
DOJ indicated it would look into the issues but, after seven years and a handful of meetings, decided not to prosecute the case. “The bottom line is, we’ve been here before. What is the difference now?”
Lines to speak stretched to the back of both aisles of the packed, 700-seat Centennial Hall at the Central Library. Local public officials, activists and other community members, as well as representatives from the ACLU of Wisconsin, Milwaukee NAACP and the Coalition for Justice attended. Among the accounts were accusations of murder, rape, brutality, intimidation, racial discrimination, racial profiling and disproportionate enforcement of laws based on race.
Dank Essbaum, a German emigrant, said that Milwaukee “is becoming like (the biblical cities) Sodom and Gomorrah” and that he “prays the police will be successful” when he hears sirens. “In the 20 years that I’ve lived in the inner city … I have, with one exception, which I won’t go into, been treated quickly and fairly (by the police).”
Essbaum’s views were in the minority at the event.
Criticism also included a documented racial gap in traffic stops — blacks were seven times more likely to be stopped than whites — and the heavy use of traffic stops for minor offenses. The stops, which are classified as “pretextual,” are part of a strategy to disrupt potential criminal activity.
ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director Chris Ahmuty said Milwaukee police perform more than 200,000 of those stops every year, mostly in poor neighborhoods. “How can they do that and be serious about having good police-community relations?”
Criticisms of Police Chief Ed Flynn, in particular, were also raised; a number of individuals called the chief’s personal views and professional tactics into question. Russell Stamper Sr., a lawyer and judge in Milwaukee for more than 40 years, called Flynn “a throwback to Harold Breier,” the infamous Milwaukee police chief who served from 1964 to 1984. Stamper also offered sharp criticism of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, City Attorney Grant F. Langley and District Attorney John Chisholm.
“What are the people supposed to do when every avenue of justice is cut off or compromised?” Stamper said. “Milwaukee police profile black people, kill black people, rape black people with virtual impunity.”
Responding to a request for comment from Flynn, MPD Sgt. Timothy Gauerke wrote, “Chief Flynn and the Milwaukee Police Department look forward to the ongoing Collaborative Reform process … and appreciate that many people attended the first listening session and expressed their varying opinions, experiences, and perspectives.”
Craig Stingley, father of Corey Stingley, the 16-year-old who was strangled to death by three white civilians in 2012, said, “Our problem, here, and I would say across the country, is that district attorneys have too much discretion. That is what needs to be addressed.”
Verona Swanigan, a candidate for Milwaukee district attorney, said the city is getting to the point where “chaos is taking over,” and called the issue a matter of leadership. “If we’re going to start fighting crime, we also have to start [doing] things that are based on community and everyone growing stronger,” she said. “If we don’t do that, we will continue to suffer, we will continue to live in fear.”
James Boudreaux, owner of Boudreaux’s House of Fashion Design, commented, “If you truly want to make change and seriously, wholeheartedly enter into this arena with the concept of making positive change for this great city of Milwaukee, you need to do it with a broken and open heart.” Boudreaux said he tried to bring jobs to the city but was investigated, instead. “The heart is broken. It’s not being broken by you, as individuals, or us; it is broken by the system and it has to be repaired.”
Nate Hamilton, Dontre’s brother, said the issue centers around race. “We have been irrelevant. Not only to our mayor, not only to some of our aldermen, not only to our district attorney but we have been irrelevant to the Department of Justice, to the nation as a whole. We are not represented … as black and brown people,” he said. “There are problems with the system.”
Maria Hamilton, Dontre’s mother, called on DOJ to hold police accountable. “If you all are going to continue to protect them (police officers) and say it’s okay, and not incarcerate them, all the police officers … are going to continue to keep doing what they’re doing,” she said.
The collaborative approach doesn’t rule out a civil rights investigation, said Brandenberger. In order to avoid a “patterns and practices” probe, MPD will have to make a “goodwill effort” to adhere to the recommendations that come out of the initial report.
“They have to meet the recommendations,” said George Fachner, a collaborative reform specialist with COPS. “We’ll do a thorough job at reviewing documents and looking for evidence. It’s not a check-the-box [kind of process] … it’s a lot more than that.”
Brandenberger said to expect more listening sessions over the coming weeks in different Milwaukee neighborhoods. She added that she welcomes feedback, throughout the process. DOJ provided an email address, milwaukee.crita@usdoj.gov, during the session that multiple people said did not work. Brandenberger did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the email address.
Editor’s note: As of Thursday, Jan. 28, Milwaukee.crita@usdoj.gov was functioning correctly, according to Fachner.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 27, 2016

author: Adam Carr


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COA Youth & Family Centers into second century of serving urban families | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 29, 2016
Madelyne Evans, a teacher at COA Goldin Center’s new Burke Early Education Center, helps children make art with crayons. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the 15 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). COA Youth & Family Centers is a finalist for the BMO Harris Cornerstone Award, which recognizes an organization for its commitment and effectiveness over time.
The lobby of the COA Goldin Center is alive with joyful noise on weekday evenings: sounds of basketballs hitting the gym floor; children and teens shouting greetings to friends, mentors and parents; and neighbors chatting in scattered clusters.
Since it opened in 2005, the center, at 2320 W. Burleigh St. in the Amani neighborhood, has become the focal point of efforts to address the challenges in the 53206 ZIP code, known as one of the city’s most distressed neighborhoods.
The Goldin Center joins the Riverwest Center and nine other locations in providing holistic services to city children, teens and families through educational, recreational and community development programs.
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Nick Carson grew up near the Goldin Center and played there when the lot was a baseball diamond. Attending a monthly meeting of the Amani United resident association for the first time recently, Carson said, “COA is always active in the community and I figured I should come and see what’s going on.”
Carson, father of three, said he wanted to get involved in improving the neighborhood. He commented that change isn’t possible without the active participation of “people who know people in the community, who’ve been here a long time … It starts with us.”
Duncan Shaw (left) picks up son D’eric from the Goldin Center’s after-school program. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Resident participation is a key element of the Goldin Center’s approach to neighborhood improvement. For example, when Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin came to COA with a proposal for a pediatric clinic five years ago, the two organizations hosted a series of “community cafes” to hear what neighborhood residents thought about it, explained Gabe Doyle, supervisor of community health navigation at Children’s Hospital.
Residents expressed a strong preference for medical services for both parents and children, so Children’s Hospital enlisted the help of Marquette University College of Nursing to expand care to the whole family.
Filling a large gap in medical services in the area, the clinic is staffed by nurse practitioners who often see up to 14 patients per day, according to Doyle. Its staff also works with COA to promote wellness and offer health education.
“We know the community needed these services and is pleased with them,” Doyle said, because it has responded by making and keeping appointments at a higher rate than at other such clinics in the city.
In the Goldin Center’s early years, it offered programs for youth ages 6 to 18, said Tom Schneider, COA’s executive director. But gradually, the center community has added programs for adults and young children.
The Goldin Center’s after-school and summer youth programs continue to be robust. Duncan Shaw, there to pick up his son D’eric, 10, said his sons have participated since they were in kindergarten. D’eric walks over from the adjacent Auer Avenue School and, even though Shaw’s 15-year-old son now goes to Riverside High School, he still comes to the center to play basketball, Shaw said.
“If COA wasn’t here, I think my kids would have to stay home with me after school, because it’s so rough out in the streets. (The Goldin Center) is a good place for them to go … and do positive things,” he said.
In September 2013, the Goldin Center opened its Ethel Gill Family Resource Center, which partners with other organizations including The Parenting Network and YWCA Southeast Wisconsin. Among the opportunities it offers are parent education classes, family wellness programs including nutrition and exercise classes, help preparing for job interviews and structured play that prepares preschoolers for the transition to school, according to Sasha Fernandez, Family Resource Center programs director.
In September, COA opened the Burke Early Childhood Education Center in partnership with Next Door at the Goldin Center. It is modeled on COA’s 30-plus-year-old Riverwest Center program, which is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and holds a five-star rating from YoungStar, Wisconsin’s childcare rating system. The Burke EEC will eventually accommodate 116 children, ages 6 weeks through 6 years. Current enrollment is about half that number, according to Schneider.
Like all of COA’s programs, the Burke EEC takes a holistic approach to the family and the community, which it recognizes as interconnected, said Schneider and Burke EEC director Ashley Harrell.
In recent years, the Goldin Center has also worked with the community in supporting the renovation of Moody Park. Lifelong Amani resident and community organizer Dennis Walton credits Schneider, in collaboration with Amani United and the Dominican Center for Women, with effectively pressuring the county to get the best result possible for the community.
Engaging with residents of a neighborhood that has suffered from inadequate resources for years has been challenging, Walton said. But, he added, Schneider has worked tirelessly.
Rather than operating “top down,” the organization has established a healthy collaboration with residents.
“COA has had a very positive impact on the neighborhood. (It) works with lots of youth and employs lots of people. And Tom is constantly trying to bring in programs that benefit the community,” Walton said. He emphasized that many community members have contributed to the Goldin Center’s success.
Like Walton, longtime residents Arlene Patterson and Brenda Hart Richardson are deeply involved in Amani community activities. Patterson, president of Amani United, got involved after losing her 18-year-old son to gun violence in 2006. “We needed more positive role models,” she said.
Hart Richardson, a co-chair of Friends of Moody Park, highlighted the wide variety of activities COA provides for residents. She noted that she participates in monthly Fun Nights, which typically attract 300 to 500 residents, as well as COA’s multi-generational storytelling program.
“The center has so many resources and services,” Hart Richardson said. “It’s a gold mine for the community.”

created: January 29, 2016


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 28, 2016


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Near West Side Partners testifies in support of SB528 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Near West Side Partners, Inc
January 29, 2016
At a public hearing today before the Wisconsin Senate’s Committee on Elections and Local Government, Near West Side Partners, along with representatives of its anchor institutions, offered its support for SB528, legislation that will help save taxpayer resources, reduce crime and promote economic development in Milwaukee.
“On behalf of Near West Side Partners, we thank Senator Alberta Darling, and Representative Evan Goyke and the other co-sponsors for introducing this important legislation,” said Keith Stanley, Executive Director of Near West Side Partners, Inc. “We greatly appreciated the opportunity to testify before the Committee on Elections and Local Government and share our support for this legislation, which will meet a critical need in Milwaukee’s Near West Side and many other neighborhoods around the City.”
One of the biggest impediments to economic development in the Near West Side has been several chronic nuisance properties that have served as magnets for criminal activity. One of the biggest offenders has been tobacco retail shops that hide behind a loophole in the law to remain in business, despite creating significant negative impacts on their neighborhood, promoting criminal activity and consuming tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of taxpayer resources.
“Under current law, poorly managed retail businesses have been able to hide behind their tobacco license to keep the business afloat – despite becoming a drain on police resources and contributing to crime and disorder in the community,” said Stanley. “SB528 will close this loophole, saving police resources, improving safety and promoting economic development in our neighborhoods.”
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Modeled after the law governing alcohol licenses, SB528 would provide local control for the City of Milwaukee to suspend, revoke or refuse to renew the license of a tobacco products retailer if the business is knowingly permitting criminal behavior, facilitating drug sales and or permitting or promoting other specified public nuisances on its property.  The proposed legislation does not limit the number of tobacco licenses.
“We believe SB528 is sensible, pro-business legislation that levels the playing field for responsible operators,” said Stanley.
Stanley was joined by representatives from each of the five anchor institutions in the Near West Side – Aurora Health Care, Harley-Davidson, Marquette University, Miller Coors and Potawatomi Business Development Corporation – who all voiced their support for the legislation.

author: Near West Side Partners, Inc


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Civil Rights Groups Say Deportation Raids Violate Constitution | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
February 1, 2016
Latin Post

created: February 1, 2016

author: Andrea Waxman