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The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee is a municipal agency of Milwaukee, Wisconsin dedicated to providing public housing and services for residents of the city of Milwaukee. The agency was established in 1944 and is responsible to a board of commissioners appointed by the mayor.

History
The Housing Act of 1937 and the federal government created support for access to affordable housing and funding for local agencies. The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) was established in 1944, and Parklawn became Milwaukee’s first public housing development constructed by Works Progress Administration (WPA). In 1948, the agency built Northlawn (247 units), Southlawn (330 units) and Berryland (391 units). These three developments were built to provide housing to World War II veterans and widows of servicemen.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, HACM expanded by constructing new developments. Hillside Terrace became HACM’s first high-rise building with 596 available units. The agency also built Westlawn with 726 available units and Lapham Park as the first housing development created to meet the needs of elderly and disabled residents.

In the 1970s, Congress passed the Housing and Community Development Act, which included the Section 8 program. When implemented in Milwaukee, Section 8 would allow those who qualified to pay only 30% of their income to participating private landlords with the difference to be subsidized by HACM.

After 2000, HACM began to use tax credits to support expanded access to affordable housing in the city. Low-income housing tax credits gave access to development money to offset budget reductions in the HOPE VI program.

In 2003, Highland Park was demolished and replaced by Highland Homes. Once holding 56 very large families crowded into a few row houses of small 5-bedroom units, the development became a group of single-family units within a mixed-income neighborhood of public housing and privately-owned homes. The Highland Park towers were also replaced and became Highland Gardens, a 114-unit building for seniors and those with disabilities.

In 2004, the HACM Education Initiative was created to improve school attendance, to link children and families to available resources such as tutoring or afterschool programs, and to encourage stronger parental involvement in each child’s education. The program has improved attendance and increased graduation rates to over 92% between 2008 and 2012.

In 2005, HACM provided emergency shelter and assistance for over 100 families and individuals after Hurricane Katrina.

Developments


HACM's first development was Parklawn, constructed at a cost of $2 million in 1944. By 1948, the agency had constructed Northlawn, Southlawn, and Berryland, which were intended to house war veterans and their families. During the 1950s, on land set aside for urban renewal, Hillside Terrace was completed. Wisconsin’s largest public housing development is Westlawn. HACM completed the Lapham Park development in 1964 to house families, seniors and disabled residents. Then in 1967, Highland Park was completed to house 56 families. Two high-rise towers known as the Highland Twin Towers were also built at this site to provide housing for 220 seniors and disabled residents.

More recently, the agency has committed to creating sustainable developments. Highland Gardens, completed in 2004, was the first HACM development to be considered a green environment. . The mid-rise building, located downtown, has 114 apartment units that are accessible to people with disabilities and also meet the needs of the elderly. Transitional living is available for people who were once living in nursing homes. The building was designed using sustainable and green materials. These materials include recycled flooring, energy saving designs, and live trees coming out of the floor in a common area. The roof of Highland Gardens has the nation’s largest green roof. Rain gardens and landscaping also absorb and reduce storm water runoff, preventing the possibility of sewer overflows.

Together, HACM's developments offer low-income housing to the elderly, disabled, and families. Housing developments for elderly residents (no minor children allowed) include Arlington Court, Becher Court, College Court, Convent Hill, Lapham Park, Merrill Park, and Mitchell Court. Housing developments for the elderly, disabled and single persons include Hillside Terrace, Holton Terrace, Lincoln Court, Locust Court, and Riverview. Other affordable housing developments for families include Cherry Court and Highland Gardens. HACM also offers housing for moderate-income families at its Berryland development.

The Section 8 housing voucher program:

Income based program for very low income families, elderly, and disabled. This program is intended to provide safe housing for these residents in a private market, allowing them to find rental housing suitable to them. These rentals must meet certain standards and health regulations.

Focusing on low-income housing which requires a maximum income for one person to be $37,650, two people $43,000, three people $48,400, and four people $53,750. However, the monthly rent can never exceed $350 (the above amounts are all subject to change). Low-income housing is available to elderly (age 62 and above), near elderly (ages 50-61), the disabled, and single persons (persons planning to live alone). Low-income housing developments for only the elderly (no minor children allowed) include; Arlington Court, Becher Court, College Court, Lapham Park, Merrill Park, and Mitchell Court. Low-income housing developments for the elderly, disabled, and single persons (applications reviewed in that order) include; Hillside Terrace, Holton Terrace, Lincoln Court, Locust Court, and Riverview. Other affordable housing developments (based on special requirements) include Cherry Court, Highland Gardens, and for the elderly and near elderly Convent Hill is an option.

Leadership
HACM is run a seven-member Board of Commissioners and its Secretary-Executive Director. All seven members and the Secretary-Executive Director are appointed to this position by the mayor and then confirmed by the Common Council. These members help run over 4,000 housing units.

Antonio Perez was appointed as the Secretary-Executive Director in 2000 by Mayor John O. Norquist. Perez's professional experience includes work with the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Social Services and service as the founder and executive director of the Milwaukee Community Service Corps.

The Board of Commissioners also includes Michael T. Van Alstine, Sherri L. Daniels, Alderman Willie L. Hines, Jr., Lena Mitchell, Filiberto Murguia, Mark Wagner, and Alderman James N. Witkowiak.

Hines was appointed as the Chairman of HACM by Mayor Tom Barrett on September 9, 2011 and will continue his role through September 9, 2016. Prior to joining the Common Council, Hines worked as an economic development specialist at the Milwaukee Urban League and also served as a business Liaison representative for the former U.S. Rep. James Moody.

Residents
The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee works with their low and middle income residents in education, business and home-ownership goals. They also have helped the elderly afford a safe and comfortable place to live by providing many senior living apartments that have many different amenities to offer.

Race and Ethnicity:

A large portion of the residents living in subsidized housing through The HACM are the elderly and disabled. There are 200 units available (190 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom). 18 percent of the residents are eight years or older. 96 percent of residents are African America; 56 percent are female; and 74 percent are very low-income. If these statistics were all put together the median annual income of these residents comes to $7,553.

An example of one housing developments demographics is from Westlawn East. This complex has 805 current residents where 96 percent are African American and 2.5 percent are Hispanic in ethnicity. http://www.hacm.org/pdf/WestlawnHOPEVI/WestlawnHOPEVIExhibitsA-K.pdf

Language:

Almost all current residents speak English as their primary language; one household speaks the Hmong language.

Marital status and household size:

Of the 321 current households, 212 are headed by single women with children (66%), 4 by single men with children (1.2%), 12 by married couples (3.7%), 8 by unmarried couples (2.5%), and the remaining 85 households (26.5%) are single individuals. Of these single person households, 30 are less than 50 years old, 34 are near elderly (50-61) and 24 are elderly. The average household size is 2.5 and the largest household size is 7 individuals.

Age:

Of the 805 current residents, 361 are adults age 19-64 (45%), 29 are 65 and older (4%), and 415 are children between 0-18 in age (51%). Of the 415 children, 142 are 5 years old or less (34%), 163 are between 6-12 years old (39%), and 110 are teenagers between 13-18 years old (27%). Of the 361 adults ages 19-64, 148 are between 19-29 years old (41%), 85 are between 30-39 (24%), 65 are between 40-49 (18%), 47 are between 50-59 (13%), and 16 are between 60-64 (4%).

Funding
HACM is federally funded through grants and by selling tax credits that are awarded to them by the state and government. They began receiving funds in 1937 when their first property, Parklawn, was awarded $2.3 million dollars and built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). HACM have received most of their funding from the Hope VI grant. This grant has provided them with over 223.2 million dollars. HOPE VI was created by the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 and got the approval in October of 1992 to fund programs across the United States. . This grant was created to make physical improvements to public housing, improve management, and aid in community and social services to help meet the needs of residents. Without the Hope VI grant, the HACM would not have been able to make improvements to their properties or have as many outreach programs. HACM is also funded by tax credits that the government awards certain programs throughout the United States. They then sell these credits to the highest bidder and receive money that is used to fund any necessary improvement plans.

Annual Funding Timeline
1937- Parklawn is awarded $2.3 million

1948- Referendum approves bonds, financing veterans housing

1976- Voucher program

1992- Congress votes provide up to $625 million a year to Hope VI

1993- Hope VI grant Hillside Terrace received $45 million

1998- Hope VI grantParklawn $34 million

2002- Hope VI grant $26 million and tax credits from WHEDA (Wisconsin Housing economic Development)

2003- Hope VI grant $19 million and $10 million tax credits

2004- Hope VI grant $19.5 million

2005- Hope VI grant $6.7 million and tax credit

2010- June WHEDA awards HACM $73 million tax credits over 10 years

Expenses
The changes of expenses for the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) in the years of 2008 through 2010 are categorized into nine different categories. These expenses increase and decrease over the course of the three years based on the cost of housing assistance payments, administration and operations, ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, utilities, tenant services, general expenses, depreciation, and interest expenses. During the three years, these expenses were higher than what the HACM received in federal grants and tax credits. In 2008, the revenue made from tenants, grants, investments, and other forms of revenue totaled $72,155. This is a loss of $6,846 after the money spent on the expenses. The next year they earned $71,420 and took a loss of $14,734. In the final year they received a total of $75,099 in revenue and came up $8,757 short. .

New Development Funding
The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee has been given the opportunity to be funded in numerous ways. They have received federal grants as well as non federal grants that have helped them to provide many services (see residents section above) to the city of Milwaukee.

This funding is used to help the Housing Authority to sponsor their many projects throughout the Milwaukee area. This would include scholarships, rental assistance, and meal programs. Even though the housing authority receives the funding stated above. As stated in The Daily Reporter they had been looking for funding to redevelop the Convent Hill property near the Park East corridor. After being rejected funding by the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development twice HACM finally received funding from WHEDA and HUD section 202 funds.

Grants
When Hope VI was still in affect last year, they received grants to help fund services for developments and services. The first Hope VI grant funded the addition of porches and separate coloring of them, to each residential building. Latest versions of the Hope VI grants went towards constructing a building, resource center that provided services to the residents such as a center for W2, a clinic, a daycare, Boys and Girls Club, and the MATC Learning Center. This also incorporated a fund for the $2,000 scholarships they provided to anyone who needed them for further education pursuits.

Listing a total of $85,407,755.48 in stimulus funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for Milwaukee, The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee received $19,250, 771. This stimulus fund is a one time based fund to help the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee in that year. This stimulus fund also helped with employment, keeping jobs and creating them, and renovations to the developments. The stimulus fund to the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee was put towards operating subsidies, servicing the developments and creating new services for the residents.

HOUSING AUTHORITY CITY OF MILWAUKEE are recipients of Neighborhood Stabilization Program (Recovery Act Funded), allocation of $25,000,000.00.

HOUSING AUTHORITY CITY OF MILWAUKEE, on two accounts, are recipients of the Public Housing Capital Fund Competitive (Recovery Act Funded) conduct energy efficient modernization activities at public housing development resulting in cost savings for tenants and agency.

Programs
Homeownership:

Section 8 housing is a federal program that can also be called Rent Assistance Program(RAP). It is designed to help low and medium income families rent privately owned housing. Section 8 housing is a rent voucher program that allows a resident to find a house, townhouse or apartment that allows the family to pay approximately 30% to 40% of the rent with the Housing Authority of Milwaukee paying the remaining balance.

Section 32 housing is for Milwaukee residents whom are living or want to live in public housing. Someone who is on Rent Assistance, Public Housing waiting list or on low income is public housing eligible. Residents can get grants or subsidies to help pay the purchase price or put a down payment.

Rent Assistance:

The housing assistance program helps many families find homes that are suitable for the individual family. The program also offers rent assistance, which is rent at a lower cost. This rent assistance is for families who have lower to middle income and want to rent privately owned housing. “This program is available to a limited number of families and allows them to pay approximately 30% to 40% of their income towards their monthly rent. The program pays the balance of the rent directly to the landlord in the form of a monthly check.” In addition to the residents not paying more than 40% of their income to rent, there are additional rules and regulations that the landlords participating in this program and the Rent Assistance program must follow when deciding if a residence is fit for the Housing Assistance. “The Rent Assistance Program also compares the unit's assessed value when making rent reasonableness determination. If the requested rent appears to be unreasonable, program staff will contact the owner and enter into rent negotiations. If staff is unable to amicably negotiate the rent with the owner and the tenant wishes to remain in the program, the tenant must seek suitable housing elsewhere.”

Education:

Vocabulary Competitions HACM have education programs that are designed to promote and increase education for young children, as well as encourage them to work hard in school to advance their vocabulary and confidence. In order for this to be accomplished the HACM has design vocabulary competitions that was held 650 W. Reservoir Ave. the competitions challenged the students and helped them improve their spelling abilities and build better self-esteem.

Schools

HCAM has two public schools the Central City Cyber School which is a public character school that is designed to help the families of the students and organizations provide the GED preparation and also offer the adult education and training skills. HCAM is also working hard to help encourage the students to their achievements by attending their classes every day and ensuring attendance to the students that promote students the best possible ways to help them learn the activities and programs that are needed for the successful future.

Scholarships There are also scholarships opportunities available to the students who live in the public housing setting and with the opportunities for higher education the HCAM authority are giving away free scholarships for students who are eligible to apply for the higher education of up to $2,000 per year from HACM.

Darrell Finch is an education specialist for the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), he works with nearly 400 children,and he is starting to see some results. In 2008 and 2009, 100% percent of students who were in the program graduated high school. (According to the most recent Milwaukee Public Schools District Report Card, the graduation rate for African American students was 64 percent in 2008-09, although it is trending up). Fifty-five percent of HACM’s Education Initiative grads went on to college in 2009. The program that Finch set up is quite simple. Residents accepted into Highland Homes public housing must enroll their child or children in the program and work with Finch, his staff and some case managers. His job is to help the residents whenever they need it and he gives a lot of advice since he also grew up in public housing and was a struggling student himself. “So, you’re living in poverty,” he tells them. “Others who live in poverty are excelling.” The key, he says, is helping the students find something they want to do and figure out how they’re going to achieve that goal. “We want to start a trend where graduating from school is the norm.” He also helps the residents by saying: “Once you've got a passion for what you’re doing, you want to be the best at it.”

Self-Efficient:

HACM have different programs for people to use to be self-efficient. One program that HACM offer is Emerging Business Enterprise (EBE) targeted toward minorities and women who own businesses. This program help residents who want to start a business and educates them on how to start a business. Westlawn Project are creating new businesses and job opportunities. HACM encourages contractors who are working on development of new house projects to hire public housing residents, which is known as the Section 3 Program. HACM tries to get 30% of their Section 3 Program hired every year. HACM works with the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board to get residents into the work force and gives then access to use the One-Stop Job centers that they offer. HACM offers many different job training agencies to help residents get on track, such as Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).

Make Money Talk is a program HACM offers to residents to help with personal budgeting, saving for the future and dealing with past and future credit in life. Wisconsin Women Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) offers business education to low-income people who is seeking entrepreneurship or business development. WWBIC partners with HACM to assist residents who are interested in the business education and residents are educated with financial stableness, home ownership and successful businesses.

Every year The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee joins together with SET (Serve Empower Transform) Ministry to serve senior citizens and people with disabilities to provide meals for more than 1,300 residents. Not only do they provide meals to senior citizens but they take the communities youth to guide them in the correct direction for success by developing three on-site agencies that provide a comprehensive array of recreational, educational, and leadership programs for youth before and after school to keep them occupied.

Healthcare:

HACM have two health clinics within the public housing development which are Hillside Family Resource Center and Westside Healthcare Association's. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Nursing have operating clinic located at Westlawm. These clinics are for HACM residents and may have a low cost fee for residents to use them.

HACM have a program called With Every Heartbeat Is Life, this program is about healthy eating. This program happened because about 34% of Wisconsin low-income families are obese, 34% of African-Americans and 29% of Caucasian. There classes to train African-American residents to live a healthier live style and is a 12 session training course. This program is part of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to decrease disease and health problems in low-income families.

Healthy Living:

HACM encourages a healthy lifestyle for their residents. The Journal Sentinel wrote an article discussing the phenomena concerning low income families and obesity. "According to the report, 34% of Wisconsinites earning less that $15,000 are obese, compared with 23% of those earning more than $50,000, and while 40% of American Indians and 34% of African-Americans are obese, 29% of whites fall into this category. Healthy behavior such as eating fruits and vegetables and physical activity improves with education, and women of color seem to consistently fall into the bottom rungs." The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee has not forgotten about the fact that the poorest families are frequently the ones who are obese. HACM started a program called With Every Heartbeat Is Life to try and promote residents to live a healthier lifestyle and to help encourage this within their community.

Employment:

In addition to assisting citizens of Milwaukee with their cost of rent, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) also has opportunities for employment. Once citizens are chosen to live in the designated housing units, they can then apply for employment. The Housing Authority has many different jobs and options available for citizens to choose from. Some examples of field areas are: Arts/Entertainment, Finance, Government, and Personal Care and Services.

Awards
Specific HACM locations as well as HACM as a whole have received awards and recognition from different programs, individuals, and magazines.

In 1993, Hillside Terrance was recognized and awarded from the Architectural Record magazine and the Congress of New Urbanism. Five years later in 1998, HACM used the funding from HOPE VI's second grant to help the award-winning Central City Cyberschool which is a technology-based charter school that provides quality education for 350 students, half of whom live in Parklawn. In the same year, Milwaukee's mayor John Norquist presented HACM with the Mayor's Design Award for Parklawn's Monument Park. The park features a gazebo, restoration and exhibit of the original WPA (Works Progress Administration) limestone statues, and historical storyboards. Following the Mayor's Design Award, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and United States Department of Health and Human Services awarded one of HACM's location, Hillside Terrace with the "Best Practice Awards" for the location's self-sufficiency programming and its enhanced services to elderly residents.

In 2000, Lapham Park's venture was the finalist for the 2000 Innovations in American Government award. Four years later, in 2004, Lapham Park's venture won the 2004 National Social Advocacy Award from the American Planning Association. In 2005, HACM was given an award from The World Leadership Award in the category of Housing. Milwaukee was one of nine cities worldwide that was a model of affordable housing that transforms neighborhoods. In 2007, the Lapham Park Venture won the 2007 Gold Award for Municipal Excellence from the National League of Cities. Two years after, HACM won the "Three Awards of Merit" from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) for their family self-sufficiency program, the drug abatement partnership with local police, and the Lapham Park high-rise programming.

In 2011, the Wisconsin Top Projects Award was given to Olga Village (ref article). In 2012, The Real Estate Award went to one of HACM's locations, Olga Village, LLC., based on the project’s unique impact to the community. Other awards included the Sierra Club Best New Development Honor to their Highland Gardens location. The HACM received the American Planning Association National Social Advocacy Award. A Milwaukee Award for Neighborhood Development Innovation was given to HACM. The National Academy of Public Administration Award was also given to HACM.