From the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee's press release:
The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) is pleased to announce it is allocating 149 project-based vouchers to housing development projects located within the geographic footprint of Milwaukee’s Near West Side. The vouchers will provide place-based U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development subsidies to help people afford housing in the private market.
From 2018 to 2021, HACM partnered with the Near West Side Partners and Marquette University on their $1.3 million Choice Neighborhood Planning grant to develop a transformation plan for the Near West Side neighborhood. This allocation of vouchers supports the housing strategy portion of the plan and will help to increase the inventory of high-quality, affordable housing options available in the neighborhood.
The vouchers will be used in new construction, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse projects. Developers and property owners were selected through a competitive request for proposals process. The projects that were ultimately selected are in alignment with the housing strategy for the Near West Side.
“Quality housing offers stability to families and to neighborhoods. With efforts like this one on the Near West Side, we are building community strength and making Milwaukee safer,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. “This is a step forward in realizing the plans that the Housing Authority and local partners have put together.”
The Housing Authority’s presence in and commitment to the neighborhood spans more than 50 years. Within the Near West Side, HACM provides affordable homes to over 350 seniors and adults with disabilities at its College Court and Merrill Park properties. The agency also has five single-family homes on State Street for low-income families. In an effort to better serve its residents, HACM developed partnerships over the years with the business community and several nonprofit organizations located in the Near West Side.
“Our agency prides itself on being a strong community partner and valuable resource for affordable housing opportunities. As the largest affordable housing provider in the Near West Side, it is important for us to continue our partnerships in that neighborhood. The success of the Near West Side is our residents’ success,” said HACM Secretary-Executive Director Willie L. Hines, Jr.