The main offices of the Social Development Commission, at 1758 W. North Ave. The organization paused accepting rental assistance applications July 1.
By PrincessSafiya Byers
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
Both Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee have now paused accepting rental assistance applications.
“We’re still working on applications in the queue, but the reality is the money is going to run out,” said George Hinton, the CEO of the Social development Commission, or SDC.
The county paused applications in mid-June, and the Milwaukee Emergency Rent Assistance Program – administered by the city and disbursed by the Social Development Commission – stopped taking applications July 1.
The SDC has disbursed approximately $90 million in assistance to individuals and families to offset current and late rent, electricity bills, gas bills, water bills and security deposits through the program.
Program helped thousands
Hinton said the SDC has helped more than 10,000 households, with an average of $4,000 going into rent and monthly utilities.
“This kind of support has enabled residents to restart their lives, regain employment and come out of the pandemic with a better outlook than they had forecasted,” he said.
But Hinton recognizes the continued need for assistance, and that many people are still unable to meet their monthly obligations for rent and utilities.
“This is the reality of poverty and low income amongst families,” he said.
What’s next
Hinton said an immediate goal for the SDC is to try to reassign and assist as many staff as possible. Both the SDC and Community Advocates brought on extra staff to help process rental assistance applications.
“Once the queue is empty, we have to either find those staffers positions here or help them find work elsewhere,” said Hinton. “They were the first ones to know about this shift because I wanted them to be prepared.”
According to Hinton, the SDC will encourage people in need to reach out to the Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center moving forward.
The center is a collaborative network that provides assistance and resources to both landlords and tenants and is housed inside of Community Advocates.
“That’s the only resource that I can think of,” Hinton said. “They are the experts on what, if any, resources are out there for people as rent assistance phases out.
EvictionFreeMKE still providing services
Nick Toman, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, said a big part of getting cases dismissed and settled has been the ability to connect people to rent assistance through Community Advocates and the Social Development Commission.
He said Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee continues to run its program, EvictionFreeMKE, providing legal services to Milwaukeeans facing evictions.
You can call the hotline at 414-892-7368 or check out the website.
The Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center is still open to support those in need.
Other resources to consult
• Community Advocates rent helpline: 414-270-4646.
• Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee: 414-727-5300.
• Mediate Milwaukee: 414-939-8800.
• Legal Action of Wisconsin: 414-278-7722.
• Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union: 414-410-9714.