Residents joined the Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods coalition in surveying the condition of Milwaukee housing. (Photo provided by Adrian Spencer)
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.
Ramona Curry knows firsthand about the housing conditions of her neighbors.
That’s because Curry was part of a project by the Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods coalition that surveyed the exterior of Milwaukee homes.
The coalition, known as RON, is a partnership between the Milwaukee Christian Center, Muskego Way Forward, Sherman Park Community Association, Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, Rooted and Rising Washington Park, Riverworks Development Corp, Near West Side, Amani United, ViA CDC, Walnut Way, Dominican Center and Southside Organizing Center.
The groups work alongside local housing agencies to improve the housing quality in Milwaukee through data-informed, resident-engaged strategies and actions.
In February, the group released its 2024 Housing Condition report.
The beginning
In 2013, residents in the Sherman Park neighborhood started to inventory housing conditions in a grassroots effort to reclaim their neighborhood.
According to Mabel Lamb, executive director of the Sherman Park Community Association, the RON coalition is the brainchild of Fred Curzan, the group’s former executive director.
“He had the long-term vision of surveying homes and helping improve housing conditions,” Lamb said.
What the coalition does
Since its origin, the RON coalition has slowly grown into an alliance of 12 neighborhood organizations, supported by a coalition of public, nonprofit and philanthropic partners.
Every month, partners from every neighborhood, other organizations, the city and anyone who wants to join meet and share information on housing conditions, programs and resources.
Each partner organization recruits residents to conduct parcel surveys, paying and training them to survey the exterior conditions of homes.
The group has released multiple housing condition reports and expanded its work to include rental property residents. The coalition continues to share and create resources that aid in improving the quality of homes in Milwaukee.
Dawn Hutchison-Weiss, consultant to the steering committee, said the group went from a budget of $20,000 in the first year to a current budget of $500,000.
Community centered
Curry is a proud Lindsay Heights resident.
As an active leader, she got involved with RON after being sent to training by her neighborhood organization Walnut Way.
In 2023, she started helping hand out housing surveys in Lindsay Heights.
“I am very proud of the work we were able to accomplish,” Curry said. “Conducting surveys in our community made us more aware of the conditions of our neighborhood and allowed us to get to know neighbors we didn’t know.”
Curry is one of hundreds of neighborhood residents who worked with neighborhood organizations to collect surveys.
Organizations use the data collected to better serve neighborhoods.
Patrick Humpal, the data and logistics director at VIA CDC, said the organization uses the data collected to inform how they serve neighbors.
“It helps us identify which homeowners may need a particular resource or where in our community might have multiple people who need resources,” he said. “It also allows us to show how homeownership impacts communities.”
VIA CDC has worked with RON since 2022.
Barriers
While RON is efficient in its work, it’s not without its challenges.
One barrier, which Amanda Clark, the housing coordinator at Dominican Center pointed out, is providing residents with resources once they know what issues they have.
“It’s helpful to tell someone what work they need,” she said. “It’s unhelpful when you can’t tell that person where to get the assistance they need” for the work.
She said there simply aren’t enough funds.
In its monthly meetings, the coalition connects its partner organizations to other groups across the city doing housing work and provides resources that can help the communities they serve.
Lamb agreed that more funding is needed because the coalition pays residents for their work.
Another challenge, she said, is working with investors or homeowners who are sometimes unwilling to collaborate.
“We’ve had folks tell us that it’s not like Sherman Park is the crown jewel of Milwaukee,” she said. “Some people don’t feel that the city of Milwaukee deserves good housing.”
What’s next
At a recent Zoning Committee meeting, RON asked members for support in advocating for safe, healthy living conditions across Milwaukee neighborhoods.
Neighborhood groups have already begun reaching out to property owners in their prospective communities to inform them about the work needed on their properties and to create a plan for them.
Adrian Spencer, deputy director of Rooted & Rising Washington Park, said her group has received a great response from local homeowners but not from bigger conglomerates.
“The landlords and property owners that live in these neighborhoods want to see things get better and have been very willing to work with and partner with agencies like ours,” she said. “And we want to help them get good tenants in their homes and protect their properties.”
But, she said, more assistance is needed.
“We still need support like change in legislation and change in ordinances,” she said. “Things that will allow those investment property owners to be held accountable at a higher burden than an owner occupant.”
For more information
For more information on the Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods coalition, you can read reports at Data You Can Use. To get involved, reach out to Dawn Hutchison-Weiss at dawngoodflow@gmail.com.