Community and Supportive Services
HACM has more than 30 years experience in building innovative and award-winning partnerships with economic development and supportive service agencies.  HACM’s approach to community and supportive services programming has produced positive results for residents.  Since 1997, when HACM partnered with the Private Industry Council (the Workforce Investment Board at the time) and S.E.T. Ministry, implementing a focused strategy to assist public housing residents in transitioning from welfare to work, the earned income of residents in HACM’s overall portfolio has more than doubled, from average household wages of $4,573 in 1997 to $9,840 in 2008. 

HACM’s programming has received numerous awards and recognition from a wide variety of organizations in recent years, including:

- The "Innovations in American Government Award” from the Ford Foundation and Harvard University’s JFK School of Government, for HACM’s service-enriched programming at the Lapham Park elderly high-rise in 2000 and for the Central City Cyberschool in 2001;

- Three Awards of Merit from NAHRO for HACM’s family self-sufficiency program, its drug abatement partnership with local police, and the Lapham Park high-rise programming;

- "Best Practice Awards” from the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services, for its enhanced services to elderly residents and its self-sufficiency programming at Hillside Terrace;

- The 2004 National Social Advocacy Award from the American Planning Association and the 2007 Award for Municipal Excellence (Gold) for large cities from the National League of Cities for HACM’s Lapham Park elderly high-rise programming; and

- The 2005 World Leadership Award in the category of “Housing” presented in a ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, UK.

Public Safety: To reduce crime and maintain safety in public housing developments, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) created a Public Safety section in the early 1990s.  The mission of HACM’s Public Safety is to enhance the quality of life for residents living in public housing, by working cooperatively with residents, staff, the public and other law enforcement agencies to preserve the peace, reduce crime and provide for a safe, drug-free environment in which to live, work and raise families.

Homeownership:  HACM offers Section 8(y) and Section 32 homeownership programs.

HACM partners with a number of community organizations to provide services for residents that assist and support them and their families.  Services that are available for public housing residents include:

Day Care:  HACM has three licensed day care/Head Start providers on-site in our public housing family developments (Tomorrow’s Future Leaders at Hillside, Day Care Services for Children at Parklawn, and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center at Westlawn). 

Youth Services: Youth-serving agencies are on-site in three developments (a Boys & Girls Club at Hillside, a YMCA at Parklawn, and the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center at Westlawn).   These agencies provide a comprehensive array of recreational, educational and leadership programs for youth, both after-school and during the summer.

Education:  HACM has two schools on-site in family public housing developments.  The Central City Cyberschool is a public charter school (chartered by the City of Milwaukee) that serves up to 400 students in grades K4 to 8th grade and is located at the Parklawn development.  Attached to the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center (SSNC) in Westlawn, the Browning Elementary School is a Milwaukee Public School (MPS) that serves children in grades K4 through the 5th grade and the Silver Spring Academy is an alternative middle school that serves children in 6th through 8th grades. 

Adult Education:  HACM partners with community organizations to provide GED preparation and adult basic education training on-site in three developments.  Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) provides such training at Hillside and through the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center at Westlawn.  In addition, Milwaukee Achiever Literacy Services provides such education at the Cherry Court Neighborhood Network Center. 

Scholarships:  Public housing residents are eligible to apply for scholarships for higher education of up to $2000 per year from HACM. Download the scholarship application.

Employment/Economic Self-Sufficiency:  HACM offers a wide range of programs to assist housing residents in increasing the employment and economic self-sufficiency.    

Healthcare:   HACM currently has two health clinics located in public housing developments.   Located on the 2nd floor of the Hillside Family Resource Center, the Westside Healthcare Association’s Hillside clinic is a federally qualified health center that provides a variety of health care services to low-income families and individuals in Milwaukee.  The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Nursing operates a clinic in the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center at Westlawn.  Services at both clinics are available to residents on a sliding fee scale.

Services for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities:  Since 1993, HACM has partnered with SET Ministry to serve residents in our highrise developments and S.E.T. has on-site offices in every highrise development.  SET Ministry has received awards and national recognition for their public housing case management program.  Every year, SET assists more than 1,300 residents in Milwaukee’s public housing.  SET Ministry’s case managers are experienced nurses and social workers who assist residents by assessing their needs, assessing eligibility for programs and services that are needed by the resident, and linking the resident into those services.   SET Ministry also case manages a number of residents that are eligible for the State of Wisconsin Family Care Program.  The Lapham Park Venture is a nationally-recognized partnership that offers elderly residents of HACM's Lapham Park high rise expanded services and the opportunity to age in place. The partnership has saved over $1 million in Medicaid nursing home costs annually.

Senior Meal Program:  For seniors 60 and older, the Milwaukee County Department on Aging has 27 meal sites that serve a hot lunch Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m.  Four meal sites are currently located in HACM highrise developments in their community rooms (Arlington Court, College Court, Convent Hill and Lapham Park).
     
Neighborhood Network Centers: HACM currently has six Neighborhood Network Centers (community computer centers) located at:
      Townhomes at Carver Park, 650 W. Reservoir Ave.
      Hillside Terrace, 1452 N. 7th Street
      Highland Gardens, 1818 W. Juneau Ave.
      Cherry Court, 1525 N. 24th Street
      Westlawn (in Silver Spring Neighborhood Center), 5460 N. 64th Street
      Convent Hill, 455 E. Ogden Ave.
     
Each Neighborhood Network Center a variety of programs, including:  adult basic skills education and GED preparation; computer skills classes (basic computer skills, how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, how to use email and or the internet); homework help and youth book club programs; assistance in job search; and other adult and youth programming.  In addition, there are times scheduled for open labs when seniors, adults and youth can use the lab as they wish.  There are monthly schedules of classes and activities for each Neighborhood Network Center.