MILWAUKEE, WI – On Tuesday, the City of Milwaukee Common Council Zoning, Neighborhood and Development Committee approved the sale of 90 residential lots in the King Park neighborhood, surrounding the Marica P. Coggs Health and Human Services Center to build single family homes, providing affordable homeownership to residents in the 53205-zip code. The lots will be developed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and Community Development Alliance.
“I’m thrilled to see the sale of these lots move forward. This puts us one step closer to building much needed affordable homes and creating a new generation of first-time homeowners,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “Housing insecurity is a critical issue facing our community and a key social determinant of health. Today’s vote is an investment in the health of our community,”
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Housing Services received $7.5 million grant from the State of Wisconsin Neighborhood Investment Fund in 2022 with $6 million going towards the development of single-family homes in the neighborhood surrounding the Coggs building. By leveraging other funding, DHHS Housing Services is planning to build up to 120 new homes focusing on BIPOC homeownership. In partnership with the Parks Department, $1.5 million will go towards upgrading King Park.
“We are excited about the opportunity to make an historic investment in the neighborhood surrounding the Marcia P. Coggs Health and Human Services Center, including a new Coggs building adjacent to the Mental Health Emergency Center, which will create a human services campus, and this unprecedented investment in single family homes,” said DHHS Executive Director Shakita LaGrant-McClain. “In addition to providing easier access to resources and services, these investments will create a greater sense of community.”
“We would not have gotten this far without a strong commitment from public and private partners to change the narrative around home ownership,” said James Mathy, Housing Services Administrator. “Milwaukee County is unique in making major investments of this kind to not only address housing insecurity but develop first time homeowners and invest in a community that has seen decades of disinvestment.”
Milwaukee County is partners with the Community Development Alliance whose report points on the number of homes our community needs to address this issue: https://www.housingplan.org/
The final approval of the sale is subject to a vote by the full Common Council slated to meet next Tuesday, January 17.
