MILWAUKEE -- This Black History Month, we are celebrating ways people in our community have, and are still making a difference.
A multi-millIion dollar "health hub" will soon open in the Lindsay Height's Neighborhood. This was all spearheaded by non-profit, Walnut Way Conservation Corp.
Walnut Way says it will be called 'Wellness Commons.'
Think Sherman Phoenix but everything in the building will be health-related when it opens by this summer.
This will be a place for people to not only walk in to get well, but be trained to work in the health field.
Antonio Butts, executive director of Walnut Way, says they are focused on three pillars for this building: Wellness, Work and Wealth.
"To be well, you need access to work practitioners," said Butts. "To work, you need access to employers. To build wealth, you need pathways that lead to that wealth."
Many organizations are coming to the table. All of them will be under one roof once this roughly $3 million project is done.
One non-profit that will take over nearly the entire first floor is the Benedict Center. They have been tackling human trafficking for decades.
"We ask women, 'What is the thing you need most in order to exit the streets?' and almost unanimously and consistently they've been telling us safe housing," said Jeanne Geraci, Benedict Center.
Not only will this space have sexual assault advocates and counselors, it will also be a respite for them to rest their heads during the day.
"How do you think of your next step if you haven't slept in three days?" asked Geraci. "How do you think of your next step if the only place where you can sleep you have to trade sex to be there?"
In order for all of this to work, trust will be built in the neighborhood. That is why Wellness Commons will also have a space for people to find career paths into the health field.
Wellness Commons will continue to grow once complete. Other tenants have already signed on. Click here to learn more about this organization.
