MILWAUKEE — For months now, folks on housing vouchers in the City of Milwaukee have been calling for change. They say many of their conditions are unlivable and that the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) is doing nothing to fix them.
As a result, the Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously Tuesday morning to move HACM under city oversight. That means the city's Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) will oversee HACM, providing additional accountability and inspections.
"It makes me feel like there is no concern for the people that have to be on the voucher program," Debra McQueen said.
McQueen's been living in unimaginable conditions, she said, for years. She's in a complex run by HACM.
"I have water running from the inside of the wall down, which is deteriorating my walls from the bottom up. You can see the electrical wires exposed. The mold is deteriorating the walls to the point of no return," McQueen said.
You can practically see through McQueen's bedroom wall into her bathroom. She's been forced to plug holes in her window screens with tissue paper. There's what looks to be visible mold covering her walls and she said there are bed bugs and other insects she's unable to exterminate.
"It's not fair, it's not ethical for people like me, and really I'm crying out for my senior citizens because they've been here for so long they feel like they have nowhere else to go," McQueen explained.
On September 25, with the help of Common Ground, more than 100 HACM residents came to the city alderman begging for change. McQueen was one of many who testified about her living conditions. That same day, we asked HACM's president, Willie Hines Jr. if he believed Milwaukeeans should be living like this.
"I believe that if those matters are brought to my staff's attention we will address them, and that's what we will do, and that's what we've done in time's past," Hines Jr. said on September 25.
It's been two weeks since that meeting and none of McQueen's concerns or the others who spoke have been addressed by HACM.
We tried calling HACM Monday to see if anyone was available for an interview regarding McQueen's concerns and the meeting on Tuesday. We were sent an email saying no one was available for an interview.
"What you've seen today isn't an exception, this is common. A lot of residents feel shame and embarrassment and feel they're to blame or feel fear," Kevin Solomon said.
Solomon's with Common Ground, a local non-profit that's been teaming up with dozens of HACM neighbors to implement change. Common Ground is in favor of DNS's oversight of HACM.
"That's an avenue for the beginning of tenants to have a third party they can call and tenants to have some legal rights they haven't had," Solomon explained.
No one from HACM was available to speak with TMJ4 Monday or Tuesday. They sent us the following statement:
"HACM supports proposed actions by Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the Milwaukee Common Council requiring the City of Milwaukee’s Department of Neighborhood Services to inspect reports of code violations at HACM properties. We believe the Mayor’s and Council’s directives offer an additional tool to help strengthen our established processes and to supplement existing investor and federal inspection requirements.
HACM takes all residents’ concerns very seriously. We are aware of issues raised by residents, many of which have been resolved, and others that we have been actively working to address with the resources we have available. Our staffing levels are improving, and we have brought on third-party contractors to speed up the process. When residents submit work orders, we will repair and address all items."
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
