MILWAUKEE — After decades of service, the Coggs Center on Vliet Street in Milwaukee is shutting down, with the Department of Health Services moving the social services office to a new facility nearly eight miles away.
In response, non-profit food bank Hunger Task Force filed a civil rights complaint against the state of Wisconsin, saying the new building on 6055 N. 64th St. isn’t accessible to the majority of the clients that need it to fulfill their basic needs, like federal assistance checks and FoodShare.
“This is a problem and we want the community to know why. No one knows. It's as simple as that: no one knows that they're moving. People in need of help will come here as they already have today, and they'll be turned away,” said Sherrie Tussler, the Executive Director at the Hunger Task Force.
In its announcement of the move, DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake said in a statement Thursday that the decision came after looking at feedback from Milwaukee County members and partner organizations over the past several years and coming to the conclusion that the new facility would offer improved features, like upgraded technology and increased building accessibility.
Those with Hunger Task Force say they will stay at the Coggs Center through at least the next week to help the transition to the new facility go as smoothly as possible.
