MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Willie Hines, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), is stepping down at the end of this year.
We're told he plans to retire.
Hines, who has led HACM since 2021, but has been involved with the agency for decades, has faced intense criticism from residents, aldermen and others over deplorable living conditions in properties city-wide.
For the last year and a half, TMJ4's Jenna Rae has been reporting on those conditions.
The complaints from HACM tenants include rats, cockroaches, reports of black mold, bed bugs, intruders at their properties, and more.
On more than a dozen occasions Rae has asked Hines for an on-camera interview.
Hines has continuously refused.
As recently as this week, Rae asked to sit down with Hines again. Those emails have gone unanswered.
Watch: Milwaukee Housing Authority leader Willie Hines to retire at the end of the year
During his tenure, The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has done several oversight reviews of the agency. Most recently, we know there were internal reports done by HUD on HACM in 2022 and 2023.
As a result of those reports, HACM was forced to outsource its largest housing voucher program, Section 8 Housing. That program, which houses thousands of residents, will be run by a private organization out of Florida.
In May, the city's Department of Neighborhood Services started inspecting HACM properties. That was at the request of the Common Council after aldermen said the agency needed additional oversight.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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