MILWAUKEE — Appropriately named, Neu-Life Community Development is bringing new life to the 53205 and 53206 zip codes in Milwaukee.
Founder and CEO Joann Harris-Comodore started Neu-Life 24 years ago on Milwaukee’s north side, one of the city's most distressed and vulnerable neighborhoods.
“I found that kids were coming home from school, and there’s no food and no oversight provided. Neu-Life was developed with the mindset and philosophy that, given an alternative to what the street offers, we will give them a place of safety. We will give them support, and we will be that extended family. We will share their joys, and our hearts will hurt when theirs hurt. Yes, we are the extended family and the community,” Joann said.
She refers to the organization as a work in progress. “We are ever evolving because our programming is based on the youth’s voice. We hear them, and they tell you what they need and what they like. We see the needs, and our goal is always to increase their awareness, knowledge, and self-sufficiency. We take their input and work with their ideas, and we move forward,” Joann said.
Watch: A look at 'Neu-Life Community', a year-round afterschool youth program
Neu-Life has been so successful that the city has rallied in support, with the Bradley Foundation leading the charge. They remain a primary supporter of the Neu-Life youth program.
Executive Director Jody Rhodes proudly spoke of the programs for kids aged 4 to 18: “From creative arts, with an annual art show, to a culinary program where youth learn how to grow, preserve, and prepare food. They even have a catering business now, so entrepreneurship is involved. We also do prevention programming that gives them the skills to make the right choices, stay healthy, and become the great people they’re going to be. We also have a new media program, born out of COVID, where we introduced the kids to various aspects of media, including photography, videography, graphic design, film, branding, and marketing.”
Next on the horizon for Neu-Life is NeuVue, a mixed-use building that will pave the way to self-sufficiency through housing. But the new site will be more than just a place to live. With kids aging out of services at 18 but still needing support, NeuVue will enable expanded programming, continued training, services, and the interconnected supportive community needed for youth to thrive.
“We are currently fundraising so we can break ground in late fall of next year, and we are looking for help, time, talents, and gifts to help make the project happen,” Jody said.
For more information, check out their website.
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