At 47, Shakita LaGrant-McClain leads Milwaukee County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), overseeing more than 1,000 employees and a budget approaching $400 million. After years of service within the department, she has spent the last six years as its director. Like many Milwaukee area residents, I understood that DHHS serves people facing homelessness, behavioral health crises, disabilities and other life challenges. But I wondered what that mission actually looks like on a day to day basic.
On a bright summer morning, I visited the Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center on Cherry Street near downtown Milwaukee. For people arriving in search of help, the new building feels welcoming. Angled walls and wide windows showing natural light soften what can be a tough first step for those seeking assistance. The first-floor houses public services, including the NourishMKE food pantry, while the upper levels are home to the county’s health and human services operations. From housing assistance and behavioral health care to child and family services, veterans programs and disability support, much of the county’s safety net begins here.
On the top floor, I met Executive Director Shakita LaGrant-McClain in her office. She is a small, lithe woman with a magnetic presence, quick wit and bursts of enthusiasm that fill the milieu. Within minutes, it became clear that helping people is more than her profession. It is her calling…