The TMJ4 Lighthouse Team is shining a light on how Milwaukee County is investing millions of dollars into getting people out of homeless shelters and into permanent housing.
Ryan Jenkins spoke with the county’s top housing official and someone who has benefited from county housing services in the past. The rise in homelessness is an issue he’s been reporting on for months now.
In other parts of the country, some municipalities are considering criminalizing homelessness, and the US Supreme Court is hearing a case on that topic this week.
In Milwaukee, housing officials have purchased the Hillview Building on the city’s south side. It’s the first county-owned emergency shelter and will help connect people with resources, including permanent housing.
James Mathy, Milwaukee County’s Housing Adminstrator, gave Ryan a tour of the space being rehabbed.
TMJ4, Ryan Jenkins“Everybody has their individual room, they have privacy, they feel more relaxed, they feel safer so it is not a traditional congregate shelter model,” said Mathy. “Everybody gets their own space to unwind and work on their permanent housing plans.”