Safe Haven Project: $891,000
Recipient: Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, 5235 S 27th St, Greenfield, WI 53221
Summary: Funding would be used to purchase an eight-unit apartment building and make security upgrades to provide culturally-sensitive transitional housing for women and children who have been impacted by domestic violence, with a focus on underserved refugee and immigrant Muslim women. For women and children fleeing abuse in the home, transitional housing bridges the gap between homelessness and permanent housing. Removing children and their mothers from an abusive environment improves physical, social, and economic outcomes and lessens the social and financial burden of domestic violence on society.
Financial Certification Letter
Shelter Kitchen Improvements: $1.01 million
Recipient: Sojourner Family Peace Center, 619 W Walnut Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Summary: The funding would be used to improve the kitchen at a 53-bed emergency shelter serving women, children, and men for 60-90 day stays. Enhancements to the shelter kitchen will transform survivors’ food experience while allowing greater involvement by volunteers to serve meals. A Shelter Food Program Coordinator will be hired to improve residents’ health, food, and wellness experiences. This position will manage dietary requirements, wellness education, volunteers, an on-site garden, and kitchen maintenance. The effects of domestic violence can last a lifetime. Empowering survivors to take control of their health and increasing their access to and knowledge about healthier foods, enhances their strength and provides tools that can help them as they rebuild their lives.
Financial Certification Letter
Washington Park Expansion Project: $1.5 million
Recipient: Urban Ecology Center, 1500 E Park Place, Milwaukee, WI 53211
Summary: Funding would be used to undertake infrastructure upgrades at its facilities in Washington Park including improvements to parking lots, driveway, sidewalks, lighting design and construction, signage, and an observation tower. The new Washington Park center will allow, in time, a tripling of programming at the Urban Ecology Center, including programs targeted at youth. The project will generate both construction jobs and additional jobs created by the expanded program offerings while helping increase access to jobs, through activities such as the Green Career Pathway program which will be expanding thanks to this project, which offer a pathway from preschool, to elementary/middle school, to high school, to young adult internships for individuals, and then to green degrees and jobs across the region.
Financial Certification Letter
City of Milwaukee Public Safety Radio Project: $3 million
Recipient: City of Milwaukee, 749 West State St., Milwaukee, WI 53233
Summary: Funding would be used to upgrade the City of Milwaukee’s Public Safety Radio System for the police and fire departments.
Financial Certification Letter.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee Re-Imagining Sherman Park: $725,000
Recipient: Boys and Girls Club of Milwaukee, 1558 North 6th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Summary: Funding would be used to improve healthy child and family environments, reduce the need for community violence intervention, reduce stormwater runoff and improve clean water conditions within Milwaukee County, and drastically improve the safety, vibrancy, and vitality of Sherman Park, Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club, Sherman Park Neighborhood residents, City of Milwaukee youth, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee’s Club members and families. This project includes a new splashpad, resurfacing basketball courts, addressing drainage issues in the park, re-activating an attractive concessions area, upgrading the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club facility (including renovations to classrooms, front lobby, HVAC, and building safety features).
Financial Certification Letter
Project RETURN Re-Entry Housing Program: $2.8 million
Recipient: Project Return, Inc. 2821 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave. Suite 223 Milwaukee, WI 53212
Summary: Funding would be used to construct housing in Milwaukee to help returning citizens with a demonstrated need for housing. Candidates for Project RETURN’s re-entry housing will be identified with partners at the Department of Corrections and will be provided with individualized case management. It is anticipated that the average length of stay will be 9-12 months which would include activities to help individuals gain income, get employment, and identify stable, long-term housing. Project RETURN anticipates serving around 50 participants in this residential facility.
Financial Certification Letter
Milwaukee Public Schools Success Center: $1.6 million
Recipient: Milwaukee Public Schools, 5225 W. Vliet Street, Milwaukee, 53208
Summary: Funding would be used to expand MPS’ Success Center (SC) which supports students and families facing stressors, fears, and pressures that negatively impact mental health. Funding will expand the program to include students in grades K4-12 and/or locate a second facility to offer the space necessary to accommodate more students and staff. While SC serves students and families from approximately 75 of the 156 district schools, a need exists for increased access to services. Requested funding would be used to deliver Peace Works, an SEL-curriculum, provide mental health services, support caregivers, and offer professional development to equip teachers/staff to provide early interventions supporting student mental health. The project will help improve academic outcomes for students and address barriers to learning. Expanding SC will increase support for children and families that contribute to children and families thriving, leading to robust educational and personal outcomes that strengthen schools and the larger community.
Financial Certification Letter
Southside Organizing Committee's Centro Latino Hub: $1 million
Recipient: Southside Organizing Committee, 1300 S. Layton Blvd., 2nd floor, Milwaukee WI 53215
Summary: Funding would be used to establish a central hub of services that is culturally competent and bilingual (English/Spanish) and located in Milwaukee’s near south side. Centro Latino will provide centralized hybrid (in-person and digital) information and referrals to existing services and fill gaps for the top critical resources for this population to help empower and improve the quality of lives for residents in the surrounding community.
Financial Certification Letter
MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary, Inc. Increasing Food and Health Services Access for Homeless Residents within the Amani Neighborhood: $1.5 million
Recipient: MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary, Inc., 2461 W. Center St., Milwaukee, WI 53206
Summary: Funding would be used to complete the design and construction of areas of our 5-story facility at 2461 W. Center Street including a 1,000 square foot commercial kitchen and dining room, equipment for that commercial kitchen, and to construct a medical clinic/health center on the 2nd floor. The facilities will be dedicated primarily to serving healthy food and providing preventative health services to severely disadvantaged residents within the surrounding neighborhoods. The project will serve individuals who are in direst need of support and services – and who suffer the greatest disparities in terms of equity and access to resources. Specific measurable outcomes are expected to include improved health and nutrition for an estimated 6,000 to 9,000 unique individuals and households on an annual basis and reductions in preventative health problems through earlier identification, education, and intervention.
Financial Certification Letter
Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) Clean Diesel Bus and Faster Bus Project: $6.5 million
Recipient: Milwaukee County Department of Transportation, 10320 W. Watertown Plank Road, Wauwatosa, WI 53226
Summary: Funding would be used to buy new buses and work with the City of Milwaukee to install transit signal priority (TSP) and preemption equipment in Milwaukee. This project will help transit buses and emergency vehicles to communicate with the traffic signal infrastructure and adjust signals timing and operation in real-time, based on demand. The project will focus on corridors along high frequency and high ridership transit routes and will help improve service reliability for riders, the vast majority who use this system to commute to work.
Financial Certification Letter
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD): $4.5 million for a Sewer Replacement, Rehabilitation or Abandonment Program in Milwaukee
Recipient: Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District, 231 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60604
Summary: Funding would support activities authorized in the FY 2023 WRDA bill. Once completed, this project will reduce the risk of sewer failure, basement backups, and sewer overflows. Approximately 100 people will work on this project.
Financial Certification Letter
Village of West Milwaukee Water Main and Lead Lateral Replacement Project: $2.2 million
Recipient: Village of West Milwaukee, 4755 W. Beloit Rd. West Milwaukee, WI 53214
Summary: Funding would support a water main and lead service lateral replacement project.
Financial Certification Letter
Village of Shorewood Lead Service Line Replacement: $1 million
Recipient: Village of Shorewood, 3930 N. Murray Ave, Shorewood WI 53211
Summary: Replacing lead service lines. This project, which is a part of the Village’s systematic replacement of such service lines, will contribute to improved health and safety and supports the goal of providing access to a reliable supply of clean drinking water.
Financial Certification Letter
Milwaukee County Parks Lagoon Revitalization: $4 million
Recipient: Milwaukee County Parks, 9480 W. Watertown Plank Road, Wauwatosa, WI 53226
Summary: Funding would be used to develop recommendations to improve declining water quality in the Veterans Park lagoon that at times, inhibits the use of this centrally located asset and which raise human and animal health concerns for residents and tourists alike. The lagoon in Veterans Park is in one of the busiest areas of the Milwaukee County Park System, with a significant number of recreational using the park for picnics, soccer, running, biking, in-line skating, walking, dog exercise, and numerous other recreational activities. The funding would be used at Washington Park to implement critically needed storm water infrastructure improvements to mitigate serious public health and safety concerns, and to improve the ecological health and viability of the lagoon. The estimated annual number of people who will experience the completed features is nearly 1,000,000 per year, which includes many school groups that participate in the Urban Ecology’s Centers educational programs which are located in the Park.
Financial Certification Letter
Marquette University Training Workforce for Infrastructure Construction and Engineering (TWICE): $1 million
Recipient: Marquette University, 1250 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 256, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Summary: Working with WRTP|BIG STEP, Associated General Contractors-Greater Milwaukee (AGC-G), and the Milwaukee Area Technical College, the project aims to sustain and expand research, education, and training programs dedicated to improving the training and development of the construction and engineering workforce. This includes using funds to expand artificial intelligence (AI) research in the infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance; to expand educational facility at WRTP|BIG STEP and establish an AI educational laboratory at MATC, and to train a skilled workforce that can utilize AI technologies such as 3D printing, drone, robotics, and data science to design, build, and maintain infrastructure such as highway pavements, bridges, intelligent transportation systems, and stormwater facilities. Funding will support an innovative approach that integrates research with teaching, learning, and training in infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance to address skilled workforce needs in the design and construction industries.
Financial Certification Letter
