Housing Officials Hold Groundbreaking for Supportive Housing Development

Tax credit apartments create work opportunities for the homeless and future tenants

Milwaukee - Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA®) Executive Director Antonio Riley, residents and executives of the Guest House and representatives from Heartland Alliance held a ceremonial groundbreaking to mark the inception of 1218 Highland, a permanent supportive housing development for low-income men in Milwaukee experiencing homelessness and mental illness.

"WHEDA is excited to introduce another development that offers both housing and work options to the surrounding community. We are very proud to contribute our resources to building more affordable housing with good supportive services here in Milwaukee," said Riley. "We anticipate that workforce programs like the one here will someday become a part of more WHEDA housing projects."

The development’s massive redesign and reconstruction effort will result in a total of 24 special needs and supportive housing apartment units. As a way to boost the area workforce, the development has teamed up with Guest House, a social services agency, to provide work options for men as laborers and tradesmen in building the project. These work options apply to homeless men at Guest House, as well as the new development’s future tenants. Of the 18 contractors working on the job, each has agreed to hire one Guest House resident. Five have already gone through training.

WHEDA provided over $4 million in tax credits for the low-income apartments in 2007, which target homeless adults, persons with substance abuse or mental issues, and working adults unable to afford market rate apartments. The development will enable more people in short-term shelters, transitional programs and substandard housing to live independently.

"We are very proud to work with community partners like WHEDA to provide solutions for the shortage in affordable housing," said Guest House Executive Director Cindy Krahenbuhl. "We hope this development can help pave the way for additional supportive housing options for the people of Milwaukee."

In addition to the WHEDA tax credit financing, the development also received a $305,000 HOME loan from the City of Milwaukee, a $400,000 HUD Supporting Housing Program grant, and a $157,000 capital grant from Milwaukee County. The total cost of the building is $4.6 million, or $191,667 per unit.

Of the 24 units, 12 will be studios and the other 12 will be one-bedroom apartments. The development, scheduled to open in early 2009, will replace the former Genesis Detoxification Center located at 1218 West Highland Avenue. Demolition has begun now, and construction is expected to begin the first week in June.

WHEDA is an independent state authority that works with lenders to provide low-cost financing for housing and small business development in Wisconsin. For more information on WHEDA's housing programs, call 1-800-334-6873 or browse this web site.

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights helps people who are threatened the most by poverty and danger to improve their lives and realize their human rights. For more than 100 years we have been providing solutions – through services and policy – that move individuals from crisis to stability and on to success. Our work in housing, health care, legal protections, and economic security serves more than 200,000 people annually, helping them build a better future. For more information, visit the web site www.heartlandalliance.org.

The Guest House of Milwaukee, Inc has been providing quality services to Milwaukee’s homeless for more than 25 years. It has grown from an agency that addressed the issues of homelessness through a "drop in" center to an agency that today provides shelter to 70 – 80 men each night and has a capacity for 150 additional scattered-site supported apartment units for formerly homeless individuals. For more information on the Guest House, visit their web site www.guesthouseofmilwaukee.org.