Milwaukee County housing providers get support grants from WHEDA Foundation

The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) recently announced that the WHEDA Foundation was awarding $162,800 in housing grants to eight housing providers in Milwaukee County.

These grants, awarded during WHEDA’s annual Housing Grant Program competition, help housing providers build new facilities or make improvements to their existing facilities.

To coincide with the week of Veterans Day, WHEDA Executive Director Wyman Winston made the announcement today at VETS Place Central, 3330 West Wells Street in Milwaukee. The Center for Veterans Issues (CVI) received $23,000 grant that will be used to renovate an existing garage into a therapeutic facility, replace a roof, construct walls, and install windows and mechanical systems.

“For more than 30 years WHEDA has been proud to have awarded financial support to housing providers through our foundation,” said Winston. “Our outstanding WHEDA partners use the grants to provide safe, affordable housing to Wisconsin residents in crisis who see their living conditions improve dramatically. I’m delighted that this year’s grant monies will create or improve 247 beds and housing units in Milwaukee County.”

Other Milwaukee County award recipients and their award allocations are: AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin ($12,200), St. Charles Youth & Family Services, Inc. ($21,000), Guest House of Milwaukee ($20,000), Benedict Center ($16,600), Meta House, Inc. ($20,000), Community Relations–Social Development Commission ($25,000), and Revitalize Milwaukee ($25,000).

WHEDA received 62 applications statewide through the housing grant competition this year totaling $1,305,983 in funding requests, demonstrating the high demand and need in Wisconsin. A total of 29 grants were awarded statewide with funding of $513,824 that will create or improve 1,005 beds/units.

“The benefits from the grants are substantial and extremely gratifying,” said Winston. “Vital improvements are made to affordable housing for the neediest of the needy and valued construction jobs are created as grant recipients hire contractors to complete renovations and upgrades to their properties.”

The annual Housing Grant competition is funded entirely by WHEDA reserves using no state tax dollars. Grants are awarded through WHEDA’s Persons-in-Crisis Housing Program Fund to nonprofit agencies, local governments, and tribal authorities in Wisconsin whose mission includes meeting the housing needs of low‐income or disadvantaged populations including homeless persons, runaways, alcohol or drug dependent persons, persons in need of protective services, domestic abuse victims, persons with developmental disabilities, low‐income or frail elderly persons, persons with chronic mental illness, persons with physical disabilities, persons living with HIV disease, and individuals or families who do not have access to traditional or permanent housing.