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The reopening of the Social Development Commission, after months of disruption, has sparked mixed reactions from elected officials.

While some welcome its return, others anticipate challenges ahead, with Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson calling for greater transparency from the agency.  

The Social Development Commission, or SDC, reopened its main office at 1730 W. North Ave. earlier this month. It’s now focusing on resuming its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, career services, child care and housing programs.

The agency provided programs and services that helped Milwaukee County residents living in poverty before it stopped services and laid off employees in late April because of its inability to meet payroll and other financial concerns. 

Mayor calls for more transparency 

At the SDC board’s meeting where leadership announced plans to reopen, Jackie Q. Carter, the board’s commissioner appointed by the mayor, voted against executive board nominations and asked for more community involvement, a formalized process and public transparency in the board’s decisions.

“The vote accurately reflected the mayor’s concerns about the lack of transparency in the latest moves,” said Jeff Fleming, a spokesperson for Johnson.

The mayor would like SDC to follow requirements of Wisconsin open meetings law, which includes publicly posting notice of its board meetings and providing agendas with information regarding the matters of discussion, Fleming said.

Since SDC suspended operations, the board has only been meeting part of the law’s notice requirements. SDC has notified individuals and members of the press of upcoming meetings, but it has not been posting meeting notices in public places or online. 

“The mayor is hopeful SDC will, once again, be a leading provider of help to low-income residents of the region,” Fleming said. “It is essential that SDC regain trust before it can resume the important work it previously undertook. The services are needed, and well-run organizations are key to serving those who deserve assistance.”

Other officials weigh in

Before the reopening announcement in November, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in an interview that the county wants to continue working with the Social Development Commission.

He said many of the services SDC provided have been picked up by other agencies, and his office has not received any constituent calls related to service issues. 

“But we also know that as a CAP (community action program) agency, there are dollars that are probably on the table at the state and federal level that we haven’t been able to take advantage of because they aren’t open,” Crowley said. 

Following the reopening announcement, Jonathan Fera, the communications director for the county executive’s office, said the state and the federal Office of Community Services are working with SDC to determine how to move forward, and Crowley is ready to collaborate with them when needed. 

“It’s encouraging that people are back at the table working on a solution to the challenges that have impacted public services provided by SDC,” Fera said. 

The county administration is encouraging residents who can no longer access services through the SDC to reach out to the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services. 

Another official interested in SDC restarting services is U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore.

When SDC abruptly shuttered in April, Moore wrote letters to SDC’s board and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, calling for a federal investigation. 

“The Social Development Commission’s closure was a loss that was deeply felt in the community,” Moore said. “While I am grateful that the Social Development Commission is resuming some of its services, I know it still faces many challenges ahead.”

County Supervisor Priscilla E. Coggs-Jones, who represents the 13th District on Milwaukee’s Near North Side and is the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors’ second vice chair, called the reopening a “critical step toward restoring vital services for Milwaukee County residents.” 

“The SDC has been a cornerstone of community support for years, and its relaunch reaffirms our commitment to uplifting people in need,” she said. 

State Sen. LaTonya Johnson, who represents the 6th Senate District, said the reopening is great news for Milwaukee County. 

“The commission’s ability to provide housing assistance and child care food services has been a lifeline for families who need a little support,” Johnson said. “I’m glad to have them back in our community, and I encourage those who need help to take advantage of their services.”

Devin Blake, PrincessSafiya Byers and Edgar Mendez contributed reporting to this story.

News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Learn more at our website or sign up for our texting service here.

Milwaukee leaders weigh in on reopening of Social Development Commission is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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After Democrat Tammy Baldwin won reelection to her U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin, conspiracy theorists skeptical of the outcome pointed to a misleading results table to claim that there were more ballots cast than registered voters in some wards of Oak Creek, a Milwaukee suburb.

The table on Milwaukee County’s results website appeared to show four Oak Creek wards where more than 100% of registered voters cast ballots, including one with 1,256 registered voters and 1,271 ballots, and another with 1,006 registered voters and 1,019 ballots.

Turnout in Oak Creek “was impressive late at night for Senator Baldwin,” said a social media post from Seth Keshel, a prominent conspiracy theorist who has hundreds of thousands of followers across social media. The post, which was accompanied by an image with data from the county’s table, has already received hundreds of reactions and shares.

But the claim that the numbers show a questionable pattern isn’t true, election officials said, and is easily disprovable. 

The table’s turnout percentages, which were based on numbers on the page showing the county’s unofficial results, were based on the number of registered voters these wards had the day before Election Day. They didn’t take into account the number of people who registered to vote on Election Day, City Clerk Catherine Roeske said. 

Oak Creek hadn’t yet officially tallied the number of same-day registrants, but Roeske estimated that it was about 2,700. 

After Votebeat told Michelle Hawley, Milwaukee County’s election director, about the increasingly viral claim, the county added a note to its results page to clarify that “the number of registered voters displayed are as of the day before the election. In Wisconsin, state law allows voters to register on election day, and as a result, it is possible for a ward to have over 100% participation.”

Turnout in many Milwaukee County municipalities was “super impressive,” Hawley said, surpassing most elections before it.

There’s another flaw in the premise of the social media posts that some kind of malfeasance in Oak Creek helped put Baldwin over the top: Her Republican opponent, Eric Hovde, is the one who carried the city. He got roughly 550 more votes than Baldwin — about 10,700 to 10,150 — according to unofficial results, and topped her total in one of the four wards that were listed with more than 100% turnout.

Oak Creek was among the last few municipalities in Wisconsin to report election results, along with neighboring Milwaukee, Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Racine. Conspiracy theorists often use late-arriving results that cause a swing as a pretext to circulate false claims about election fraud.

Before those cities’ numbers came in, early and unofficial results showed Hovde leading Baldwin by about 63,000 votes. Still, at that point, conservatives already recognized that Hovde was unlikely to win, given that the outstanding votes were from cities that mostly lean Democratic. 

The largest chunk of still-unreported votes that would deliver Baldwin a win would come from Milwaukee, which she won by about 143,000 votes. Milwaukee County posted the city’s results at around 4:30 a.m., after a delay caused by a recount of absentee ballots. 

At that time, Oak Creek’s results were still outstanding, even though it had far fewer ballots to count.

Oak Creek’s central counting site processed over 12,700 absentee ballots and was adequately staffed, Roeske said, but as work went late into the night, the city lost many of its poll workers to fatigue. She also cited rules that prevent election officials from pre-processing absentee ballots.

Some “amazing” staff lasted late into the night though, Roeske said. 

Once Oak Creek and the other cities’ results were in, unofficial results showed Baldwin in front by just under 30,000 votes. The Associated Press called the race for Baldwin just before 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Hovde had not conceded as of early afternoon Thursday. Unofficial results showed him within the 1% margin to request a recount.

Alexander Shur is a reporter for Votebeat based in Wisconsin. Contact Shur at ashur@votebeat.org.

This coverage is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Wisconsin’s free newsletter here.

No, Milwaukee’s Oak Creek suburb didn’t have more ballots than voters is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Unhoused people in Milwaukee pitched tents in King Park this summer. Advocates who work with the homeless population say that a decision to close two Park & Ride lots in Milwaukee has made things more difficult for people who don't have housing,. (Isiah Holmes | Wisconsin Examiner)

Seeing people living out of their vehicles in Milwaukee’s Park & Ride lots at Holt and College Avenues wasn’t unusual for Eva Welch. As co-founder and executive director of the homeless outreach group Street Angels, she had watched for nearly a decade as the Park & Rides grew into their own unique communities. 

Welch was dismayed to hear that officials would be closing the Park & Rides. Driving the Street Angels  outreach bus packed with all manner of supplies, the team traveled throughout Milwaukee. Among their stops were four Park & Rides, where commuters park their vehicles and board public transit. Over the years, more and more people living in tents or out of their vehicles – functional or otherwise – chose to remain in the lots. 

“Holt Avenue Park & Ride has actually been a stop on our route through the entire nine, almost 10 years that we’ve been in existence,” Welch told Wisconsin Examiner. She called the lots on Holt and College avenues the “largest by far” in terms of how many unhoused Milwaukeeans lived there. “The majority of the folks there either had some kind of camper, or a vehicle, but there was still several – more than several – people between the two Park & Rides living in tents on the grounds of the Park & Rides in the grassy areas.” 

Park & Ride residents had created a modest form of shelter and community, she said. “There’s actually a group of folks that were removed from the Holt Park & Ride that are trying to move around as a group,” said Welch. “And unfortunately, it’s unsuccessful for them. Everywhere they’ve gone, they’ve been told to move within 12 hours. And they’re pretty adamant about staying together because they’ve somewhat become a family.”

That group is made up of about  15-20 people, Welch said. On Oct. 14, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that two Milwaukee County Park & Rides would be closed, along with another partial closure, “due to declining safety conditions.” Over a year, more than 80 people have been removed from the lots and have found housing through the county’s housing services. The press release stated that despite those efforts, more unhoused Milwaukeeans continued to find the lots. 

“We’re seeing a lot of individuals who are experiencing homelessness, sometimes, for the first time,” said Eric Collins-Dyke, deputy administrator for Milwaukee County Housing Services. Different factors also seem to be leading people to the lots. “Some of it is dealing with past trauma and the complexities that accompany that, and also we’ve seen more from an economic standpoint, individuals who work and they either lost their employment for rent, or are currently working and getting income, but aren’t making enough to afford rent.”

Collins-Dyke said this trend is spreading “pretty rapidly” and not just at the Park & Rides. “It sort of made us look at having to be more robust in the preventional space.” Generally, many of the people living in the Park & Ride lots are from the Milwaukee area. “Almost across the board, from the area,” Collins-Dyke said, adding  that more older adults are appearing unhoused in Milwaukee County. Nevertheless, age ranges in the encampments can vary from people in their early 20s up to elders in their 70s. 

DOT’s press release stressed that camping near highways or “adjacent right-of-ways” is illegal under state law. Unlike some metro regions nationwide, Milwaukee has no “safe camping” initiatives, which designate areas for unhoused people to camp.

The DOT stated that between July 1 and September 30 of this year, there were 275 calls for service to the lots, an increase of nearly 42%. Those incidents ranged from reports of assaults, theft, and overdoses. 

“Public safety is first and foremost,” WisDOT Assistant Deputy Secretary Joel Nilsestuen said. “Park & ride lots are not safe or suitable places for anyone to live. We’ve worked closely with our partners to connect individuals with available resources and relocate them to safer situations. We do not take this action lightly, but we recognize the importance of doing what’s right for the safety of the people in the park & rides, the traveling public and nearby communities.”

“We are concerned for the safety of those choosing to live in these lots, as well as for the safety of the surrounding community,” Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan said. “The reported incidents happening inside of these encampments and nearby neighborhoods are unacceptable. We are dedicated to protecting the public, and in doing so, we must do what’s necessary to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Some wonder if these acts are actually working in the long run. Welch said that the Park & Ride residents had been sent notices warning of closures before, but authorities never followed through. “Typically what would happen is the news would pick it up, and the notices would be rescinded,” said Welch. “So for many of them, they didn’t believe that this was going to happen.” Many Park & Ride residents were on edge, said Welch. Then fences went up, police patrols came through,  and other indications it was time  to leave appeared. “It’s been quite an experience for the folks that were staying there,” said Welch. “They were having difficulties getting their stuff out, they couldn’t get back in to get their stuff once they went back out.” 

With winter coming, immediate housing and shelter space is limited. Among local officials, reactions to the Park & Ride closures were split. County Supervisors Caroline Gomez-Tom and Jack EckBlad released a joint statement saying the DOT’s response “fails to address the underlying issues contributing to homelessness in our community.” The supervisors called for affordable housing, robust tenant protections, and support for people facing housing instability. Earlier this month, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced $4 million in affordable housing focused on Milwaukee and Oak Creek.

On a nightly basis, Street Angels encounters around 300 people living on the street, tucked away in wooded areas, or camping in Park & Rides. In September 2022, the group was encountering 223 people living unhoused. By September of this year, the number had increased to 488, that’s a 120% increase over a two-year period. Welch told Wisconsin Examiner, “We’ve never served so many people in vehicles…We’ve seen people in really nice vehicles sometimes, where they’re choosing their car payment over their rent because they can’t afford both and still eat.” 

Outreach groups, whether attached to the county or on their own, are also struggling to keep up. Street Angels has no form of permanent funding, Welch said. “Every year what we raise is what’s getting us by the next year,” she told Wisconsin Examiner. Nevertheless, the group is adding new programs, and providing more meals ahead of the winter. 

Collins-Dyke said that the county will work with nonprofits and the city to support warming rooms and increase its own presence. “I think this year, the coordination among teams within the system will be more important than ever.”

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Sebastian Florentino, 14, was shot and killed on Jan. 21, 2023.

Alijah S. Golden-Richmond, also 14, was shot and killed this year on Aug. 14.

The boys were the first and last of 40 homicide victims in Milwaukee County 17 years of age or younger since Jan. 1, 2023, according to data provided by Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Minors represent 13% of all homicide victims in Milwaukee County since 2023.

(Milwaukee County homicide data differs from city of Milwaukee homicide data. County data includes cases from Milwaukee suburbs such as West Allis and Cudahy and also homicides determined to be justified by the District Attorney’s Office, according to Domagalski.)

“It is a sad statistic to hear how many murders there are of the young people in our city, but it also isn’t surprising to me since Milwaukee doesn’t care about our youth,” said Kevin Sas-Perez, who has worked as a youth pastor and with youths through various organizations over the past 15 years.

“I believe the number one thing youth are looking for is to be loved and to belong, but we’re not doing a good job of meeting that or any other needs for our youth.”

Lennia Fields, a mother who lived and worked in Milwaukee but currently resides in Las Vegas, also believes youths need more support to prevent them from becoming victims of violence.

“Our youth need more positive role models and programs that can shield and protect them from their environment and themselves,” said Fields, who lost her mother to homicide in 2000. “Therapy for their traumas should be provided at the school or neighborhood centers.”

Keeping guns out of the hands of youths

Of the 40 youth homicide victims since 2023, all but three died from gun violence. Many were shot and killed by other teens.

Anneliese Dickman is a senior manager for Brady, an organization that advocates against and provides solutions to gun violence.  She said the guns should never have gotten into a minor’s hands.

“Somewhere along the line there are adults who, mistakenly or purposely, allowed access to a gun, and that is 100% preventable,” Dickman said. “That’s where adults have failed.”

National trends in youth homicides

According to a 2023 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, homicide is the leading cause of death of children in the U.S.

The study, which examined national data on child homicides from 1999 to 2020, found that the age-adjusted homicide rate for children from 0 to 17 years old was 2.8 per 100,000 children in 2020 and that males were disproportionately impacted.

In Milwaukee County, the population was estimated at around 916,000, with between 19.5% and 26% being under the age of 18, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Data.

That would place Milwaukee County’s age-adjusted homicide rate for 2023 at between 10.8 and 14.6 victims per 100,000 children, much higher than the national average; 85% of youth homicide victims in Milwaukee County were males.

What can the community do?

Tracey Anderson, a Milwaukee father of seven, said the community should focus on the parents of the teens who are committing violent crimes.

“The community needs more accountability from the parents who made these wayward juveniles,” Anderson said.

Unfortunately, he said, too many parents lack the skills to raise children or even live responsibly themselves.

“Some parents are even worse than their kids, so obviously we know what direction they’re headed,” Anderson said. 

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman recently issued a “call to action” to parents and others to become more involved in helping reduce youth violence.

“We need you at the table. Our youth need you at the table. Be a part of the solution,” he said. “What are you doing to help?”

Parents responded with ideas of their own.

“We can do all we want, but there has to be consequences that mean something,” said South Side mother Jamie Berta Gilane.

Investing in our youths

Sas-Perez, who has been involved with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Milwaukee Recreation and other local programs that serve youths, said that for things to change in Milwaukee, there has to be much more investment in young people, both personally and financially.

“Spend more time talking to and listening to our youth, and when they are telling us what they want and need, we should take it seriously and then put our money into creatively meeting the wants and needs,” Sas-Perez said.

“Having more robust youth programming, increased investment in our schools and better pay for those working with youth is the start of helping decrease the number of youth murdered.”

Youth violence prevention resources in Milwaukee

Project Ujima

Phone: 414-266-2557

What it does: Project Ujima is a community program that helps victims of violence and provides services at Children’s Wisconsin, your home and the community.

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414 LIFE MKE

Phone: 414-439-5525

What it does: 414 Life is a violence interruption team based in Milwaukee. Its goals are to stop the spread of gun violence through de-escalation and mediation of conflicts and educating the public to change the norms around gun violence.

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Credible Messenger Program

Phone: 414-257-7721

What it does: The goal of Credible Messenger’s transformative mentoring is to provide prevention and intervention with youth, keeping them from both entering the youth justice system and having deeper involvement with the youth justice system.

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Office of Community Wellness and Safety

Phone: 414-286-5468

What it does: The office supports various violence prevention initiatives in the city of Milwaukee.

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Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee

Phone: 414-267-8100

Address: 1558 N. 6th St. 

What it does: The organization serves thousands of youths daily in Milwaukee through a variety of academic and recreational programming.

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Kids Matter Inc. 

Phone: 414-344-1220

Address: 1850 N. MLK Jr Drive #202

What it does: The organization helps abused and neglected children heal and thrive while also providing support to foster and kinship children to help prevent further child abuse. 

News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Learn more at our website or sign up for our texting service here.

Gun violence takes deadly toll on Milwaukee County youths is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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As drug overdose deaths continue to scourge the community, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has announced a series of new projects aimed at stemming the tide of death and destruction caused by opioid addiction. 

“My administration is proposing upstream investments to help address racial and health disparities and ensure residents can access the resources and support they need – because lives depend on it,” Crowley said.

The projects, seven in total, are funded by $8.5 million from the $102 million in opioid settlement funds and will focus on opioid use disorder abatement, prevention and recovery programs for the next three years, Crowley said.

The settlement came after Wisconsin and other states filed a federal lawsuit against opioid manufacturers accused of fueling the epidemic. 

The funds will be administered by Milwaukee County’s Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Emergency Management and the Department of Administrative Services. 

Drug overdose deaths continue at slower pace

Although the projects announced by Crowley are focused on combating the opioid epidemic, local efforts to reduce drug overdose deaths appear to be working. 

Through July 16, there were 204 confirmed drug overdose deaths in Milwaukee County, with 89 additional cases pending toxicology reports, according to data provided by Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office. Through the same time period in 2023, there were 354 drug overdose deaths in Milwaukee County. 

Although the pace of drug overdose deaths has slowed in the county, disparities in deaths continue to be particularly acute among African Americans, data shows. 

Forty-three percent of drug overdose victims in Milwaukee County this year have been African American. African Americans have the highest rate of drug overdose deaths based on their population in the county (27%). Forty-six percent of victims this year were white; 20% were Hispanic; and two victims were Native American. Sixty-three percent of victims were men and 37% were women. 

Projects proposed by Crowley

One of the projects proposed by Crowley is the creation of a new public health campaign that targets the issue of opioid overdoses and the use of adulterants in Black and Brown communities.

Adulterants are substances often added to other drugs such as opioids and a contributing factor in many overdose deaths.  

Another project proposed by Crowley is to create a pilot “overdose prediction model.” 

The model would help individuals at risk for an overdose, help assess community needs and support integration of other data collected by the county. 

Another plan is to integrate treatment access during and after incarceration. High-risk individuals would be identified and referred by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, the Community Reintegration Center and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. 

Ken Ginlack, executive director and CEO of Serenity Inns, a drug treatment facility for men located at 2825 W. Brown St., said the proposed projects show a strong commitment to marginalized communities. 

“By ensuring that treatment and resources are available to all individuals, regardless of their background or financial situation, Milwaukee County is taking a crucial step towards equity in health care,” Ginlack said. “These efforts will save lives and provide individuals with the tools they need to achieve long-term recovery and stability.” 

The other projects include grief outreach and grief-informed care, expanded paramedic coverage, adding 20 harm-reduction beds to a county-run center that serves the homeless and an overall enhancement and alignment of treatment services. 

Additional reaction to projects

Michelle Jaskulski, who serves on the advisory board for the Addiction Policy Forum and is an executive assistant for 4th Dimension Sobriety, a sober living facility, said she sees value in each of the projects. 

However, she said, she would have liked to see an expansion of outreach services for families of individuals who are actively using drugs. 

“This population has virtually no resources or support,” she said. 

She also wonders whether funds used for the awareness campaign and data collection would be better used to increase treatment services. 

“I recognize the necessity but it’s hard when people are in immediate need and aren’t able to access care while funds are used for these types of projects,” Jaskulski said. 

Rafael Mercado, founder of Team HAVOC, a group that distributes Narcan and other resources in drug overdose hotspots, said he also would like to see more investment in treatment facilities. 

“We need more inner city treatment centers that provide both detox services as well as in-patient living centers with 24/7 access,” he said.

The projects were adopted July 31 by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.

Where to get help in Milwaukee

First Step Community Recovery Center, 2835 N. 32nd St., 414-930-4529.

Gateway to Change, 2319 W. Capitol Drive, 414-442-2033.

10th Street Comprehensive Treatment Center, 4800 S. 10th St., 855-801-3867.

Rogers Behavioral Health, 414-865-2500.

Community Access to Recovery Services, or CARS: 1220 W. Vliet St., 414-289-6085.

Meta House, 2625 N. Weil St., 414-962-1200.

Community Medical Services, 2814 S. 108th St., 414-885-3525.

United Community Center, 1028 S. 9th St., 414-384-3100. 

Visit Addictions.com’s Milwaukee resource page to find more alcohol and drug rehab centers in Milwaukee that feature free treatment and detox centers.

News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Learn more at our website or sign up for our texting service here.

Milwaukee County unveils new projects to stem tide of opioid overdose deaths is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.