At its annual meeting held July 11, 2012, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) presented information on its efforts to renew and ensure the availability of affordable housing, cultivate business opportunities for Emerging Business Enterprises (EBE’s), provide educational support for its residents, and protect the environment and community health through sustainable design. 

Mayor Tom Barrett and other dignitaries joined the HACM Board of Commissioners, led by Common Council President Willie L. Hines, Jr., for the meeting at the HACM Community Services Building at 650 W. Reservoir Avenue.   

The meeting began with the unanimous re-election of Common Council President Hines as Board Chair and Michael Van Alstine as Vice Chair.

Secretary-Executive Director Tony Pérez presented a report that featured several HACM department leaders and their work to cultivate positive change in HACM’s developments and in the lives of HACM residents.  Chief Financial Officer Fernando Aniban began by presenting current reports attesting to the financial strength of the organization. 

Louise Hutchins, Contract Services Manager, presented information on HACM’s EBE Program, which has worked for over 15 years to assist minority, women-owned and disadvantaged business to grow in the public and private sectors.  Ms. Hutchins reported that EBE involvement in construction at the Westlawn redevelopment is at 40% of the $82 million project, exceeding the 25% goal set by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA).  Several contractors were introduced who have used their work at Westlawn to move into private sector work.  Ms. Hutchins also reported that HACM exceeded its 20% EBE goal on all projects by achieving 37% EBE participation on construction projects and 23% EBE participation on purchasing contracts.  

Ken Barbeau, Director of Community Services, presented an overview of several educational programs that assist residents in moving towards self-sufficiency.  These included the Education Initiative, which has helped establish an 85% to 100% graduation rate among participating youth; a scholarship program that has awarded 259 scholarships worth $493,000 since 1998; five neighborhood network computer labs that serve over 500 adults and children each year; health education programs that are working to improve nutrition and other health outcomes among residents; and the “Make Your Money Talk” financial education program that has provided over 700 individuals with intensive training to manage money and increase savings.  The program’s Individual Development Account (IDA) component has helped 58 people to purchase homes, 43 people to pay for secondary education, and 34 people to start a business. 

Warren Jones, Director of Development, provided a brief history of HACM’s increasing efforts to include sustainable design elements in its neighborhood revitalizations.  Beginning with the HOPE VI revitalization at Hillside Terrace through the transformations of Lapham Park, Highland Park, Cherry Court, Olga Village, and now Westlawn, the report reinforced HACM’s role as a leading green developer in Wisconsin. 

Chair Hines and Secretary-Executive Director Pérez presented acknowledgements to several key partners who have played critical roles in helping HACM achieve its mission.  They were:
            • The Milwaukee Field Office of HUD
            • WHEDA
            • Wisconsin Division of Energy Services
            • City of Milwaukee Community Development Block Grant Administration (CDBG)
            • Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)
            • PNC Real Estate
            • Greater Milwaukee Foundation
            • American Rivers   
            • Helen Bader Foundation
            • Chris Litzau, former Director, Milwaukee Community Service Corps (MCSC)

HACM also acknowledge two resident leaders who have recently passed:  Mr. James Wahl and Ms. Ellene Parks.