Jon'Zelle and A'Mire have found a new, supportive home with help from HACM's Rent Assistance Program. (Photo courtesy of Heartland Housing)

Creating a safe and comfortable home isn't just about having space to call your own. It's about living in an environment that can help in challenging times. The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee does just that with supportive services available to certain residents served by the Section 8 Rent Assistance Program.

"We currently offer 205 project-based units that are eligbile for these services," says Debra LaRosa, HACM Section 8 Rent Assistance program manager. "This program definitely serves a need in our community."

One of the most recent families to take advantage of this program is Mercia Harris-Williams and her children, Jon'Zelle and A'Mire. Williams and her children are among the new residents of Maskani Place, a housing facility developed by Heartland Alliance that offers supportive services by Community Advocates. HACM provides Section 8 vouchers that help to cover the bulk of the rent for residents at the facility.

"We had stayed in 10 different hotels and had heard about this program through Sister Judith at Project Restore," says Harris-Williams, who had also just dealt with difficulties with a landlord who was not willing to give her back a deposit. "I was running out of money and we were very close to having nowhere to live."

In 2012, 6,454 children in Wisconsin were homeless. More than a quarter of those children - 1,770 in all - live in Milwaukee.

Maskani (which means "my home" in Swahili) recently opened in the Harambee neighborhood, giving 38 adults and 108 children a place to call home. The target residents of this supportive service facility, one of seven affiliated with HACM, are homeless families. The 37-unit facility contains 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom family units, along with a variety of critical support services.

"It's hard to say what we like the most," says Harris-Williams. "For me, I like the fact that both of my kids have their own rooms. I also love that we have our own washer and dryer - I no longer have to ask people if we can use theirs. But if you ask my kids, they will just tell you they love the whole building."

Tenants at Maskani pay an average of $170 for their share of the monthly rent and HACM's Rent Assistance Program pays the rest. As residents, they receive access to a variety of critical services, including mental health and addiction recovery support groups; parenting classes; stress management and financial education classes; "soft skill" classes that help parents in joining the workforce; and opportunities for children, including access to the computer room, social activities, and the community room.

"At Maskani Place, the head of the household has a plan and goals that must be adhered to in order for the family to keep its subsidy, and the plans are reviewed every six months," says LaRosa. "Some of the most common include some form of education, obtaining a driver's license, beginning a savings account, or even starting a job search."

But families are not the only population assisted by HACM's Section 8 supportive services program.

"We also support facilities and services that help veterans," says LaRosa. "The majority of our veterans are served through project-based units, but we also provide VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) vouchers that are tied to supportive services. Veterans receive rent assistance but are required to participate in programming ... which is an incentive for them to get the assistance they need."

Units for veterans include 13 single rooms at the Surgeon's Quarters/Hope House on the VA Medical Center Grounds and 52 one-bedroom units at Veteran's Manor, a joint project with Cardinal Capital Management, the VA and the Center for Veterans Issues.

The services our veterans use most include VA medical and case management services, food programming including Meals on Wheels, weekly grocery delivery from church groups, and the food programs that target homeless veterans," says LaRosa. "The rent assistance program currently subsidizes 268 previously homeless veterans."

Other facilities that offer supportive services target specific populations, such as those referred through the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex or formerly homeless residents in recovery.

As for the residents of HACM's Rent Assistance Program, the road to a safe, secure and supportive home is often quite challenging, but the assistance provided by HACM and its facility partners is the first step on a new chapter.

"Everything happens for a reason," says Harris-Williams. "I really went from nothing to being a resident of Maskani Place. Because of the facility and services, I am now looking forward to new things for our family and for our future."