“I THINK FOR YEARS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THERE WASN’T MUCH WORK DONE ON THE KK WAS THAT THE PROBLEMS WERE SO ENORMOUS,” NENN SAID. “IT SEEMED LIKE THE SOLUTIONS WERE DAUNTING.”
A scrubby patch of unused land
on the banks of the Kinnickinnic River in Bay View has become a
sought-after parcel seemingly overnight. The nearly 4-acre site on
Sixth Street and Rosedale Avenue, surrounded by industrial and
commercial enterprises, with an abandoned railroad track running
through it and a freeway overpass as its neighbor, may become home to a
new “supportive housing” development for those with special needs, such
as mental health issues or substance dependence.
The
development, called Empowerment Village, is a partnership between
Cardinal Capital Management and Our Space, a social service agency
currently located on Lincoln Avenue. Empowerment Village would include
48 living units, plus expanded offices for Our Space and the Red Cross.
A coffee shop may be added to provide occupational training and a
social outlet for residents and neighbors.
The facility is an
example of the “supportive housing” concept, which is designed for
low-income people who are vulnerable to homelessness, due to mental
illness, substance abuse or other factors. The units are small—usually
a studio space—but the building is also home to social service staff
and case managers who can help residents achieve stability, by
providing counseling, transportation, social activities or occupational
training.
Martha Brown, deputy commissioner for Milwaukee’s
Department of City Development (DCD), said that supportive housing
developments such as Empowerment Village are being sought by the city
and county to alleviate a shortage of safe and affordable housing units
for those who are vulnerable to homelessness.
Brown said that
about 1,000 additional housing units are needed. To address this need,
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker
launched a 20-member Special Needs Housing Action Team in November
2006. In the group’s final report, supportive housing was recommended
by the group as “an exciting alternative to the far less adequate
residential choices available to many persons with mental illness.”
Three
other supportive housing developments are also in the works: The Guest
House is partnering with Heartland Properties to build at 1218 W.
Highland Blvd.; United House is being developed by United Christian
Church and Cardinal Capital at 2500 W. Center St.; and Mercy Housing
Lakefront is purchasing a former Johnston Community Health Center at
1230 W. Grant St.
DCD’s Brown said that supportive housing is
often the best solution to problems that stem from residents who aren’t
quite independent and typically live on Supplemental Security Income,
which is about $700 a month, “tenants of last resort” for many
landlords. “When you move into a supportive housing unit, you know that
you are going to need some help to stay housed in your own living unit
and not have to go back on the streets,” Brown said. “The whole package
of services will help you stay housed.”
Carol Keen, asset
manager for Cardinal Capital, said that while the semi-remote location
on the KK River may seem undesirable at first glance, it would well
serve the residents of Empowerment Village. “It’s on a bus line, and it
has the linkages that we need for the site—it’s close to medical care,
grocery stores and pharmacies,” Keen said.
Joan Lawrence, executive director of Our Space, said that the new development
would allow her organization and the Red Cross to provide residents
with unique services. “I think we have an enormous opportunity to
create a brand-new national model,” Lawrence said. Keen said that
Cardinal Capital would begin applying for a zoning change and the
purchase of the land from the city in the next few weeks. Public
hearings would then be scheduled to gauge neighborhood support or
opposition to the proposed development.
Another Vision
This
visionary development has already come up against some opposition from
residents and environmental groups, who have been working on saving the
KK River from further deterioration. The KK River has long been
neglected, and last year the Washington, D.C.based environmental group
American Rivers named it one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the
country. About 95% of it is urbanized, and much of it has a concrete
basin, which affects its natural flow and aquatic life. Debris and
garbage flow quickly through this section of the river, and trash tends
to get stuck where the river returns to its natural state, near the
proposed site of Empowerment Village at Sixth Street.
“This is
one of the last green spaces on the KK,” said Cheryl Nenn, Milwaukee
riverkeeper for Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers (FMR). Neighbors and
river rescuers have been attempting to return the KK to a more natural,
cleaner river, to reclaim it for South Side residents, canoeists and
wildlife enthusiasts. As part of that effort, FMR and its allies have
helped to clean up the river with volunteers and, in recent years, a
crane as well.
“For last year’s cleanup, we had about 500
people and we removed about 14,000 pounds of trash,” Nenn said. “It’s a
crazy amount of trash.” Nenn said the river could also be improved by
removing the concrete basin, a proposal she said is being studied by
the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD). Nenn said that the
proposed change would positively impact fish life, water quality and
safety. Nenn said that even thinking about removing the concrete is a
huge victory for the river.
“I think for years one of the
reasons why there wasn’t much work done on the KK was that the problems
were so enormous,” Nenn said. “It seemed like the solutions were
daunting. People didn’t think that much could be done. But even
studying whether the concrete channel can be taken out is such a sea
change from a few years ago.”
In addition to the river rescue
efforts, many residents also support the transformation of the
abandoned rail corridor into a bike path, an extension of a bike path
that currently runs through Downtown, the Third Ward, Walker’s Point
and the South Side. The city of Milwaukee has received federal funds to
make this conversion, and part of the proposed path would run through
Empowerment Village.
Nenn said that these efforts, as well as
the community’s input into the still-inthe-works Southeast Side
Comprehensive Plan, could be stymied by the siting of Empowerment
Village on the proposed location. “It’s frustrating, because if the
development does go forward, there’s a lost opportunity,” Nenn said.
“There was a lot of community excitement about doing something with
that area, for open space and public recreation.”
Alderman
Tony Zielinski, who represents the area, said feedback from his
constituents has led him to oppose this site for Empowerment Village,
even though he acknowledges the need for supportive housing projects.
“I would be happy to help [the developer] find a suitable location,”
Zielinski said. “But I don’t think that now is the right time to
proceed. We need to work together and take our time to find the best
location for a much-needed project like this.”
Finding Compromises
Keen,
of Cardinal Capital, said that her company has been meeting with
neighborhood representatives to discuss compromises that would lessen
their concerns. Keen said her company is willing to cover the costs of
building and maintaining the bike path; the city has suggested that the
facility be moved farther away from the river to provide more of a
buffer between the building and the river. A final plan is still in the
works.
Keen said Empowerment Village would be an asset to the
community. “If we were a neighbor and put in the bike path and
maintained it, it would only enhance the area,” Keen said. “I think
it’s a way to expedite the process. If we were to put it in, instead of
waiting for the city to do it, then you’re going to have the bike path
in a much shorter time.”
Lawrence, of Our Space, said that
Empowerment Village’s residents would benefit from the bike path and
natural surroundings as well, and, in turn, help to build bridges with
the community. “The biggest problem faced by people with mental illness
is not mental illness— it’s stigma,” Lawrence said. “But letting people
ride bikes as part of our wellness program, or having people work in
the coffee shop and serve people, that natural flow of social
interaction would do more for people with mental illness than all the
money you could throw at them.”
What’s your take? Write: editor@shepex.com.
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