New document unveils Milwaukee’s “Housing First” homelessness strategy » Urban Milwaukee

Has Milwaukee County Cracked the Code on Solving Homelessness? A Pair of Filmmakers Think So.

Filmmakers Don Sawyer AND Tim Hashko They have focused on the issue of homelessness for a decade, beginning with a 2015 film titled “Under the Bridge: The Criminalization of Homelessness,” in which they critique the city of Indianapolis’ response to homelessness.

Their new film, Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness, takes a closer look at the response by local governments in Houston and Milwaukee, concluding that they have developed an effective model for combating homelessness.

The key to Milwaukee’s success is cooperation, the filmmakers say, and a coordinated response led by the county that includes private and public institutions.

“C“Community cooperation is key,” Sawyer said. “But building the homelessness response on a foundation that prioritizes housing, housing and services rather than the shelter that many communities are stuck on.”

The institution at the center of Milwaukee’s response to homelessness is the county’s Housing Department, which is already unique in that it is a housing-focused agency housed within a larger social services agency, the Department of Health and Human Services. Milwaukee has consistently had some of the lowest homelessness rates in the country at any given time in recent years. These rates are used as a benchmark by government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

James MathyMilwaukee County Housing Administrator said the film is an opportunity to promote the Housing First model.“We want to be able to say that the solution is coordination, housing and services, not criminalization and compulsory treatment and all those kinds of things,” he said.

After making their first film, Sawyer and Hashko set out to find solutions to the homelessness crisis in the United States. Sam Tsemberisfounder of the Housing First model, who tipped them off to what was happening in Milwaukee, Hashko said. After coming to the city on and off for the past seven years, they came to see Milwaukee’s response as a “blueprint” that other local governments should emulate.

Looking at Milwaukee from a national perspective, the filmmakers say they see a local response that is working much better than in other parts of the country.

“The biggest criticism comes from within your own community,” Sawyer said. “This is a model for the rest of the country.”

The film will be shown for the first time in Milwaukee at Marquette University’s Varsity Theatre on Thursday, August 1. Admission is free, and a screening will be available after the screening. Derek Mosley will lead a discussion with Mathy, a participant in the film Jeff Stingley, Amy LinderPresident and CEO of United Way; and Wendy WecklerHope House Executive Director and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.

The district director said that his predecessor, Chris Abeleshould be commended for bringing the Housing First model to Milwaukee and overseeing the development of the coordinated response system now depicted in the film.

“Then, when I came in as someone who had experienced housing instability — I had been evicted and was homeless — and I knew we wanted to be the healthiest county in the state of Wisconsin, working on a strategic plan; when I came here, it was obvious that I would continue to make real investments,” Crowley said.

Under Crowley, the county has poured millions into housing prevention programs, supporting affordable housing development and creating new emergency housing. “We invest exactly where our words say we will,” Crowley said.

The county executive said he hopes the film will help tell Milwaukee’s story and potentially attract the attention of state and federal officials, where funds can be allocated to further efforts to address homelessness.

“Because that’s what we need,” Crowley said. “We need people at the table.”