The Common Council has approved the Milwaukee Housing Trust Fund (HTF) Advisory Board’s $600,000 in funding recommendations for eight projects that will construct new homes for those in need, rehabilitate existing housing stock and make foreclosed homes more attractive to new buyers.

The projects will leverage an investment of more than $6.9 million in local construction and rehabilitation work over the next year, said Common Council President Michael J. Murphy, chair of the advisory board.

President Murphy said the largest 2015 project would fund a housing complex proposed by Wisconsin Community Services, Thurgood Marshall Apartments, an initiative to create permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals and those suffering from chronic alcoholism. “This transformative program not only acknowledges that housing is a basic right, but it will also bring resources to the individuals who need them most,” President Murphy said.

“By supporting the Thurgood Marshall Apartments and other projects like it, we are taking steps to make the eradication of homelessness in Milwaukee a reality,” he said.

“The City of Milwaukee’s Housing Trust Fund has made a significant difference for Milwaukee families and neighborhoods, by making supportive housing, homeownership and rental housing more affordable for people who want to live here,” Mayor Tom Barrett said. “Creating affordable housing, jobs, and resources to homeowners to repair their homes is a win- win-win for the city. I applaud the commitment of the members of the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Board to the city of Milwaukee.”

President Murphy said the seven 2015 projects selected by the advisory board for funding will also create jobs and valuable opportunities for construction workers, carpenters, and those in the trades. “The board takes its work very seriously and is cognizant that the projects selected are healthy investments for Milwaukee that bring critical economic activity and dollars into local businesses and into the lives of workers and their families,” he said.

This year, a total of 19 requestors proposed projects seeking $2.3 million in HTF funding. Of these recommendations, eight were selected to receive funding.

The 2015 HTF awards include:

• $385,000 to Wisconsin Community Services for two distinct projects involving the construction/rehabilitation of 24 one-bedroom rental units for homeless individuals and those suffering from chronic alcoholism (Thurgood Marshall Apartments)
• $50,000 to Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity for the rehabilitation of five properties in the Washington Park neighborhood
• $50,000 to Greenpath, Inc. to provide mortgage and credit counseling services to 1,000 prospective and current households
• $40,000 to Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, Inc. for construction related supplies and materials to rehabilitate and resell 4 blighted, foreclosed, and vacant properties
• $25,000 for the Sherman Park Community Association to replace deteriorating roofs on several homes
• $25,000 for Community First, Inc. to replace deteriorating roofs, water heaters, and furnaces for 10 homes in Washington Park
• $25,000 for Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee to provide 26 free emergency home repairs for veterans, seniors, and those with disabilities

The projects were approved during the full meeting of the Common Council on November 2.