Post from Community: Milwaukee County Housing Division leaders receive extraordinary honor, United Way’s Gwen T. Jackson Award | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services
March 12, 2020
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At the recent 2020 United Way Annual Meeting, Milwaukee County Housing Division leaders James Mathy, Housing Administrator, and Eric Collins-Dyke, Assistant Administrator, received the prestigious Gwen T. Jackson Community Service Award for their work in ending homelessness, aligning with United Way’s goal to ending family homelessness by 2025. The Gwen T. Jackson Community Service Award is presented to United Way volunteers who best exemplify a spirit of volunteerism and dedication to their community.
“James and Eric are unique in that government officials are not typically recipients. The fact that they are receiving one of our highest honors speaks to their outstanding dedication in developing an innovative and effective approach to address this critical issue in our community,” said Nicole Angresano, United Way Vice President, Community Impact. “They exemplify the spirit of the Gwen T. Jackson award as champions of the effort to end homelessness.”
The United Way recognition highlights the system is making progress toward reaching the goal of ending homelessness. The Housing First philosophy provides housing to those most in need without pre-condition. Housing staff has learned the most vulnerable members of the community can only solve one life-changing problem at a time. When someone is living outside, without a roof over their head or knowing where their next meal is coming from, that is the most important problem.
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“I know I speak for our entire organization, when I say we are fortunate to work with dedicated individuals who look beyond barriers to create real and lasting change that will have a positive impact on our community for generations to come,” said Mary Jo Meyers, Director, Department of Health and Human Services. “James and Eric lead a team on the cutting edge of this work nationwide.”