The Pieper-Hillside Boys & Girls Club, which had been open for over 20 years, closed in August. (File photo by Adam Carr)
Editor’s note: The Boys & Girls Clubs says closing of sites will be temporary. Read the update here.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee has closed six locations throughout the city, bowing to financial challenges created by the pandemic.
Kathy Thornton-Bias, president of the organization, which provides child care, mentoring and support for area children, said COVID-19 has put a dent in finances.
The Boys & Girl Clubs bills itself as the largest youth-serving agency in the city.
“I have empathy and understanding for those who think their place, their home, their livelihood are being threatened,” Thornton-Bias said.
But the money just isn’t there, she said.
Imposing social distancing has made operations difficult to maintain and kept many regulars from returning, she said.
Here are the clubs that have been closed until in-person classes resume:
Bradley Tech High School BGC
Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy BGC
Gaenslen BGC
Kagel BGC
In addition, the Pieper-Hillside Boys & Girls Club, which had been open for over 20 years and was a frequent stop for kids in Hillside Terrace and students at Golda Meir School, closed on Aug. 28.
For many, a news release from Ald. Milele Coggs was the first they had heard of the closing, causing a last-minute scramble to find child care.
Thornton-Bias said Pieper-Hillside relied heavily on students from Golda Meir School for traffic. With Golda Meir not meeting in person, the numbers suffered.
So far, the clubs have been able to avoid staff layoffs. Thornton-Bias said keeping her employees remains a priority, especially because many kids stay because of the relationship, not the location.
Staff from Pieper-Hillside have been relocated to other clubs, she said.
“We’re adapting to live another day,” Thornton-Bias said. “We’re stretching our muscles in ways we’ve never done before.”
Child care disrupted
LaKeidra Madison works in the same building as the Pieper-Hillside club as an administrative assistant at the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee. Her daughter used to go to the club regularly. She said the closing uprooted child care for many in the area, herself included.
“They didn’t ask for input or get any opinions,” Madison said.
Madison said residents found out about the closing on a Wednesday, and two days later, the club had shut its doors.
Madison said that in the interim before finding child care, she’s relied on family to watch her daughter. Other pricing options for her daughter’s child care are a far cry from the $5 one-time fee she paid at the club.
The center offered kids “mental engagement,” Madison said. It had a gymnasium for physical activity and classrooms where kids could do schoolwork, coloring and other activities.
Madison said the location also was convenient (parents at Hillside were able to stand on their porches and watch their kids walk into the club’s front doors) and that the center helped a lot of families.
The club also offered a computer lab and internet access for those who attended.
Madison said since the location closed, around 10 kids will be sitting on the benches outside of the club inside their building trying to get access to the internet so they can attend virtual schooling.
“This is a time when you should add resources in inner cities rather than taking them away,” Madison said.
In the meantime, the clubs are offering to place kids in other locations around the city, including the Siefert Boys & Girls Club, located in Siefert Elementary School, which is roughly six blocks away from Pieper-Hillside.
Thornton-Bias said the club offers free van transportation for kids.
Thornton-Bias said she does not know if or when the Pieper-Hillside club would reopen, as this year has proven unpredictable. But she said officials are working as hard as they can to serve the community.
“We know if we go away, our kids and communities will be harmed,” Thornton-Bias said.
Matthew, a 2020 Marquette University graduate, joins Milwaukee NNS as part of Report For America, a program that seeks to strengthen local journalism by placing journalists in communities that have a greater need for issues based reporting. Prior to joining NNS, Matt developed his reporting skills at the Marquette Wire, on the investigative desk, covering issues such as housing, human trafficking and health care in the Milwaukee.
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What other locations closed? I thought that would be covered in an article with a headline about 6 locations closing.
Thank you for asking. Absolutely fair question that we should have answered. Story has been updated to answer your very important question. Thanks for your feedback.
Ron, NNS editor
St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care has open chidcare spots! 414-210-2450
Thank you for letting us know.
Ron, NNS editor
I’m not sure his is an accurate representation of what is going on. Can you clarify what sites besides PH are being closed? And if those closures are temporary, rather than permanent?
Hi Nicole, we’ve updated the story with locations. But I am standing by the reporting. As we learn more, we will continue to update and follow this.
Ron, NNS editor
They haven’t avoided laying off all their employees, as i was one of them, and held an important role at the Mary Ryan locztion
None of the sites have been closed permanently, and all members were offered spots and transportation to and from PH for nearby sites.
I wonder if we should have implemented a city or regional approach to this epidemic so that when the virus activity was high enough to shut schools then non-essential local businesses also shut. As you can see now, the cost of our lack of coordination is substantial.
Again–one permanent (likely) closure and 5 TEMPORARY closures.. Important to distinguish. MANY local non-profit agencies are temporarily changing their delivery models and hours of operations–this headline makes it sound like the Clubs is permanently closing 6 sites, and that is untrue and unnecessarily alarming. The sector is hurting–like hotels, like restaurants–they aren’t immune from market forces. They need our support now more than ever!
Nicole, we can’t confirm what’s temporary vs what’s permanent based on our interviews with BGC staff. So the headline reflects our reporting and we are doing our best to clarify and will update as soon as we can get cooperation from BSC leaders and media staff.
Ron, NNS editor