Evictions are back on the rise. There have been 962 eviction filings in Milwaukee in the past month, researchers say. (File photo by Coburn Dukehart provided by Wisconsin Watch)

Milwaukee County will pause accepting rental assistance applications Tuesday to ensure it isn’t committing more funds than it has.

“We want to make sure we aren’t expecting applications that we can’t pay,” said Connor Goggans, the lead community Intervention specialist with the Milwaukee County Housing Division.

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This leaves many people working in housing uncertain about the future.

Social Development Commission still accepting applications

Nick Toman, the managing attorney of the housing division of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, said a big part of getting cases dismissed or settled has been the ability to connect people to rent assistance through Community Advocates and the Social Development Commission.

Though Community Advocates is pausing applications, the Social Development Commission will still be able to help residents.

“We will continue to accept them for as long as funds last,” said Antony Okonji, the communications and media specialist with the commission. “We are hopeful that more funds will come through, but if they don’t, then we will follow suit and close applications as well.”

Okonji said the commission expects current rent assistance funds to last through at least August.

“We are trying to stay hopeful because the reality is there is still a need,” he said.

Slight rise in eviction filings

In the past few months, Milwaukee has seen a slight rise in eviction filings in comparison to the significant drop the city experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though lower than the deluge of filings the city was hit with at the beginning of 2022, eviction filings are returning to pre-COVIDS averages.

According to the Eviction Lab, a group that tracts eviction filings throughout the nation, there have been 962 eviction filings in Milwaukee in the past month.

Support still available for residents

But many of the initiatives created during the pandemic to keep families stable are still helping.

The Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee continues to run its program, Eviction Free MKE, providing legal services to Milwaukeeans facing evictions.

“The program has helped get about a third of eviction filings in the city settled or dismissed,” said Toman. “I believe that’s higher than the rest of the state.”

The program serves Milwaukee County residents at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. That’s $25,760 for one person and $53,000 for a family of four.

And the Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center, a collaborative designed to provide assistance and resources for both landlords and tenants, is still open to support those in need.

Resources to consult if you’re worried about eviction

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PrincessSafiya Byers was born and raised in Milwaukee, and is a 2020 graduate of Marquette University, majoring in Journalism and Africana Studies. Her commitment to her community has led her to nonprofit work with local youth and families. She’s also interned with the Milwaukee Community Journal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and joins Milwaukee NNS as a Report for America Staff Reporter looking to serve democracy by covering issues important to the community.