Post From Community: Rocket Community Fund launches Neighbor to Neighbor Program in Milwaukee to connect residents to housing resources | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dan Herda
April 16, 2024
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MILWAUKEE, APRIL 01, 2024 – The Rocket Community Fund, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County and INPOWER today announced the launch of Neighbor to Neighbor, the Rocket Community Fund’s flagship community engagement program, which will give Milwaukee residents access to neighborhood and city-wide resources aimed at preventing displacement.
Over a four-month door-to-door and online survey campaign, Neighbor to Neighbor partners will connect with 8,000 Milwaukee households in high-risk areas for property tax foreclosures and evictions. Canvassers will function as trusted guides, connecting low-income residents with vital resources focused on tax foreclosure prevention, utility assistance, home repair support, eviction defense and other services to achieve greater stability and improve their quality of life.
“Stable housing is the foundation for success in every part of our lives,” said Laura Grannemann, Executive Director, Rocket Community Fund. “Too many Milwaukee residents experience housing challenges despite existing resources. Neighbor to Neighbor literally meets residents where they are at, simultaneously connecting families to those services and identifying gaps to inform future partnerships and investments.”
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A critical area of focus in Milwaukee will be eviction support. In 2022 alone, Milwaukee saw 13,635 evictions filed – an average of nearly 270 households per week. To combat this issue, Neighbor to Neighbor will focus on neighborhoods with the highest rates of eviction filings and tax foreclosures, including the following ZIP codes:
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County will support Neighbor to Neighbor through its connections to local safety net resources and will provide fiscal oversight.
“United Way is proud to partner with Rocket Community Fund and INPOWER for the Neighbor to Neighbor project,” said Gerald Coon, director of key initiatives. “United Way believes in bringing comprehensive approaches to every challenge, actively listening and responding to local needs. This collective partnership means we can share innovations and scale impact to improve housing security in Milwaukee.”
INPOWER will oversee the recruitment and management of community mobilizers, manage program data, and provide targeted messaging for the Milwaukee neighborhoods in the canvassing footprint.
“INPOWER is thrilled to empower Milwaukee’s communities with the tools and information they need around critical housing issues,” said Aziz Abdullah, co-founder of INPOWER. “We are equally delighted by the opportunity to create employment opportunities for over 20 individuals residing in these very neighborhoods. They are central to this project, making a significant contribution and collaborating with us to build a more robust and interconnected Milwaukee, one neighbor at a time.”
The launch of Neighbor to Neighbor builds on Rocket Community Fund’s existing philanthropic efforts in Milwaukee. In 2023, the Rocket Community Fund invested $460,000 in partnership with the RON Coalition to commission a parcel survey to understand the overall state of Milwaukee’s housing conditions. This survey provided valuable data that informed the development of Neighbor to Neighbor. Additionally, the Rocket Community Fund invested $300,000 in the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County’s Safe and Stable Homes initiative, bringing the organization’s total philanthropic commitment in Milwaukee to more than $1 million.
At its core, Neighbor to Neighbor is a door-to-door canvassing effort that connects residents to critical housing resources to prevent displacement and improve housing quality. Information collected through Neighbor to Neighbor also provides critical data to inform future investments and partnerships.
The program was first launched in Detroit, where it focused on property tax foreclosure. Between 2015 and 2019, the number of occupied homes entering the Wayne County tax auction decreased by 94% as a result of Neighbor to Neighbor outreach and associated programs. The initiative expanded to Cleveland in 2021 with a focus on housing and digital inclusion, and then to Atlanta in 2023, where it focused on legacy resident retention.
The Rocket Community Fund aims to simplify complex and inequitable systems to ensure that every American has access to stable, healthy housing. It also invests in people and practices that provide meaningful opportunities for education and employment.
Through its For-More-Than-Profit model, the Rocket Community Fund recognizes that business and community are inextricably linked, and it purposefully harnesses team member talent, technology, policy advocacy and philanthropic resources to invest in comprehensive community development in Detroit and across the country.
Alongside financial investments, the Rocket Community Fund has organized Rocket Companies, Bedrock and other affiliated team members to provide more than one million volunteer hours nationwide, including more than 720,000 in Detroit.
For more information, visit www.RocketCommunityFund.org.
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in our local community. Learn more at: http://www.unitedwayGMWC.org
INPOWER is a Milwaukee-based social impact and good cause marketing agency located in the Harambee neighborhood. They champion collaboration, working closely with partners to develop integrated solutions for social challenges like housing security, healthcare access, and economic development. INPOWER is dedicated to empowering individuals to chart their own paths and fostering a thriving community.