Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, a North Side nonprofit, is showcasing the power of resident-led action through its Reclaim and Restore initiative.
Launched in 2025, the initiative was designed to stabilize the Metcalfe Park neighborhood by turning vacant, city-owned foreclosed properties into affordable homeownership opportunities for current residents.
Reclaim and Restore rehabilitates city-owned foreclosed homes and makes them available exclusively to Metcalfe Park residents through a lease-to-own model. Participants lease the homes at an affordable monthly rate for 15 years before assuming full ownership, creating a pathway to long-term housing stability.
The first two homes were transformed through the program in June and October of last year. A third home was completed a few weeks ago. Melody McCurtis, deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, said that a fourth house is in the process of being renovated.
“This program is a direct reflection of how community voices add value,” said Milwaukee County Supervisor Marcelia Nicholson in a statement shared at the group’s news conference. “It’s what it looks like when divestment follows community.”
Reclaim and Restore
At an event in late January, the organization unveiled a newly restored five-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home on North 33rd Street and revealed the individuals selected through a lottery process to move into the property.
The lucky winners were Shirley and Tyrone Dunn.
The couple have lived just a block away in a rental home for the past eight years. Shirley Dunn, an active community member, said the opportunity represents a chance to remain rooted in the neighborhood they have long called home. Her husband said he also plans to be more involved.
“I’ve watched my wife volunteer for years,” Tyrone Dunn said. “Now I’m going to have to get started.”
Through the lease-to-own program, the Dunns will pay $901 per month for 15 years, after which they will own the home outright.
Community efforts
Ald. Russell Stamper said that the success of Reclaim and Restore is driven by community-centered planning and resident involvement. From identifying properties to shaping program guidelines, neighborhood voices have been central to every step of the process.
“Our neighborhoods showcase not only the history but the future of Milwaukee,” he said. “That’s exactly what the Reclaim and Restore initiative highlights.”
He noted that the initiative not only improves housing stock but also helps prevent displacement by ensuring homes remain accessible to longtime residents.
A blueprint for others
Representatives from the city, state and community organizations attending the announcement event for the initiative described Reclaim and Restore as a blueprint for other cities grappling with vacant properties and housing insecurity.
“This is what leadership looks like,” said state Rep. Margaret Arney (D-Wauwatosa). “The best policies come from the community, and now we have a model for something possible all over the county.”
Fellows from the Legal Defense Fund flew in from Atlanta to see the work being done.
By combining public assets, community leadership and long-term affordability, they said the model demonstrates how neighborhoods can reclaim control of their future.
Danell Cross, executive director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, said the first two homes were restored with private donations. Though the organizationreceived grant funding for the current homes being restored, growing interest from residents and housing advocates mean it needs more help to continue to expand, she said.
Cross hopes the initiative will keep strengthening both the housing market and the sense of community in Metcalfe Park.
For more information
For more information, look here. To donate, you can look at the group’s website.
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