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By Lisa Kaiser
On February 27, the nonprofit Community Advocates Inc. marked the beginning of its 50th anniversary with its “Reflecting on the Past, Shaping the Future for Housing Stability” gathering at America’s Black Holocaust Museum.
The event affirmed the organization’s commitment to serving Milwaukee community members struggling to meet their basic needs—including housing, safety, behavioral health, and economic self-sufficiency—while also working to improve systems to foster success and wellbeing.
“For 50 years, Community Advocates has nurtured dignity and hope by meeting urgent needs today while building stronger systems for tomorrow,” said Community Advocates CEO Andi Elliott. “As community needs grow more complex, our work is more essential than ever. This anniversary is not simply a celebration of our past—it is a launch point for the next chapter of impact, ensuring individuals and families in our community have the support, resources, and opportunity needed to thrive.”
Attendees were honored to hear from Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who explained why he declared 2026 the Year of Housing; Brad Pruitt, Executive Director of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, the event’s host; Community Advocates’ Board President Sharon R. Jordan; and David Muhammad, Deputy Director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health & Human Services, on the county’s investments in housing. Keynote speaker Dr. Kirk E. Harris, a nationally recognized urban planner, provided a local perspective on federal housing policies, the affordable housing crisis, and a potential path out of the crisis through community wealth building.
Throughout 2026, Community Advocates will be organizing events to engage policy makers, stakeholders, and the community around the core issues that drive the organization’s mission.
Next up is Community Advocates’ selection as a partner in Light the Hoan’s Shine a Lite program in March. The iconic Milwaukee bridge will light up in the organization’s signature green, a symbol of growth, hope, healing, and vitality that reflects Community Advocates’ mission and impact.
On September 18, Community Advocates will celebrate its 50th anniversary at the Baird Center with community members, partners, supporters, and dignitaries.
Housing services for stability and safety
Central to Community Advocates’ mission is providing access to housing that is safe, stable, affordable, and appropriate for the individuals and families who reside there. “Over the years, we’ve learned that housing is not—and can never be—a standalone service,” said Community Advocates COO Maudwella Kirkendoll. “It is the foundation that makes stability, long-term self-sufficiency, and the ability to thrive possible.”
Community Advocates provides a continuum of housing services to meet the unique needs of our community, including:
- Eviction prevention and housing stabilization services, including rental and energy assistance; tenant and landlord education; mediation and housing navigation; connection to legal and community resources; and proactive interventions designed to keep families safely housed and prevent displacement
- Homeless street outreach
- Emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence and families experiencing homelessness
- Supportive, transitional, and permanent housing
- Behavioral health services, Batterer’s Intervention, and Substance Use Disorder treatment
- Case management and wraparound supports
- Public policy and systems advocacy
About Community Advocates Inc.
Community Advocates launched in 1976 by former Catholic priest Ramon Wagner and two volunteers in a North Side storefront, and has grown to be a community cornerstone organization impacting more than 80,000 people in 2025. It remains one of the few basic needs organizations in Milwaukee that welcomes the public five days a week, no appointment necessary, at its downtown offices.
Community Advocates is made up of four divisions—Basic Needs, Behavioral Health, the Milwaukee Women’s Center, and its Public Policy Institute—to provide direct assistance to stabilize individuals and families and to advocate for systems change that enables each person to live with dignity and hope.
“Our mission—to provide basic needs so people can live with dignity—mattered in 1976, when Ramon Wagner and two volunteers began this work. It matters just as deeply today,” said CEO Andi Elliott. “Our core value is simple and steadfast: We recognize and honor the inherent worth of every person.”
Community Advocates’ 2025 impact
- More than 80,000 adults and children were impacted by Community Advocates’ assistance, including emergency, transitional, and rental housing; utilities assistance; domestic violence support; job training, resource referrals, and Substance Use Disorder prevention and treatment.
- Over 13,000 individuals accessed eviction prevention services through the Rental Housing Resource Center and Community Advocates’ Housing Services—stopping housing crises before they resulted in displacement.
- Nearly 28,000 households received financial assistance and support establishing payment plans to maintain utilities through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program—keeping heat on, lights on, and homes stable.
- Every day, 200 adults and children rely on Community Advocates for essential shelter and supportive housing—totaling nearly 72,000 nights of care each year, providing safety while individuals and families work toward stability.
- More than 1,000 people used the Milwaukee Women’s Center’s Domestic Violence Crisis Line (414-671-6140) to access services.
- More than 180 men and boys participated in the Nevermore Batterers Prevention and Intervention Program to break the intergenerational cycle of violence.
To learn more, go to communityadvocates.net.
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