The Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods Coalition, or RON, marked another year of holding landlords accountable as it launched its 2026 property conditions survey.
On April 9, RON, local leaders and residents gathered to launch its 2026 property conditions survey, a large-scale, resident-led effort to assess housing conditions and drive action to improve neighborhood housing quality.
RON works alongside local housing agencies to improve the housing quality in Milwaukee through data-informed, resident-engaged strategies and actions.
This year, trained residents will conduct 40,000 parcel-based housing condition surveys across 20 Milwaukee neighborhoods, generating real-time data to help identify needed repairs, support renters and homeowners, and hold property owners accountable.
Landlord accountability
Leaders call this another step in holding Milwaukee’s landlords, both local and non-local, accountable.
“This is us reclaiming and restoring our neighborhoods,” said Britney Roberson, executive director of the Dominican Center. “This is a declaration that our neighborhoods deserve investment, care and accountability.”
According to JoAnna Bautch, executive director of VIA CDC, the last set of data collected through RON’s surveys showed there are over $100 million in exterior home repairs needed across neighborhoods. Many of the homes are owned by investors.
“Investor owners owe the city of Milwaukee over $6 million in unpaid taxes,” she said.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Ald. Sharlen Moore and residents from different neighborhoods spoke to the necessity of using data to hold landlords accountable.
“When we create a system where landlords can take and not give back and not take care of people, I have an issue with that,” Moore said.
Data that transforms
The RON Coalition includes Bridge Builders, Dominican Center, Riverworks Development Corp., Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, Milwaukee Community Crossroads, Near West Side Partners, Rooted & Rising Washington Park, Sherman Park Community Association, Southside Organizing Center, VIA CDC and Walnut Way.
This year’s surveys will be a part of the group’s third Milwaukee Housing Condition Report. The last one reported on 2024 conditions, and all participants used the data collected in different ways.
According to Amanda Clark, housing manager with the Dominican Center, her organization uses it to report illegal dumping, pull data on necessary repairs and give out resources.
“It allows us to be more intentional about how we supply our neighbors with resources,” she said. “When we’re handing out lead resources for instance, we can target specific homes.”
Bautch said VIA also uses the data to be more intentional about how they are connecting with residents.
“We use it to connect people with our home improvement grant,” she said. “Or to actively reach out to those we know are most in need.”
At the city level, the data is used for initiating policy change and knowing what areas need more attention.
“We use the already existing data for determining focus areas for inspections,” said Jezamil Arroyo-Vega, commissioner for the Department of Neighborhood Services. “And to determine things like how many inspectors we may need.”
For more information
Approximately 125 residents have been trained and will be paid by neighborhood agencies to conduct surveys starting in April. To keep up with RON, you can find them on Facebook, LinkedIn or at the coalition’s website.
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