After a year of fundraising and planning, Neu-Life Community Development finally broke ground Tuesday on NeuVue, a $16.2 million six-story community development center that will support young people in Milwaukee. The project will take two years to complete.
Neu-Life Community Development is a nonprofit that supports youths and young adults in career development and afterschool and summer programs. The organization provides mentorship and hosts culinary and service projects to help participants gain necessary life skills.
The NeuVue project is designed to bridge gaps related to housing, workforce development, mental health and economic opportunity in Milwaukee.
“NeuVue is like Neu-Life’s second face, which is why it’s called that,” said Joann Harris-Comodore, founder and CEO of Neu-Life. “We have a lot of intervention programs for Neu-Life, but NeuVue is to embrace our prevention and stop the bleeding.”
The 108,000-square-foot building will include 36 units of affordable studios and one- to two-bedroom apartments for young adults aged 18 to 24.
There will also be spaces for the organization’s Neu-Media Studios, cafe, administrative offices, Farmfork Culinary School, gymnasium, rooftop garden and other gathering spaces.
“NeuVue is more than just a building,” Harris-Comodore said. “NeuVue provides safe, affordable housing and access to Neu-Life’s programming and services that benefit youth and community at large.”
According to Harris-Comodore, an individual must be a participant of one of Neu-Life’s programs or be a part of another organization in order to use certain spaces.
Elected officials at the groundbreaking ceremony included Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Ald. Sharlen Moore.
Johnson, who declared 2026 the “Year of Housing” in Milwaukee, said the new center represents hope and stability.
“We’re investing in a stronger future for people living in the city of Milwaukee,” Johnson said. “Particularly for our young people, which means so much.”
Moore thanked Neu-Life for offering true services and opportunities to young adults.
“This is going to be a model not only for Milwaukee but for the state and country,” she said.
Overcoming a new challenge in the process
Harris-Comodore said the biggest challenge from fundraising to groundbreaking for NueVue was stepping out into the world of philanthropy.
“For 26 years we did a lot of grant writing and soliciting funds that were directed towards programming that we did,” she said. “We had to find out who the givers in the city were and who would support projects that they believe in, and that took a lot of research and connectivity.”
Last year, Jody Rhodes, executive director of Neu-Life, said the organization needed to raise approximately $2.4 million by the end of the year to break ground.
To help, philanthropist Keith Mardak and his wife, Mary Vandenberg, pledged $3 million to the NeuVue project as a matching donation challenge in 2025.
“It’s a calling, a need, and there are problems with the kids that it’s important to reach them at a young age and get them on the right path,” Mardak said.
At Tuesday’s ceremony Herb Kohl Philanthropies announced its $1 million matching donation.
Understanding NeuVue’s housing model
According to Harris-Comodore, the NeuVue project will come with a three-tier rental plan.
Young adults who transition from Neu-Life to NeuVue are considered first-tier residents and will qualify for the lowest rental rate.
The second tier is for individuals who are referred by other organizations and are willing to offer services to Neu-Life like mentorship, work study and more.
“The second tier will pay a little more, but it’s still all below market price,” Harris-Comodore said.
The third tier is for young adults who want to live in the community but don’t have to partake in the programming.
“This is for something like college students, but the rate isn’t reduced,” Harris-Comodore said.
While living at NeuVue, individuals must comply with terms including not having families or children.
“They can have as much company as they want, but they can’t live there,” Harris-Comodore said. “When you get to the point where you want to live with someone then that’s a different type of dynamic and environment, but right now we’re trying to help transition young people into adulthood and learn independence first.”
Long-term impacts for the Neu-Life and NeuVue Community
Some of Harris-Comodore’s long-term visions are to increase the number of self-sufficient young adults through employment, continue to develop places for them to connect, increase collaborative partnerships and ensure that workforce housing remains a positive influence on the community’s safety and stabilization.
“This NeuVue innovative model is a much-needed game changer,” she said.
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