Remember when Mister Rogers encouraged us to look for the helpers? Some of those helpers are Milwaukee’s neighborhood organizers. They live among us, know our families and show up when we need them. They also help their neighbors become helpers themselves.
I was born and raised in Midtown, later lived in Cold Spring Park and now call the Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood home. I’ve known organizers my entire life. They aren’t strangers coming into our neighborhoods with answers. They’re our neighbors, raising families here and building a future we all share.
Milwaukee’s Neighborhood Strategic Planning areas and the organizations that serve them bring residents together to improve their communities. Their organizers connect families with resources, listen to concerns and help neighbors become leaders. For many, this work is more than a job. It’s a way of life.
Sharing good ideas
Our neighborhoods have different strengths, but many face the same problems. The Urban Economic Development Association of WI (UEDA) brings Neighborhood Strategic Planning organizers together to compare notes, share ideas and find solutions. With more funding, organizers could visit one another’s neighborhoods, meet residents and see what works. Good ideas deserve to travel beyond neighborhood borders.
Their work on illegal dumping shows why this matters. Neighborhood Strategic Planning organizers across Milwaukee joined forces, researched the problem and developed seven recommendations, working alongside city departments whose staff deserve recognition, too.
Over three years, they’ve asked the Common Council for action multiple times. Some steps have been taken, but they’re still waiting for decisions on their recommendations. However, their united voices have carried this work much further than any neighborhood could have alone.
And this is only one example. When the Urban Economic Development Association creates opportunities for organizers to compare notes and share experiences, they can avoid repeating the same work, build stronger partnerships and bring more resources home to residents. That takes dedicated time and funding.
Activating residents
Organizers also help residents turn concerns into action. Someone who first attends a meeting looking for answers may eventually lead one or serve on a city board. That’s how neighbors become leaders and helpers themselves.
These resident-based organizations already track their work, but numbers cannot capture every relationship or new leader. Residents can help by attending their local Neighborhood Strategic Planning meetings, volunteering and completing the sign-in information requested. Those records help document participation and maintain funding. Elected officials should regularly attend these meetings, listen to residents and sign in, too.
As Milwaukee prepares its 2027 budget, Neighborhood Strategic Planning organizations need full funding for living wages, enough staff and dedicated time to collaborate through the Urban Economic Development Association and across neighborhoods. Emerging organizations doing similar work deserve consideration, too. This is an investment in stronger neighborhood programs and the residents they serve.
Find your local Neighborhood Strategic Planning organization. Celebrate its organizers and share what their work means to your neighborhood. At Milwaukee’s budget hearings, ask for funding that supports both their daily work and regular collaboration. When organizers have the time and resources to work together, every neighborhood they serve has more opportunities to grow.
Drea Rodriguez is an active community member and owner of Thrive Service Learning MKE, which supports nonprofit organizations and neighborhood initiatives across Milwaukee on leadership development and community engagement.
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