MILWAUKEE — With the public release of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report highlighting the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee’s (HACM) mismanagement and the resignation of the organization’s executive director, HACM residents hope this means they will be better served moving forward.
Chris Logan has lived at Mitchell Court apartments for 11 years. It is one of several apartments managed by HACM.
Logan said she and her neighbors have dealt with a number of issues, including bed bugs and roach infestations, for years.
“We had drug dealers coming in and out," she said. "We would find hypodermic needles in the trash cans and stuff like that, and a lot of the older people were scared to come out of their apartments. We had an abusive manager who said it was either her way or no way.”
However, with the recent developments, Logan said she is optimistic these problems may now get addressed.
An October report from the HUD highlighted multiple issues within HACM; that report was just recently released to the public. Those issues included not having adequate property management, the lack of organizational quality control and having $2.5 million unaccounted for.
“Now you are taking us seriously. The residents have been complaining, complaining and complaining for the past two years. We are dealing with our rent going up. We are dealing with the infestations, the prostitution and all that running around through the building,” Logan said.
The week before the HUD report was released publicly, Willie Hines resigned as HACM’s executive director.
Kevin Solomon is the associate organizer for Common Ground, the organization that advocates for HACM tenants.
Solomon said he believes Hines' resignation was a necessary step in making the agency better.
“The buck stops with him. Hines has been failing for two years. This report shows that and so finally him resigning is unequivocally a result of pressure from Common Ground and tenants.”
Solomon said the report also does more than just validate Common Ground’s concerns.
“The good news about it though is that it creates a clear framework on how to improve. It is clear. This is what needs to happen at the governance level. Here’s what needs to happen at the maintenance level. Here’s what needs to happen at the security level,” he said.
Logan said she hopes the search for Hines’ replacement is a nationwide search.
“We want somebody that is going to sit down and listen to us, work with us and not just say, OK, I got you,’ and then walk away and nothing else gets done.”
She said she is fortunate because new management has come into Mitchell Court to improve living conditions. She hopes with a new regime that all the Section 8 housing units will get the same treatment.
A HACM spokesperson responded to the HUD report with the following statement:
"The Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee learned that the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee received a letter from the Department of Housing and Urban Development on October 18.
"We acknowledge the findings outlined in the letter following an assessment conducted by HUD. These issues are serious and require immediate action for the Milwaukee Housing Authority to rebuild trust with its residents, partners, and the public.
"The assessment identified significant challenges across governance, financial management, physical asset management, and the Capital Fund Program.
"HACM has taken steps to address many of these concerns and is collaborating with HUD and other stakeholders to finalize a Recovery Agreement.
"As commissioners we are committed to establishing clear performance standards and timelines for HACM leadership and providing regular updates to the public and stakeholders to ensure transparency as we execute these critical improvements."