Milwaukee Safe Haven

Summary: Under contract to the Milwaukee County Mental Health Division, the Partnership designed and secured $7.5 million for a supported housing program for people with mental illnesses. The program as designed included a Safe Haven as well as permanent affordable rental housing coordinated with services.

Wisconsin Partnership's role: Program design

Staff contact: Kathy Kamp

Status of work: Completed in 1995

The Partnership, working as a consultant to the Milwaukee County Mental Health System, designed and secured funding for the Milwaukee County Safe Haven, a major supported housing effort that serves homeless people with mental illnesses. To fund the program, we secured $7.5 million from the HUD Supportive Housing Program. Those funds were to be matched dollar-for-dollar in the form of supported services to project residents. Partners in the Milwaukee County endeavor included city, county and state human service and housing agencies, local nonprofit housing developers, lenders, and private landlords.

As designed, the Milwaukee County supported housing effort had two components. One consisted of "safe haven" housing, temporary or transitional housing for people who had been living on the streets. A safe haven is clean, safe, but low-demand housing, which offers respite without subjecting residents to the noise and close quarters of emergency shelters. Safe havens always include supportive services, whether aimed at individuals in psychiatric crisis or those needing assistance acquiring the skills necessary for more stable housing situations. The initial design called for a scattered-site program serving 50 to 75 people each year.

The second design component of the Milwaukee County housing effort consisted of permanent affordable rental housing coordinated with services for homeless people with mental illnesses. Both tenant-based and project-based assistance were to be provided by HUD's Shelter + Care program, which operates much like the Section 8 rental assistance program. According to the initial design, 75 to 100 people could be served each year.