Take a look at
What We’ve Done
Reforming the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM)
Reforming public housing
No one in power was talking about the rats, bedbugs, black mold, rampant drug deals and prostitution, the fraud, waste and abuse in public housing. From the outside, everything seemed just fine. Tenants and Common Ground knew the real story because we had been talking with residents. We had been listening and organizing.
Tenants United and Common Ground launched a public campaign FOR REFORM in March, 2023.
Our Impact
Working together, we significantly improved the lives of tens of thousands of everyday people.
Won
new, reform-minded leadership and board
to clean things up
250+
local, state, and national news stories.
Pushed HACM to repair broken appliances, clean up their properties and improve security.
We ensured public housing tenants the same
protections
as tenants in private housing.
We helped secure
$2 million
in federal funding for increased security measures at HACM properties.
We empowered the Milwaukee Police to use the Chronic Nuisance Ordinance against HACM,
enabling fees and fines for criminal activity.
We forced HACM to adopt a new, comprehensive
bed bug treatment policy.
We successfully lobbied for
full-time building code inspectors
dedicated to HACM properties.
We pressured federal officials, including the Acting Secretary for HUD, to visit Milwaukee and
investigate HACM
