New ordinance could enforce oversight on troubled city housing authority

A common council passed an ordinance that would have DNS oversee HACM

Jenna Rae , Mariam Mackar - TMJ4 9/25/2023

MILWAUKEE — On Monday, the Milwaukee City Common Council’s Steering & Rules Committee passed an ordinance that would allow the Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) to oversee the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM).

The committee chamber was filled to the brim with neighbors across Milwaukee. It was a contentious afternoon filled with boos, applause and emotion. Residents say they want change, and the common council committee voted to do just that.

"We are not going to quit. We're going to fight until it's right," HACM resident, Vivian Jones, said.

That was the message from dozens of Milwaukeeans Monday afternoon. All of them live in units run by HACM.

"This is my apartment, this is my bedroom," Debra McQueen said, as she showed TMJ4 pictures of torn-apart baseboards.

Residents claim they had holes in their floors, rats, and bed bugs.

All these concerns were addressed by the steering and rules committee as they worked to hold HACM accountable.

"When does basic decency come in? Nobody's talking about the dignity and respect of these people's lives," Alderman Mark Borkowski said.

Over the last several months, TMJ4 has learned thousands of complaints and maintenance requests from HACM residents have gone unanswered. That's on top of recent U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reports alleging HACM is at risk for serious fraud, waste, and abuse.

Now, city leaders want to appoint DNS to oversee HACM for better accountability. The oversight power would allow DNS to inspect HACM properties and fine them for re-inspections if code violations aren't fixed before sending it over to the municipal courts for potentially more fines.

We asked HACM's president, Willie Hines Jr. if he thought it was acceptable for anyone in the city of Milwaukee to be living in the conditions discussed in Monday afternoon's meeting.

"I believe that if those matters are brought to my staff's attention we will address them, and that's what we will do, and that's what we've done in time's past," Hines Jr. said.

Hines Jr. said he's open to having DNS oversight and is willing to work with the common council to make the necessary changes.

The ordinance passed in Monday's meeting will go to the full common council in a few weeks. If it's passed by the council, DNS would oversee the housing authority.

However, DNS made several comments in Monday's meeting stating their current staff would be ill-equipped to handle the workload of HACM's properties. Representatives with DNS said they would likely need more staff and more money from the city, which would need to be implemented in the city's 2024 budget that's being voted on in November.