×Ken Barbeau

In 2004, Mayor Tom Barrett warned Milwaukee residents of a looming housing crisis: a shortage of subsidized units for the city’s most vulnerable citizens. More than two decades later, the crisis has not completely abated. The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), the agency tasked with managing affordable housing, still struggles to meet the need.

HACM oversees more than 5,200 units of affordable housing, including 4,300 subsidized units across 22 developments, along with nearly 400 scattered-site homes. Federal data show that roughly 90 percent of its residents are people of color. Many are elderly or live with physical disabilities, while others have developmental challenges or are veterans. For them, stable housing is not simply a matter of affordability, but

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