Revitalize Milwaukee Plots Major Expansion

Homes along N. 17th St. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

A nonprofit organization that specializes in making home repairs for low-income Milwaukee residents is working on a major expansion.

With $12 million in grant funding, Revitalize Milwaukee is adding lead abatement, asthma safety and energy efficiency improvements to its core mission of providing critical home repairs.

“This is a call to contractors, vendors, partners and funders to work with Revitalize Milwaukee to greatly elevate our services to improve the quality of life for so many homeowners in the community,” said CEO Lynnea Katz-Petted in a statement. “Together, we can rebuild entire neighborhoods.”

The organization reports new funding from the Milwaukee Health Department and Wisconsin Department of Health Services for lead abatement, the Public Service Commission‘s Energy Innovation Grant Program for weatherization services, the Department of Health Services for asthma education and trigger remediation services, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for accessibility modifications for seniors and Kohl’s Hometown Giving Program for free, critical home repairs.

The organization was awarded $1.25 million in December from the city’s Housing Trust Fund to make housing repairs. In 2021, the Common Council allocated $26 million to the health department to increase the scope of its lead abatement work, much of which is related to paint. That allocation was expected to fund abatement repairs at 850 housing units.

As part of its expanded service offerings, Revitalize Milwaukee is expanding its downtown office by 3,000 square feet. It leases space on the sixth floor of the building at 840 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. It hired five new employees to manage the work. In 2020, it reported a staff of seven and a $1.38 million annual budget.

“These new sources of funding will not fund our day-to-day core operations, but they will enable us to substantially increase our range of services to remain an essential community resource,” Katz-Petted said.

The organization is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides free home repairs in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. The repairs are targeted at homes of low-income seniors, veterans and people with disabilities.

Known as Building Block MKE, it held its annual weekend blitz in August to make free repairs and upgrades to 23 homes in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood. The work, with an estimated value of $300,000, covered everything from bathroom overhauls to rebuilding porches and was backed by 32 sponsors. Hundreds of volunteers back the effort.

Its 2020 annual report, the last available on its website, notes that the organization repaired 296 homes that year despite the onset of the pandemic. The organization, in a 2023 press release, reports making critical repairs on more than 3,260 homes and generating an investment of $24 million into area housing since its founding in 2000.

Individuals that need housing repair assistance can contact the organization at freehomerepairs.org. Contractors looking to get paired with the company for work should call 414-312-7531.