New Housing Center For Those Recovering From Substance Abuse
Wisconsin Community Services to build project near W. Capitol Drive.
Nova House rendering. Rendering by Continuum Architects + Planners.
Wisconsin Community Services is launching a new supportive housing center at the intersection of N. 22nd Street and W. Atkinson Avenue.
It provides long-term housing to individuals recovering from substance abuse issues.
“Our hope is we can support their recovery, providing affordable housing and also allowing them to launch themselves back into the workforce,” said president and CEO Clarence Johnson to the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee on Sept. 12.
The facility is being managed by Torre Johnson, who also manages the nearby Sankofa House, 1728 W. Atkinson Ave.
“I came into WCS for alcohol and drug use, and I’m now assisting people with their struggle and recovery, and we’ve been very successful,” said Torre Johnson.
The plan calls for purchasing two vacant city lots adjacent to the building for a resident green space. The program manager said keeping the area clean is part of the strategy.
“A lot of people say that the mind is a terrible thing to waste. I believe waste is a terrible thing for the mind, so if we clean up all that garbage, that would be a helping hand,” said Johnson. He said residents notice that Sankofa is clean.
The facility, known as Nova House, is to be staffed around the clock. “These are people that will be there of their own volition,” said Clarence.
It would house approximately 14 residents. Torre said the residents are expected to come from Sankofa House, which is for people earlier in their recovery.
“This will be their home. They just have a home with supervision,” said Torre of Nova. Residents will pay rent and have a curfew.
“The biggest challenge is housing for people who are seeking recovery,” said Ald. Michael Murphy, chair of the City-County Heroin, Opioid, and Cocaine Task Force. “I like that 14 is a manageable number, so it’s not stigmatizing the neighborhood in that context.”
The nonprofit organization was founded in 1912 and focuses on providing services to people reentering society from incarceration. The CEO said the organization serves approximately 16,000 children and adults annually.
WCS purchased the latest property, 4110 N. 22nd St., in November for $270,000 from Shenna Barrette Beauty LLC. The property is assessed for $129,800. It includes a two-story, 4,675-square-foot structure built in 1928.
The city has owned the two lots it’s selling for some time. It acquired the parcels through property tax foreclosure in 1974 and 1979. Irregularly shaped because of the angled intersection, the parcels at 4100-4102 N. 22nd St. and 2142 W. Atkinson Ave. cover a combined 6,801 square feet of space and form a generally triangular shape.
WCS would acquire the properties for $1,000 and is expected to expend $24,000 on improving the green space according to a Department of City Development land disposition report. The organization is working with Continuum Architects + Planners.
Located in the Rufus King neighborhood, Nova House is a couple blocks north of W. Capitol Drive and just east of N. Teutonia Avenue.
The Common Common unanimously endorsed the sale on Sept. 19.
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Related Legislation: File 230624
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