Young Adult Resource Center Expands to South Side

Owen’s Place young adult center, 504 W. National Ave. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

A new community resource center for young adults struggling with employment and mental health opened in Walker’s Point.

The new center, 504 W. National Ave., is the second location for a unique drop-in resource center called Owen’s Place, providing employment and mental health services for young adults aged 16-24, as well as a setting to make social connections and find community.

Owen’s Place was created through a partnership between Milwaukee County’s Behavioral Health Services and St. Charles Youth & Family Services. The program began as a clubhouse at the Milwaukee County Mental Health complex and now has two community center branches: the new southside location and another at 4610 W. Fond du Lac Ave.

“This is a monumental time for us, and we’re very excited about this expansion,” said Glynis Underwood, St. Charles vice president of operations community programs.

County Executive David Crowley and other county officials joined the staff of Owen’s Place on Friday to celebrate the opening of the second location.

“Opening this door isn’t just an act of an act of compassion,” Crowley said. “This is an investment in the collective future of all of Milwaukee County, and I’m hopeful that these expanded services will reach those who are in need.”

Young people can walk into an Owen’s Place resource center and receive assistance with finding employment, educational opportunities and mental health resources. The centers are named for a former Milwaukee County employee who helped create programming for children transitioning to adulthood.

“Our vision has always been crystal clear to support young adults in our community, untethered by the constraints of traditional programs,” said Brian McBride, director of the county’s Wraparound Milwaukee services. “We recognize the importance of creating spaces where our youth can find community, where they can find not just services but genuine connections and opportunities to flourish.”

The new resource center is located in Sup. Caroline Gómez-Tom‘s district, who thanked BHS and St. Charles for bringing a location to her district, adding, “And I look forward to witnessing the impacts made here on the south side.”

“The opening of the second Owen’s Place location meets people where they are and provides greater access to services for youth,” said Shakita LaGrant-McClain, executive director of the Department of Health and Human Services. “We believe there is ‘No Wrong Door’ for anyone in need of our services. I’m very pleased there will be a great new community location for our young people to connect to resources and programming.”

The county’s Wraparound Milwaukee program aims to integrate resources and monitoring from multiple different systems and institutions into one care plan for children with serious behavioral and mental health issues. McBride said the new resource center “symbolizes our unwavering commitment to providing our young adults with access to the resources and services they need to succeed.”