HUD Public Housing Officials Visit Milwaukee

WASHINGTON – Last week, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) Richard Monocchio, the highest-ranking official of HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing, along with representatives from HUD, visited the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) to show its commitment to ensuring clean, safe and affordable housing for residents. PDAS Monocchio’s visit is part of ongoing efforts by HUD to engage with the City of Milwaukee and to hear directly from residents, while assessing the conditions of the Locust Court and College Court public housing communities. In alignment with HUD’s goals to prioritize the health and safety of HUD-assisted residents, officials toured two public housing developments alongside local public housing resident leaders, held two resident town-halls and met with City and HACM leadership. These site visits follow a HUD-organized virtual listening session last month to hear directly from residents about their concerns and opportunities for progress at public housing properties across Milwaukee.

“HUD believes that all Americans—regardless of background or economic standing— deserve a safe, quality and affordable home,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, Richard J. Monocchio. “During my visit to Milwaukee, I saw the conditions of Locust Court and College Court when I toured both buildings with residents who live there and heard their concerns. HUD is laser focused on ensuring that the City of Milwaukee and the housing authority quickly resolve these issues and ensure that the proper cleaning and safety standards are successfully met.”

During the meeting with HACM officials, PDAS Monocchio made HUD’s expectations clear: HACM must meet its requirements to better serve their residents by ensuring that public housing properties throughout Milwaukee must be clean and safe, repairs must be made, and funds should be spent wisely and efficiently. HUD remains focused on providing agency oversight and technical assistance as the housing authority addresses and remediates health and safety threats. While last week’s visit centered around hearing directly from residents at Locust Court and College Court, HUD is committed to overseeing the delivery of results to all HACM residents. The Department is working with HACM to improve capacity to address resident needs, including improving program compliance, administration, and customer service.

Last week’s visit is part of HUD’s continued engagement with HACM, City of Milwaukee housing leaders, and local stakeholders to ensure resident needs are being addressed. The local HUD team continues to work closely with HACM on corrective actions to address concerns as a part of HUD’s continued oversight of PHA operations. HUD commits to ongoing engagement with local stakeholder groups to ensure decent, safe, and sanitary housing is being provided to HACM residents.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.