MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County employees picked up hammers and hard hats Thursday to help build homes in Milwaukee's Midtown neighborhood near 23rd and Juneau, partnering with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity as part of a broader push to expand affordable home ownership across the county.
The build is part of the county's "Into the Streets" initiative, which brought Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley out to volunteer alongside Habitat staff and interns.
"Today we are volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to continue to build more affordable housing opportunities," Crowley said.
Crowley said the work carries personal meaning.
"For me, this is a full circle moment. I know what the stability of a home can provide. And when we talk about health, health isn't just mental and physical. You know, money in your pocket is health. Having a roof over your head is health," Crowley said.
Watch: Milwaukee County employees join Habitat for Humanity to build affordable homes on city’s north side
He added that the need extends well beyond one neighborhood.
"We know that we have so much more work to do, not just here in Milwaukee, but across the state and across this country," Crowley said.
Al Smith, chief operating officer of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, said the homes being built in the Midtown and King Park area are designed to create lasting change for families and the surrounding community.
"These homes represent a quality of homes that we build in the Midtown and King Park area that allows us to provide stability and affordable housing for people looking to become first-time homeowners," Smith said.
Smith said the impact reaches beyond individual families.
"That helps to continue to stabilize these neighborhoods; it allows them to be able to apply it to other things that help them to build generational wealth," Smith said.
He described a vision of neighborhoods where residents can truly put down roots.
"Better neighborhoods where people feel comfortable living and thriving and being able to work nearby and not have to drive hours to go to work every day," Smith said.
Smith, who was born and raised in Milwaukee, said the mission is deeply personal.
"I'm extremely passionate about this work because I'm born and raised in Milwaukee," Smith said.
He pointed to a recent success story as an example of what the program makes possible.
"We have a recent homeowner that closed on our home maybe like 2 or 3 weeks ago named Charmaine...she recently became a homeowner of a 3-bedroom home for Milwaukee Habitat," Smith said.
"We're thrilled to be able to offer those opportunities for people that are coming into the pipeline," Smith said.
Among those swinging a hammer Thursday was Jmius "Jay" Bell, a Milwaukee Academy of Science graduate who started with Habitat as a volunteer and now works as an intern learning the trades. Bell said the transition from volunteer to paid intern came quickly after graduation.
"It is. I actually just graduated with the class of 2025, so right after high school, I went the big step, kind of got my certifications, and then I got lucky with the job, and they hired me on," Bell said.
On Thursday, Bell and the crew focused on detailed construction work.
"Today we've been doing mostly windows. You gotta set it in place first, nail it. Tomorrow we're doing the normal truss for the roof," Bell said.
Bell grew up just blocks from the build site and said helping families move into homes like the ones he never had growing up makes the work feel personal.
"Like literally around the corner, not far at all. So it's really a big impact because me myself, I didn't grow up in these types of houses. I've never really had the chance to, so it's nice to be able to help people get to experience that," Bell said.
For Bell, the reward goes beyond the construction itself.
"It's amazing. It's one of the best feelings in the world, really. I like, really like watching it transform, like seeing it from basically nothing and watching it build all the way up to what it is now," Bell said.
"We know what we're doing is helping the community, because you know we put people in houses, people that never had houses before, so it really is powerful," Bell said.
Organizers say they plan to continue expanding affordable home ownership opportunities across the county.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
