MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee homeless sanctuary and resource center asked for the city’s help on Tuesday to expand their campus so they can reach more people.
The MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary is located at 2461 W. Center Street. Their CEO, Sister MacCanon Brown, said they serve roughly 200 households a week.
She and other leaders at the center gave Mayor Cavalier Johnson and other city officials a tour of their current facility.
Brown is hopeful the city will help them secure more land to expand. She said they want to add more resource buildings and even affordable housing.
“We would be able to make even more of an impact if we had these other properties to develop,” Brown explained.
Founded in 2014, the nonprofit currently owns its main building and a home next door where it hosts events for the community, like food pantries. Valerie Bell helped residents at the pantry Tuesday while the tour was happening.
“It feels good to help people. I was in that position before where I needed things. To give to people just like me, it means a lot, “ Bell said.
After volunteering for two months, she was just hired as a new employee. As the team grows, Brown is hopeful their space will too.
All of this comes as the Milwaukee County DHHS Housing Services said their Homeless Outreach teams are seeing an uptick in the county’s current unsheltered population.
As of August 22, they said nearly 200 people are without shelter. That’s up from 18 at the same time in 2022, and 114 in 2019.
“This is one of the most distressed neighborhoods in the state of Wisconsin, and we are starting to reverse homelessness and poverty significantly here,” Brown said.
“This will be a community space offering daytime services and programs helping people.”
For more information on the center, you can visit their website.
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