NEW BERLIN — More than 1,000 New Berlin residents are pushing back against a proposed $12 million rehabilitation facility that would house men struggling with substance abuse issues.
Hannah Brenner, who lives just half a mile from the proposed site on South Moorland Road, said she's concerned about safety in her neighborhood.
Watch: Why these residents say they don't want a rehabilitation facility in their community:
"A lot of people let their kids go off on their own. I just don't think it's worth the risk of how it could change our city," Brenner said. "Every single person on this road is concerned about what's going on."
The Milwaukee Rescue Mission plans to build a 57,000-square-foot facility that would eventually house up to 120 men on the road to recovery from addiction before being reintegrated into society.
A petition opposing the project has gathered 1,400 signatures, but city documents say it cannot deny the development because of laws protecting religious organizations such as the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.
"I don't think we know enough about the rules of the facility. Is someone just allowed to leave whenever they want? What if they don't have a car, what if they're homeless? Are they just going to walk into our city. I don't really know," Brenner said.
Milwaukee Rescue Mission President Pat Vanderburgh agreed to an interview to address those concerns.
"This is a rigorous, organized program," Vanderburgh said. "People aren't just dropping in, coming in and going out. They're in residence for 6 months. They're vetted for four weeks before they come on this program."
The Milwaukee Rescue Mission says it has seen a large increase in the need for its rehabilitative programs outside of Milwaukee, including in Waukesha County.
"This property became available to us and when we looked at the property, it was perfect in a lot of ways. I mean, it's just very accessible all over the metropolitan area, easy to get to right off the expressway," Vanderburgh said.
A document from the New Berlin Department of City Development states: "Because this facility is considered to be a religious institution … a public hearing was not required, and the city does not have discretion to deny the use based on fear or speculative perceived impacts."
Brenner believes residents deserve to have their voices heard before the project clears its final hurdle — city approval to combine two separate properties into one to build the campus.
"I'm not not in support of a facility that's trying to help people. I'm not naive to addiction. We have experience with that with family," Brenner said. "I just think you also have to be real and logistic about the kind of associates that that can bring to our area."
The Milwaukee Rescue Mission says it hopes to break ground on its New Berlin campus in 2025 and open in 2027. TMJ4 reached out to New Berlin’s mayor to request an interview. We have yet to get a response.
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