Courage MKE recently bought a new building. Here's how it will help homeless LGBTQ+ youth in Milwaukee
Even the dreary rain falling on Monday afternoon couldn't dampen Brad Schlaikowski's mood as he turned the key into a newly purchased property for the first time.
That property, located at 2030 W. National Ave., represents an extension of the nonprofit Courage MKE, an agency dedicated to the development and support of LGBTQ+ youth co-founded by Schlaikowski and his husband, Nick.
At two stories tall and with a newly renovated interior, the building is expected to house up to seven young adults between the ages of 18-24 who are homeless or who have aged out of foster care. At C2 Apartments, the name Schlaikowski plans to give it, trauma-informed around-the-clock staff will fulfill the duties of a typical landlord and also help the youth cultivate daily living skills.
“On paper, they’re an adult now because it says they’re 18,” Schlaikowski explained. “But these children have not had the luxury of people training them and getting them ready for adult life.”
Schlaikowski said he expects C2 Apartments to have a dorm-like environment, free of prejudice and built with spaces for both community and privacy.
The location is the second one purchased by Courage MKE. In 2019, the nonprofit started by opening a supportive home for LGBTQ+ youth ages 12-17 called Courage House.
RELATED:Milwaukee's Courage House for LGBTQ+ youth fills one of its five beds — and both homeowners' hearts
Courage House staff take in referrals from social welfare systems for homeless LGBTQ+ youth and counsel them through their past traumas. While living in a shared space with staff, the youth also attend school and participate in quarterly volunteer projects.
Last year, it was certified as a qualified residential treatment program by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.
After the success of Courage House — the state’s first home dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth — the idea of working on a youth center to help LGBTQ youth transition into more independent living bloomed.
Persevering through pandemic-related funding struggles and health protocols, Courage MKE’s program manager, Jean Northway, connected with the Ali Forney Center, a New York-based social service agency that supports LGBTQ+ youth nationwide, with a particular emphasis on the homeless. Through the center’s technical assistance mentorship program, Courage MKE was able to purchase C2 Apartments and continue to participate in the program with 12 other nonprofits to develop programming and learn from one another.
“(As) nonprofits, the sad thing is, we’re all competing for dollars. But when we put our heads together and work together, look at how many kids we get to serve,” Schlaikowski said, pointing out how a center in New York is helping children in Milwaukee.
“This is exactly what it means for community to help community,” he added.
Schlaikowski said he expects the rehabilitation of the building to be brief since it was gutted and renovated prior to the pandemic. He also said he is grateful for the continued support of partners such as a carpenters union, which has agreed to help convert a living room on the second floor into two bedrooms, and Kohl's, which has promised to help furnish the home.
Once that’s finished, Schlaikowski said residents from Courage House will be able to transition to C2 apartments once they turn 18.
The outpouring of support from the community is, Schlaikowksi said, another example of a house built by love.
“They have no one to count on, so we should be the ones they can count on because that’s what these kids deserve,” he said.
LGBTQ+ youth, who are often victims of domestic violence and/or forced to leave home due to discrimination, often experience a type of homelessness often missed: “hidden homelessness,” experienced by people who lack a permanent home of their own and move from one temporary living situation to the next. According to a 2022 survey of LGBTQ youth mental health conducted by The Trevor Project, only 37% of LGBTQ+ youth found their home to be an affirming space.
Growing up in a supportive environment is associated with improved mental health and school outcomes among LGBTQ+ youth, which is why Schlaikowski wants to increase the city’s capacity to house them.
“When these LGBTQ kids are going through group homes and foster homes and not accepted for who they are and who they love, that creates trauma for our children,” Schlaikowski said. “They need to know when they wake up in their home, they are home and loved no matter what, so they can focus on going to therapy every week, or school or (answering), ‘how am I going to leave this new place and be a successful adult on my own?’”
Schlaikowski said he anticipates the C2 Apartments to open sometime in the fall.
Resources
You can reach Courage House by calling 414-240-2882 or emailing info@CourageMKE.org and you can donate here.
To learn more about LGBTQ youth and health, visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Service's webpage as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage.
If you or an LGBTQ young person you know is seeking mental health and suicide prevention resources, you can visit Prevent Suicide Wisconsin for resources throughout Wisconsin.
The Rainbow Alliance for Youth of Wisconsin is also a resource for LGBTQ youth. You can reach the group by email or contacting Diverse & Resilient at 414-390-0444.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Courage MKE acquires building to help Milwaukee’s homeless LGBTQ+ youth
