Homeowners can get free repair help from Revitalize Milwaukee. Now it's expanding to offer more services.
Nearly a year after receiving a $1 million Equitable Recovery Grant through American Rescue Plan Act funds, Revitalize Milwaukee announced it will begin offering residents lead abatement, energy efficiency and asthma remediation services.
Here's what you need to know about what Revitalize Milwaukee does for residents — and how to get help if you need it.
Revitalize Milwaukee makes critical repairs for residents in need — for free
Revitalize Milwaukee is a community-based nonprofit that makes accessibility modifications and provides critical and emergency repairs for low-income seniors, veterans and people living with disabilities.
Services it offers residents include:
Sealing plumbing leaks
Filling in cement and smoothing over tripping hazards
Replacing broken appliances, such as stoves and toilets
Installing grab bars and converting tubs to be more accessible
Lowering kitchen countertops to be more accessible
The nonprofit is also part of the Community Development Alliance, an affordable housing coalition focused on increasing and preserving homeownership in Black and Latino communities while constructing new housing to serve the city’s low-income residents.
Revitalize Milwaukee is expanding to offer new programs
Lynn Katz-Petted, Revitalize Milwaukee’s CEO, said it is expanding services, adding staff and increasing the size of its offices.
The nonprofit will add more space to its headquarters at 840 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., where it will offer the following new services:
A Lead Abatement Program to remove and/or seal chipping and peeling lead-based paint that could expose children to lead, a toxic substance known to cause neurological and developmental problems. The nonprofit is partnering with the city of Milwaukee’s Health Department to increase its capacity for lead hazard abatement.
An Asthma Safe Homes Program, as part of the Wisconsin Department of Health Service’s renewed initiative to reduce the rates of uncontrolled asthma. As a partner, Revitalize Milwaukee will identify and eliminate asthma triggers and provide asthma education.
An Energy Efficiency Service Program that will help homeowners with insulation to reduce window and door drafts, replace old and inefficient appliances and connect them to other grants opportunities.
Revitalize Milwaukee also added five new staff members to help administer those programs.
The nonprofit is also always looking for contractors or volunteers interested in helping make repairs on homes. You can call 414-312-7531 to get involved.
How residents can get help from Revitalize Milwaukee
If you are in need of critical repairs, from tripping hazards to faulty appliances, you can call 414-704-1581.
Revitalize Milwaukee uses millions in funding to expand
Revitalize Milwaukee received more than $12 million from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission’s Energy Innovation Grant Program for weatherization services; Wisconsin’s health department to reduce asthma triggers and state health department and ARPA funds for lead abatement.
Part of the $12 million also came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to construct accessibility accommodations for seniors, and Kohl’s Corporation Hometown Giving Program, to provide free critical home repairs.
Talis Shelbourne is an investigative solutions reporter covering the issues of affordable housing, environment and equity issues. Have a tip? You can reach Talis at (414) 403-6651 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and message her on Facebook at @talisseer.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Revitalize Milwaukee adding more services beyond home repair
