WestCare Wisconsin operates the Harambee Community Involvement Center through CDBG funding provided by the City of Milwaukee Community Development Grants Administration; and serve as the Neighborhood Strategic Planning (NSP) lead agency for Area 6 in the 6th Aldermanic District to address the issues of public safety, property values, economic vitality and quality of life. Program activities include coordinating community events that will educate, enrich, encourage and positively engage the community. We collaborate with the City Alderwoman’s office and local police department (MPD District 5) to help improve the quality of life for area residents by bridging the service gaps that exist between community needs and available resources.

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WestCare Wisconsin operates the organizing of this community through CDBG funding provided by the City of Milwaukee Community Development Grants Administration; and serve as the Neighborhood Strategic Planning (NSP) lead agency for Area 8 (Metcalfe Park) in the 15th Aldermanic District to address the issues of public safety, property values, economic vitality, and quality of life. Program activities include coordinating community events that will educate, enrich, encourage, and positively engage the community. We collaborate with the City Alderman’s office and local police department (MPD District 3) to help improve the quality of life for area residents by bridging the service gaps that exist between community needs and available resources.

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The Neighborhood Improvement Project is funded by a grant from the City of Milwaukee Community Development Grants Administration; with oversight provided by the Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS). The NIP program offers financial assistance to eligible owner occupants in order to correct municipal building and safety code violations and also reduce lead-based paint hazards so that residents can remain in their homes. WestCare Wisconsin works with the DNS Inspector to assess the scope of work to be done and estimate the reasonable cost of the proposed renovation. Maintenance work includes minor carpentry, roofing, painting, lead work, gutters, window repair / replacement, etc. Mechanical work includes electrical, plumbing, heating or major masonry work.

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Our youth programs are designed to address urban quality of life issues; and services offered are intended to increase skill level and readiness for employment; reduce teen/young adult unemployment; provide job placement and retention; encourage participation in continuing public safety education and campaign; and violence prevention mentoring that will help to reduce aggression and fatalities amongst teens/young adults. Collaborating with the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Promise Zones, Employ Milwaukee-Earn & Learn, and Milwaukee Public Schools.

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Everything And Then Some (E.A.T.S.) Food Pantry at the Harambee Community Involvement Center allows for the neighbors, and other Milwaukee residents, to come and pick up an assortment of sustenance goods including fresh vegetables, fruit, other consumable items, spring water and kid-friendly snacks/ drinks for free; every Wednesday starting at 1:00 PM until everything is gone. WestCare Wisconsin operates a food distribution program, open to the public, as a community partner and active member agency with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.

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WestCare Wisconsin Life Skills Training Project, using evidence-based practice and trauma-informed care in educational and substance abuse prevention programs to achieve positive outcomes for middle school-aged students attending Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS).

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The Program ensure Residents self-certify as a HUD Section 3 business and register with the HUD Section 3 Business Registry. Section 3 is the legal basis for providing jobs for residents and awarding contracts to businesses in areas receiving certain types of HUD financial assistance. Milwaukee is a vibrant development market that need more minority contractors. Contractors and non-profits are struggling to find workers in the residential sector. WC-WI is providing the technical assistance needed to bridge the gap between government and contractors. Contractors will not bear the burden alone for finding work and access to completing the work.

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WestCare Wisconsin Clinical Services offer innovative holistic mental health, and alcohol and drug addiction treatment services focusing on the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. We address the individual needs of each consumer and their families; and treat each person with the dignity and respect they deserve. We offer an in-depth individual behavioral health assessment that will provide a recommended level of treatment to which we can refer individuals to the following: level of care determination (including outpatient, day treatment or residential); choice in provider selection (including recovery support services, job training programs and housing); and Opioid maintenance, treatment, and assistance. The Access Point North Assessment Center (APNAC) is designed to determine eligibility for Milwaukee County, Wiser-Choice AODA treatment, and Ancillary services, including case management, serving adults 18 to 59 years of age. We currently operate the north side APNAC.

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The WC-WI Harambee 53212…Pulling Together for a Drug Free Communities (DFC) Coalition defines its work as: (1) to establish and strengthen partnerships and collaborations among communities, private nonprofit organizations, law enforcement agencies, and governmental entities in 53212; (2) reduce marijuana, opiate cocktail, and alcohol use among youth residing in 53212; (3) increase awareness in the 53212 community regarding the specific problems and challenges faced by the youth, and; (4) address poverty, prevention service and data gaps existing within the 53212 community.

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The WestCare Wisconsin team are experienced transformative mentors who are rooted in the community and are able to connect with families, communities, and leaders to prevent and interrupt violence and respond to neighborhood / community level trauma, create space for positive youth engagement & community voice; and change agent for racial equity and policy on issues that plague the youth, families, and community. Credible Messengers are available to respond to youth dysregulation, parent/child conflict, community violence involving referred person and other situations deemed critical to the well-being and safety of the Department of Youth and Family Service supervised youth.

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WestCare Wisconsin, in partnership with Bader Philanthropies, Inc. pulled together a group of young scholars, ages 11 – 14 years old to form a Jr. Youth Action Council (Jr. YAC). The purpose of the Jr. YAC is to start mentoring as well as provide financial literacy at a much early age, pre-teen / young teen, and assist the youth with cultivating their dreams and vision. This is a 10-week summer youth leadership development program (Jun to Aug) conducted at the WestCare Wisconsin office. The summer experience empowers our youth to establish a routine of responsibility, earn a little income, learn how to best manage their money (financial literacy), as well as acquire skills to help them better understand how to navigate through puberty challenges and peer pressure.

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WestCare Wisconsin has partnered with the United Way and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School to join the Milwaukee Community Schools Partnership (MCSP) Team! MCSP uses a collective strategy to transform schools into a place where students, families, staff, and the surrounding community can work together to ensure every student is successful. This strategy uses data to place the focus on the whole child by providing academic supports, social & emotional learning, health & wellness, family & community engagement, and a safe and supportive climate.

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WestCare Wisconsin, Inc. and the WC-WI Harambee 53212…Pulling Together for a Drug Free Communities (DFC) Coalition has the capacity to provide community-based interventions, reduce the availability, accessibility, and community norms favorable to youth opioid use. WC-WI is leveraging the full resources of DFC funding, and community and health professionals through peer counseling, supportive services, youth education, SUD treatment, and pre-, post, and follow-up surveys to properly document Harambee 53212 youth ages 12 to 18. CARA will provide the opportunities to train on the Strategic Prevention Framework, historic community trauma and how it impacts substance abuse rates, Mental Health First AID, strategic planning, how to administer NARCAN®/(naloxone HCI) policies, evidence-based prevention strategies, and other capacity building training that will build leadership skills.

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WestCare Wisconsin is proud to announce a partnership with Northcott Neighborhood House, Milwaukee Public Schools, and ThriveOn Collaboration to present a fundamental basketball camp for young male scholars in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. We utilize a motivational speaking mentor, Own It Mentor (Rick Polk) to speak with the young men about the court activity. The basketball camp, which is taught by Marcus Landry, a former NBA player, is held on Saturday mornings from 8 am till 11 am. The young scholars start by writing their thoughts in a journal. Own It Mentor (Rick) conduct sessions with the scholars at least three times weekly to discuss school, home, and other court activities. Marcus coach and teach them plays such as take out the trash, wash the dishes, make up your bed, basic routines to help them relate to real life activities.

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The WestCare Wisconsin team will conduct a program evaluation study on the WestCare Cream City Credible Messenger Program and the fundamental Basketball Camp. Both are existing programs that serve at-risk, and justice involved youth. Group, individual and family mentoring activities, restorative justice healing peace circles, Forward Thinking, Transformational Change along with Social Capitol and Botvin Life Skills Training curriculum is provided weekly. The program goal is to improve outcomes (such as improved academic performance and reduced school dropout rates) for at-risk and system-involved youth, and reduce negative outcomes (including juvenile delinquency, substance use and gang participation) through face-to-face, teleconference and mobile mentoring platforms in the Milwaukee County community. The objective is to sustain and serve as many at-risk youths as possible while tracking the types of support they may need in the future, reflecting on accomplishments, success stories, challenges, and progress.

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WestCare Wisconsin Inc. partners with Beulah Family Homestead which services communities in need and have already partnered with several local organizations, intent on serving more than 100 families per month. Beulah Family Homestead is intentional about educating inner city families and youth about holistic, sustainable food on their 13 acre farm.

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The Trauma-Informed Ministry Model (TIMM) training addresses the low mental health utilization rate amongst BIPOC communities and their greater unmet need for trauma care, thus giving faith-based organizations a unique opportunity to affect mental health disparities by becoming a trauma-informed faith community. The TIMM training uses existing best and evidence-based practices to provide training to faith-based organizations and faith leaders by using three core components: Mental Health First Aid, Psychological First Aid & Verbal Crisis Prevention De-escalation practices.

Additional Offerings:
SafeTALK
“In LivingWorks safeTALK you will learn how to reach out to someone thinking about suicide and help them keep safe by promptly connecting them to further support.” - livingworks.net

ASIST
In LivingWorks ASIST, “you’ll learn how to recognize when someone may be thinking about suicide, and how to provide a skilled intervention and develop a safety plan with the person to connect them to further support.” - livingworks.net

CALM
“Counseling on Access to Lethal Means is [...] designed to help providers implement counseling strategies to help clients at risk for suicide and their families reduce access to lethal means, particularly (but not exclusively) firearms.” - sprc.org

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Through our harm reduction mobile called “The Mann Above”, WestCare Wisconsin provides training in NARCAN, CPR and First Aid, Mental Health 1st Aid, telehealth, and therapeutic services.

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