MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County uses its housing first method to get people off the streets and into permanent housing.
Under a housing first philosophy, Milwaukee County Heath and Human Services works to provide the unhoused with housing, without pre-conditions.
“The Milwaukee County Housing First philosophy provides housing to those most in need without pre-condition. This is because, we have found, the most vulnerable in our community can only solve one life-changing problem at a time. When you are living outside, without a roof over your head or knowing where your next meal will come from, that instantly becomes your most important problem,” its website explained.
Even so, there is a difference between finding housing and finding a home.
Robert Itzin is a Milwaukee resident who has struggled with homelessness in the past.
(Spectrum News 1/Cody Taylor)
Seven years ago, Itzin said he was struggling with his sexuality. After coming out as a gay man and getting a divorce from his wife, he found himself living on the streets.
“The roughness of that and that exposure led me to homelessness and substance abuse and just reconciling who I was in the world,” Itzin said.
Itzin said he spent three to four years struggling with homelessness.
Through the help of Guest House and Milwaukee County, Itzin was able to get into permanent housing.
“I just happened to be standing in the right food line for that meal at the right time when they came by looking for people that would fit the qualifications for that program,” Itzin said.
Itzin said he was grateful to be living inside, but without furniture and proper appliances, he said it did not feel like a home.
(Spectrum News 1/Cody Taylor)
Years ago, when the county helped him find housing, there was no program set up to provide furniture and home goods for those who were recently newly housed. Steve Bauer is the CEO of Guest House. He said recently he and other county leaders came up with a solution to that problem.
Bauer and other groups throughout the county started collecting bulk donations and keeping them in storage units that could be given to people like Itzin.
“We’re going to have 26 pallets of linens that we are going to be giving out to other folks,” Bauer said. “We had 200 mattresses donated by Marquette University that have already been given out.”
Bauer said his plan is to come up with an inventory list that people in need of supplies can look at and claim.
“Once the inventory comes out, we can then sign folks up to come and grab stuff,” Bauer said. “That inventory will be kept up to date and we will continue to put that out until we have nothing left to give.”
(Spectrum News 1/Cody Taylor)
Itzin said it can be tough to move into an apartment without furniture. He said he had to do it in the past and he wants to make sure others don’t have to go through what he went through. That’s why he now spends time volunteering with Guest House.
“I do well just giving back this way because I get it. I get it, so it is all about giving back,” Itzin said.
Those who have a large donation they would like to make can contact Bauer at [email protected].
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