PROMOVER LA IGUALDAD RACIAL MEDIANTE VIVIENDAS ASEQUIBLES Y DE CALIDAD PARA TODOS LOS HABITANTES DE MILWAUKEE

Dear Housing Accomplices:

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Summer is here! Kids are out of school, there’s no shortage of festivals every weekend, but the pace at CDA isn’t slowing down.
 

We’re planning our annual conference (mark your calendar for Sept. 16). This year’s theme is “Thriving in Place: Advancing Homebuyer Support for Strong Neighborhoods."
 

We’ll be examining displacement through gentrification and the terrible practice of displacement through abandonment that has caused the loss of more than 500 homes in each of several neighborhoods of color across Milwaukee.
 

What is displacement through abandonment? It's the process where single-family homes and duplexes have been bought and sold from one landlord to another, until the last landlord holding the property abandons it. And it’s one of the reasons we have a lack of affordable housing. Reporter Hope Moses wrote about this in BizTimes.

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But there is positive news to share.

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story by Mike Gousha and John D. Johnson noted that the demographic profile of new homebuyers in Milwaukee more closely mirrors the city’s overall population, and that Black and Latino homeownership is increasing. It also reported that large, out-of-state investment companies have stopped their buying spree and are now selling properties.
 

Meanwhile, Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke is suing David Tomblin, an out-of-state landlord regarding his business practices. Tomblin owes roughly $355,000 in tax debt to the City of Milwaukee.
 

Tomblin is owner of Highgrove Holdings Management LLC, which has overseen an estimated 260 properties in Milwaukee, most of which have been left vacant and dilapidated as far back as 2020. The City Attorney’s office filed legal action against Tomblin's network of business entities after investigations into widespread property neglect, code violations, unpaid property taxes, and safety and security concerns. Goyke spoke about how his office addresses property neglect cases
during our quarterly Allies meeting on June 9. Goyke and Deputy City Attorney Julie Wilson also answered questions about the process (their presentation begins 31 minutes into the recording).
 

And finally, a grassroots group, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT), is adding homeownership and affordable housing as one of its interests. LIT seeks to involve Black and Brown young people to transform their communities to create just, safe and thriving schools and neighborhoods. Cristhabel Martinez, LIT’s senior manager of civic engagement, is a member of CDA’s new Policy and Advocacy Council (more about that below).
 

Thank you, accomplices, for your ongoing work and dedication.

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Sincerely,

 

Teig