Community Advocates is celebrating 50 years of service—and we’re inviting partners and stakeholders to mark this milestone while helping to shape what comes next.

You or your organization can gain meaningful visibility while impacting programs that serve more than 60,000 people each year across housing, behavioral health, domestic violence services, and more—as a sponsor or table host for our 50th Anniversary Celebration on September 18, 2026.

Sponsorship and table hosting opportunities are available now, and individual ticket sales will begin in early June.

Celebrate the past. Support stronger, more stable families in our community. Thank you!

Community Advocates On April 28, Community Advocates brought together community leaders, service providers, and advocates for an important conversation on one of Milwaukee County’s fastest-growing public health challenges: housing insecurity among older adults.

Adults ages 50+ often facing rising rents, health challenges, and limited access to resources that make stable housing harder to maintain. Through research supported by Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment and completed in partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin, Community Advocates heard directly from more than 100 older adults experiencing housing insecurity and more than a dozen community stakeholders to better understand the barriers they face and the solutions our community needs.

Katherine Kishline, the project’s researcher, presented the findings, and the project’s Academic Partner, David Nelson, Ph.D., from the Medical College of Wisconsin, moderated the panel discussion.

The panel included:

• Bill Calawerts, MD, MPH, with Medical College of Wisconsin-North Side Family Medicine Residency, Outreach Community Health Center
• Erin Cronn, BSN, RN, Director of Nursing, City of Milwaukee Health Department
• Emily Kenney, LCSW, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Transformation, Milwaukee County Department of Health & Human Services
• Matt Raymond, Supportive Housing Program Director, Community Advocates

The presentation and panel discussion held at ThriveOn King highlighted the power of collaboration in creating real change. Thank you to everyone who joined us in exploring pathways forward and building a Milwaukee where aging with dignity includes safe, stable, and affordable housing for all.

April has come to an end, but the work of supporting survivors never does. As the Milwaukee Women’s Center reflects on Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we're reminded that awareness is only the beginning—the biggest impact is the ongoing, everyday commitment to prevention, care, safety, and healing. That’s why this year’s recognition as TeamTeal365's Paint the City Teal 2026 Decorating Competition winner feels so meaningful. Every teal detail symbolized solidarity, compassion, and a promise to survivors that they are seen and supported.

This honor belongs to the staff who show up every day with empathy and strength, the community effort to create spaces where healing is possible, and the survivors who continue to move forward with courage, resilience, and hope. 

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, we're celebrating You Are Special, a volunteer-run organization that provides birthday cakes to help everyone realize they are valued members of the community. Because of these dedicated volunteers, residents in our shelters and supportive housing programs experience something deeply meaningful: a birthday cake made just for them.

Since partnering with Community Advocates, You Are Special has helped an incredible number of our shelter guests and program participants celebrate their birthdays. Volunteers made and delivered:

• 299 cakes to the Autumn West Safe Haven guests
• 1,465 cakes to Project Bridge participants
• 357 cakes to the Milwaukee Women’s Center Emergency Shelter guests

Thank you, You Are Special, for reminding our community that they are seen, valued, and deserving of celebration! 

On April 23, Community Advocates joined leaders, policymakers, community members, and young people with lived experience at the 175th anniversary housing event hosted by Wellpoint Care Network. The discussion focused on the impact housing stability has on youth and young adults, and the collective action needed to create more stable futures.

Our Child Welfare Program Manager Lauren Faulds and Supportive Housing Director Matt Raymond served as table facilitators by helping to guide conversations and share insights from their work as housing advocates. We're grateful to be part of conversations that center lived experience, collaboration, and long-term solutions for youth housing stability. 

The Milwaukee Women’s Center’s Positive Options for Women Entering Recovery (POWER) provides treatment options for women ages 18+ who want to live a life free of a substance use disorder. Priority access will be given to pregnant women. Client-centered treatment plans will include individual counseling, group therapy and support groups and recovery support.

POWER treatment can be covered by Medicaid or private insurance.

Contact Linda today to learn more at 414-270-4600.

This spring, the Milwaukee Women’s Center had a wonderful outpouring of support for survivors from donors and volunteers. Some special shout-outs go to:

• The amazing volunteers from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, who helped to organize the clothing bank at the shelter.
• Two Men and a Truck-South Eastern Wisconsin and everyone who donated during this year’s Movers for Moms campaign, which collects essential items for our shelter guests.
• Hunger Task Force for their generous donation of new kitchen equipment to the Milwaukee Women's Center, which helps ensure that the people we serve can enjoy nourishing meals.
• Anonymous donors purchasing much-appreciated items on our Amazon wish list to improve the health and wellbeing of people of all ages coping with homelessness and housing insecurity.

Thanks so much for your kindness!

The Empowerment Coalition of Milwaukee (ECOM) is a monthly networking, educational, and professional development opportunity for social service professionals that features presentations from experts in the field.

Community Advocates serves as the convener for ECOM, a collaborative professional development group for service providers. ECOM is funded through participant registration fees, and training topics are selected in partnership with members to address emerging community needs and professional interests.

The next ECOM session will be held on June 24, when participants will learn about LGBTQ+ services in the community. 

Community Advocates has paused accepting new applications for direct rental assistance due to limited funding.

Exceptions apply for tenants facing:

• A placard
• Fire or domestic violence situations
• Residency in a Zilber Family Foundation Initiative Neighborhood (Lindsay Heights, Clarke Square, Layton Boulevard West)

The Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center will continue offering eviction prevention resources, mediation referrals, and case management.

The RHRC walk-in clinic is located inside the Community Advocates building at 728 N. James Lovell Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233, and is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tenants and landlords are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Intake specialists are available to assess your needs and provide connections to resources such as rent and utilities assistance, mediation services, and relocation support.

Additional assistance includes:

• Landlord/Tenant Programs: For tenants and landlords dealing with housing instability or lack of resources that could lead to eviction. Learn more.

• Rental Property Listings: Milwaukee-area rental opportunities and property management companies are updated each week on our website. Get details.

• Additional Eviction Prevention Resources: Find resources in the community to help stabilize households. Download resources now.

• Berrada Tenants Program: Community Advocates provides support to Berrada tenants and people who seek income-based rental housing in a Berrada Management apartment. Get details.

• Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center: The RHRC walk-in clinic, located in the Community Advocates building at 728 N. James Lovell St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53233, operates Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. During these hours, tenants and landlords can consult with an intake specialist on a first-come, first-served basis. The intake team will assess needs and offer resources or referrals for rent and utilities assistance, landlord/tenant dispute resolution through neutral mediation, and relocation services. Visit the RHRC in person, go to RentHelpMKE.org, or call 414-895-RENT (7368) for more information.

Looking for a meaningful way to give back to your community? We invite you to prepare and serve a meal to the 30 guests staying at the Milwaukee Women’s Center’s Emergency Shelter on the Near South Side of Milwaukee.

Details:

• Meals should be prepared, purchased, and served by volunteers at 6 p.m. daily.
• We provide a fully equipped commercial kitchen with all the utensils, pots, pans, and dishes, along with a commercial stove/oven. If you prefer, you can bring in fully cooked meals that are ready to serve.
• Volunteers will be required to wear hair nets, gloves, and masks when necessary to ensure the safety of all guests.
• Volunteers must complete an application and pass a background check.

This is a great opportunity for individuals, families, or groups to make a tangible difference in the lives of adults and kids who have survived domestic violence or homelessness.

Interested? Contact Jeri Kavanaugh at jkavanaugh@communityadvocates.net to discuss the details and schedule your date to serve.

Together, we can provide comfort, nourishment, and hope to those who need it most. Thank you for your support!

Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee has partnered with the Rental Housing Resource Center (located inside of the Community Advocates building, 728 N. James Lovell St., Milwaukee) to help individuals currently looking to remove past evictions from their CCAP Search.

This free clinic will be held on the second Wednesday of each month from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event is currently open to individuals with dismissed evictions and completed payment plans only. Only open to Milwaukee County. Walk-ins welcome. Appointments preferred. The next clinic will be held on Wednesday, June 10.

Community Advocates recognizes that people who live with Opioid Use Disorder and are in recovery need to live in a safe and stable home. To make that happen, we are providing Recovery Vouchers for up to six months of supportive housing for individuals and their families. To be eligible, the individual must be age 18 or older and have documentation of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) or receiving treatment to address OUD within the previous 12 months. In addition, the individual must have documentation of homelessness (Category 1, 2, 3, or 4).

To obtain a referral form, email Maudwella Kirkendoll.

The program is funded by the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration Division of Energy (DEHCR), Housing and Community Resources.

You can get in touch with us in the following ways:

• Call: 414-270-2992
• Email: Contact Us
• Facebook: facebook.com/CommunityAdvocatesMilwaukee
• Milwaukee Women’s Center’s 24/7 Crisis Line: 414-671-6140
• Milwaukee County Energy Assistance Program: 414-270-4653 or KeepWarmMKE.org
• FSET at Community Advocates: 414-290-7700
• Rent HelpLine: renthelp@communityadvocates.net
• Bottomless Closet: 414-270-2984
• Emergency services after hours or on weekends: 2-1-1