A reflection on Milwaukee-Habitat's 15 years of building homes and hope 1983... In October of 1983, a few people gathered at the Interlude on the westside of Milwaukee to think through the Habitat for Humanity philosophy. The group included Pat Flood (Greater Milwaukee Conference of Religion and Urban Affairs), Frank Zeidler (Lutheran Social Action Conference, Mary Nelson (Bethel Housing in Chicago), Rick Deines (Milwaukee Lutheran Coalition) and Jean Leslie. (Rick Deines, the director of the Milwaukee Lutheran Coalition, had worked with Habitat for Humanity in Kansas City before moving to Milwaukee and believed that the Habitat model would work in this community.)

The following month, a group of twelve folks concerned about the lack of affordable housing in Milwaukee met in the lounge at Bay Shore Lutheran Church. Rick had called the group together to meet with Habitat's founder, Millard Fuller. Millard shared the Habitat vision and inspired the group. In spite of having no money, no house and no prospective homesteader, Millard encouraged the group to proceed with creating a Habitat ministry here.

1984... By May 1984, the appropriate papers were written and filed - thanks to Dave Nestingen and Milwaukee Habitat (MHH) was on the way to becoming a viable nonprofit organization charged with developing a homeownership program for low income families. In October of that year, in Amarillo, Texas, we officially became an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) - the 39th affiliate in the United States. Milwaukee Habitat folks attended the first Jimmy Carter Work Project in New York City in October 1984. Carrying banners representing their affiliates, volunteers walked across the Brooklyn Bridge on to the lower eastside, through a half dozen wonderful ethnic neighborhoods, arriving at the building site to celebrate the first stages of the rehabilitation of a large, multi-family apartment building.

Volunteerism is one of the pillars on which Habitat's ministry is founded. The highlight of volunteerism in December 1984 was the letter from friends in Gladstone, Michigan which said, "we're coming" - not when or anything, just, "we're coming". Steve and Erik Strom, Steve Smith and Peter Swanson made their way to Milwaukee to become our first official volunteer team. Without a volunteer coordinator, Board members signed up every month for one Saturday and took responsibility for bringing a group with them to work with Dick Tushaus on whatever project was in process. We began to encourage other groups to work with on Saturdays from 9:00-4:00. By December 1984, Judy Knight (one of the charter members and chair of the site selection committee) was in the process of purchasing a house from Reformation Lutheran Church and Dick Tushaus, a retired hardware store owner and a member of the original Board of Directors, became our project manager, charged with the oversight of our first rehabilitation project on North 36th Street.

1985... The first annual meeting of this fledgling group was held in February 1985. Millard Fuller returned for the event which was held at Lake Park Lutheran Church. Members of the first Board of Directors were elected: Gerhard Fischer, Judy Knight, David Nestingen, William Wenzler, Rick Deines, Jean Leslie, Laura Seeber, Dick Tushaus, Kay Bawden, David Dix, Rich Gottsacker and Steve Zale. Rick served as the chair of the Board of Directors, a position he held until 1998. A little over $4,000 was raised in the first ten months of MHH's ministry - from 37 contributors -individuals and churches. Early church support came from Plymouth Church, Fox Point Lutheran Church, Lincoln Park Lutheran, Reformation Lutheran, Bay Shore Lutheran and Eastbrook Church. Dick Tushaus became MHH's first part-time, paid staff person in May 1985.

1986... Gerhard Fischer and Laura Seeber took on the task of setting the early policies for family selection and by early 1986 the first two families were living in their Habitat houses.  The Logan family was the first Habitat family in Milwaukee.

In early 1986, major gift from Lake Park Lutheran Church, in connection with their 75th anniversary, served as a catalyst for other major gifts. Responding to questions within the congregation as to "Why Habitat?," Jerome Nilssen, then pastor at Lake Park wrote: "Even though its national and international track records are first-rate, it is a new organization in Milwaukee. That causes some concern Yet its motivation is clearly Christian-based, and its vision is dynamic and practical. Housing for low-income people is an indisputable need, and the renovation of a select number of houses can lead to the renovation of a neighborhood. So through Habitat our congregation can participate in a renewal process that is in keeping with the Gospel promises regarding the building up of community and the transforming of human life. Like many congregations, Lake Park has talked much about ministry in and to the city; here is an opening to make some enduring changes in the structure of the city." Habitat often hears that participants in Habitat's ministry receive more than they give. Pastor Nilssen also wrote: "It must also be mentioned, however, that Habitat has done much for us. It has put a roof and walls around our words about hospitality. We wanted to do outreach ministry; Habitat helped us to translate that wanting into doing." By the end of 1986 four families were living in MHH houses.

1987... In 1987, St. Pius X in Wauwatosa, with the encouragement and support of the late Fr. Luke McArthur and members Bill and Vicki Allen, became the first congregation in the Milwaukee area to sponsor a Habitat house,

1987 was also the year of our first annual House Raising Week. During the last week in July over 200 volunteers just showed up between Monday and Friday - around 1:00 p.m. Two work shifts (1-5:00 and 4:00-8:00) were available. Some volunteers came every day of the week. Work was being done on three houses. Every day, at one of the building sites, Rick Deines wrote assignments on newsprint and tacked the sheets on the living room wall with masking tape. Supplies were purchased as needed. As volunteers showed up, they were assigned a task and sent off to accomplish it! Amazingly, Brown's house was finished by the end of the week and ready for the July 31 moving day and dedication. The block was beautified ... weeds were pulled, flowers planted and every house on the block received a hand-crafted planter which was stained and planted with multi-colored impatiens. Grace Morgan, now serving as MHH's Board chair and as a house leader, led the "weeding-pulling crew"... one of her first Habitat assignments. By the end of 1987, six homes were completed. 1988... For our July 11-14, 1988 House Raising Week our goal was to complete house #7 and have it ready for the Block Party and House Blessing on Friday. Once again volunteers just showed up to work either a 1:00-5:00 or 4:00-8:00 shift. We were simply overwhelmed by the volunteer response - about 500 people showed up during the week, and unfortunately we had to turn some volunteers away. This time Bill Wenzler took on the unenviable task of assigning volunteers to work at four different sites. The concept of House Leader was born ... Bill Wenzler led folks at one site; Laura Seeber supervised volunteers at another site with Jerre Allen; Bill Allen and other folks from St. Pius worked at "their" house and in one short year, Grace Morgan had been "promoted" to house leader.

This was also the week that we "discovered" Tom Stauffacher who now serves as our New Construction Manager. Tom and his family had driven up from Illinois to spend a week with his mother. At a worship service on July 10th , Tom read about the upcoming House Raising Week. He had vacation time that week so he showed up. Not only did he show up, he brought his own tools and he could work on tall ladders! Although he probably didn't plan to work the entire week, a late night call recruited him to return on Friday to lay the carpeting so the house would be ready for dedication later that day. With borrowed carpet laying equipment and advice and counsel from our carpet supplier, Tom Meaux, the task was accomplished!

Judy Knight walked for Habitat that summer - she Joined about 150 walkers raising money for Habitat's ministry by walking part of the 1200 mile route from Maine to Georgia. The l200 mile walk celebrated HFHI's 12th Anniversary. By the end of 1988, nine families had been housed with Habitat's help. Small groups of volunteers were working weekdays, Saturdays and we began to offer occasional evening shifts. The Board of Directors were still meeting at 7:00 a.m. at a downtown restaurant or over supper at one of the houses on which we were working. (If you came on time, you got a drywall bucket to sit on!)

1989... Then we got the big news. Milwaukee would be the site of the 1989 Jimmy Carter Work Project. (MHH had been invited to submit a proposal to host the Project. When the proposal was submitted, the Board agreed that they simply couldn't turn us down. When our application wasn't accepted, we breathed a sigh of relief and went on about the rehabilitation of three projects that were in process. Then, in October 1988 we were asked if we would still consider hosting the project - Houston, HFHI's first choice, wasn't ready to take on the Carter project.) All of a sudden, we were big time. Our rather "laid back" House Raising Week was evolving into a work week that would involve 14 homes - six of them new homes that had to be built in five days.

Our office was still in the S.O. S. Center on North Avenue. In our single room we were able to touch virtually everything Habitat owned. The need for warehouse space was apparent. Supplies were purchased only as they were needed and stored in the houses on which we were working. The need for additional staff was also clear. Jean Leslie became paid staff in March 1989 as our first executive director. We received our first computer! New office volunteers helped create order and maintain sanity - Loma Klossner from Madison and Rachel Hoblin (then living in West Bend) donated countless hours as did Jo Heggen. Lynn Sundrud (using a program designed by her husband Roy) helped us make great progress in our ability to schedule volunteers. As our needs multiplied, so did our visibility. We gained access to new resources. Gerhard Fischer and Jean took "Fund Raising 101 " with Growth Design. In addition to increased help from our traditional base - congregations - we built relationships with government officials, businesses, labor unions, individuals and potential homesteaders. Members of our advisory committee hosted breakfast meetings with their colleagues, giving us an opportunity to tell Habitat's story. Chuck Ruehle gathered a talented group of public relations specialists to help tell this unique Habitat story. A wonderful house design by William Wenzler and Associates, expert help from Jerre Allen, assisted by Fred Bersch and George Beyer allowed us to deliver the new houses.

Long time volunteers, Board members and staff took on new challenges and rose to the occasion - approving applications from twice as many applicants as we approved in the first four years!...arranging for housing and feeding a former president and his wife AND the hundreds of volunteers who came to work with them!...providing special activities for the volunteers after the work day!...growing into a more public organization in the eyes of local media...so many new challenges and such a wonderful opportunity. All the participants were sorely tested by the June weather that week - instead of making hundreds of t-shirt sales, we welcomed the Salvation Army's coffee wagon and their donation of winter jackets and sweaters for the volunteers. Throughout the planning and implementing of the Carter Project, our goal was to do the week well but also to have FUN doing it. Volunteers and staff often asked the question "are we having fun yet?" to which the answer always had to be "yes!"

As the six houses were going up on 23rd and Walnut, a tent city was set up on North 23rd Street to serve as a volunteer center, public relations and information center, and first aid station. This spot was the site, two years earlier, of the city's deadliest fire in 104 years - killing 10 children and 4 adults. On June 17, when the last doorknob was in place on the six new homes, more than 700 people had contributed their time and MHH had received more than $300,000 in cash, materials and donated labor. Quarles and Brady joined our volunteer team by providing legal assistance in the purchase and sale of properties. Chicago Title Insurance provided the title work, also on a pro bono basis. By the end of 1989, nineteen homes were completed - 12 rehabs and 6 new homes.

1990... In 1990 we doubled the size of our Board of Directors. A work camp of Habitat volunteers and staff, led by Board President Rick Deines, went to Ticuantepe, Nicaragua in April 1990 to build with a new affiliate there. Participants in the Easter Work Camp were Rick and Dixie Deines, Gerhard and Lucy Fischer, Jean Leslie, Grace Morgan, Rachel Hoblin, Max Samson, Jim Meyers and Sujatha Jesudason. Building with the residents of the Los Rios cooperative in Ticuantepe, the Milwaukee contingent worked to ready sites - digging trenches and doing other foundation work. Another group of Milwaukee volunteers participated in the 1990- Jimmy Carter Work Project in Tijuana with former President and Mrs. Carter. Betty and Claude Burden, Gerhard and Lucy Fischer, Dave Jasso and Cheryl Hayes joined 19 other Wisconsites. This was also the year we moved out of our one room office. Helwig Carbon donated the use of their building (now the Next Door's Helwig Family Center on North 29th Street) to MHH and the Next Door Foundation. Having 5000 square feet of space instead of one 14 x 14 foot room made an incredible difference in our ability to meet the challenges of increased production. The 1990 House Raising Week had volunteers working on five rehabilitation projects. Churches supplied snacks and meals for the more than 300 volunteers who worked during the week. David Noblin, who volunteered during the Jimmy Carter Work Project, was hired on a part time basis to assist our project director. Six more rehabs were finished in 1990 - new totals: 18 rehabs, 6 new houses. 1991... The concept of house sponsorship was beginning to catch on. In addition to Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Foundation, St. Alphonsus Parish, North Shore Presbyterian and the Brook churches who sponsored their first houses in 1989, St Eugene's Parish and coalitions of churches from Washington County and Wauwatosa joined the sponsor circle. Inspired by the late Bruce Horner, a partnership with the Metropolitan Builders Association yielded two more new homes during 1991. Later in the year First Congregational Church in Wauwatosa accepted the challenge to rehabilitate a house as part of its 150th anniversary celebration. A new coalition was formed by an ecumenical group of North Shore churches. A special partnership with the National Fraternal Congress of America and HFHI resulted in two houses sponsored by local fraternal groups - Aid Association for Lutherans and Catholic Family Life Insurance Co. Catholic Family set a start to finish rehab record that has yet to be broken - 4 months and 22 days! House Raising Week in 1991 had 300 volunteers working on six rehabilitation projects. In September 1991, Judy Knight joined our staff as our volunteer coordinator and Dana Cable came on board to oversee the planned new construction for 1992. By October we had twelve homes in various stages of rehab - getting closer to reaching our goal of completing one rehab per month. We were busier than ever before (not counting the Carter project year) primarily due to the dedicated group of house leaders supervising volunteer crews. The downside was a serious lack of funds. A special year end appeal put MHH back on track. That fall a MHH house became an alternative classroom for a group of exceptional ed students from Milwaukee Public Schools - thanks to the vision of Community Assessment and Training Program director, Alice Streicher. Working with an industrial ed teacher, students participated in all phases of rehabbing. (The program continued for several years.) By the end of 1991, 27 rehabs and 8 new homes had been completed. 1992... In 1992, Northwestern Mutual returned to the sponsor circle, as did St. Alphonsus. St. Mary's parish in Hales Corners and an ecumenical coalitions of churches from Southern Ozaukee County and from Menomonee Falls also sponsored houses. We added a Jesuit Volunteer, Chris Cotter to our staff in February to help manage the insurance portfolio and provide office support.

In March, the top 26 executives of Sargento Incorporated converged on North 15th Street to raise up two new Habitat houses. They used our first New Construction Blitz Week as a team building exercise for their management group. This very special partnership has continued and this year they worked on their ninth house! The affiliation with the Metropolitan Builders Association continued in 1992 with the building of another house on North 23rd Street. A second blitz week was held in May and the last new homes were built during House Raising Week. Volunteers framed 3 houses and worked on 6 rehabilitation projects. By the end of 1992, 33 rehabs and 10 new homes were completed.

1993... In 1993 one of the Habitat homes made the Central City Tour of Homes. Sam Adams, Bill Allen, Dave Jasso and Charles Landey participated in the Jimmy Carter Work Project in Canada. Bay Shore Lutheran joined the sponsor circle along with the Priests and Deacons of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, St. John Vianney Parish, Crossroads Presbyterian, First Congregational in Oconomowoc, Time Insurance and Firstar. Wisconsin Electric Power Co and Quad/Graphic joined Sargento Incorporation in a Blitz Week in May to frame three of the five new homes for the year. By the end of June's House Raising Week, the total completed homes was 51 and work was in process in more than a dozen other houses. More than 400 people worked during the week - hammering, framing, providing snacks and lunches, etc. Another Jesuit volunteer, Emily Gillingham succeeding Chris Cotter, joined us in August. By the end of 1993 completed houses totalled 61 - 8 more rehabs were finished and 7 more new houses.

1994... The 10th anniversary year started with a celebration kick-off event at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in February. Susan Hancock, HFHI's director of affiliates was on hand to affirm and challenge MHH volunteers. In January, Bob Kelly and Tom Stauffacher joined our staff as rehab supervisor and new construction supervisor, respectively. Ten Habitat homesteaders hosted house parties in March - an opportunity for homesteaders, their neighbors and Habitat volunteers and sponsors to meet in small groups to address the issues that affect the quality of life in the neighborhoods in which Habitat is working. Sargento and Wisconsin Electric were joined during the May Blitz Week by Harnischfeger Industries to frame the first of the 1994 new houses - the first houses in a cluster on 23rd and Galena. Janine Owens, our Family Resource Director started her work with us on the first day of House Raising Week in June - sort of a baptism by fire! New funding support came from the Milwaukee Neighborhood Renewal Foundation and from HELP, Inc.

And yes, this was the year that we finally bought a warehouse - the old Golden Guernsey Dairy on 30th and North. At the end of June we moved into the 65,000 square foot building that became our first permanent office and warehouse. Habitat Tech classes began to be offered to homesteaders as part of their 500 hour "sweat equity" downpayment. We capped off this anniversary year with our first Partner Party with special kudos to Rick Deines, our Milwaukee founder and to Dick Tushaus, our project director who could finally put away his t-shirt that read "what we really need is a warehouse! " By the end of 1994 we had completed 72 houses.

1995... In 1995 Sargento, Wisconsin Electric Power and Northwestern Mutual returned as sponsors. Volunteers and funding came from Coldwell Banker and Sigma Gamma Rho for House Raising Week houses. A new partnership with Plumbers Local 75 began in 1995 - an ongoing partnership that provides hours of professional labor on the rehab projects and helps hold overall costs down. A new coalition between Time Insurance and Crossroads Presbyterian Church provided funding and volunteers for a new rehab project. Many of our resources - dollars and volunteers - went into the rehabilitating of the office portion of our new building which was completed in time for the October Partner Party. Children of homesteader families joined us for a Christmas party in December - with our beloved volunteer, John Mingesz, doing a very believable turn as Santa Claus. We ended 1995 with eighty-six completed homes.

1996... In 1996, another milestone - the framing of our 100th house. The event was marked by a capping celebration with an on-site picnic prepared and served by homesteader families - few of us have had ribs as good since! The sites for the six new homes built this year were North of Lisbon - and the model was our first two story house designed by Bruno Franceschi. There were a couple of other "firsts" in 1996 - our first Building on Faith Week in September (in addition to the May Blitz Week, House Raising Week and a special Sargento week in July because of the poor building weather in June), and our First Annual Birdhouse Auction and Sale at the Zoofari Center. Sandy Sites created a new video to help us tell the Habitat story to those who had not yet heard it. George Loxton was honored at our annual partner party as Northwestern Mutual's Volunteer of the Year. He brought with him a $10,000 check for his favorite charity! Ninety-five houses were completed by the end of 1996.

1997... A new house design for 1997 was created by volunteer Autumn Blakeley which brought to the Habitat houses affordable details that were in keeping with the historical design of homes in the neighborhood. Four special building weeks stretched the resources of both volunteers and staff - two houses were framed in May (Fleck Controls and Wisconsin Electric Power Co). Two more were framed during June's House Raising Week (Sargento and Bank One) along with rehab work at five rehabs. New sponsors included Allen Bradley, St. Francis Bank and Milwaukee Electric Tool Co. Maxwell House chose Milwaukee Habitat as the recipient of partial funding for two of the houses framed during July's Blitz Week. These houses were part of a national commitment by Maxwell house to build 100 houses across America in 100 weeks. Additional funding and volunteers came from Crossroads Presbyterian Church. In September, Millard Fuller returned to help us celebrate our 2nd Building on Faith Week with the framing of two more houses -sponsored by The Saints and by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Foundation. In August the warehouse served as the setting for a very special memorial service to honor the contribution of long time volunteer, John Mingesz, who died in July. With Mary Paluso's continued leadership, the 3rd Annual Birdhouse Auction and Sale moved to the Marquette Memorial Alumni Union in March of 1998 - a new setting and a new goal. We raised nearly $30,000. By the end of 1997 we had completed 106 houses. 1998... Another new house design by Autumn Blakeley spurred the construction of ten more new homes in 1998 - built during five special building weeks. The first in April was an effort by the congregations in the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the ELCA. A cooperative fund-raising effort with the ELCA congregations and Habitat affiliates in Racine, Sheboygan and Waukesha resulted in four homes built in Southeastern Wisconsin. Two homes were framed during the May blitz week, three more in June, two in July and the last two in September. Sargento, Bank One and Quad/Graphics returned as sponsors and we welcomed the first framing team from primary sponsor Rockwell Automation. By the end of 1998, 124 homes were completed.

1999... For this 15th anniversary year the bar has been raised even higher. With the sponsorship of Midwest Express Airlines, the 4th Annual Birdhouse Auction and Sale raised enough money to fund one house. On a sunny Saturday in May, about sixty homesteaders and other volunteers met in the warehouse parking lot before embarking on an annual neighborhood walk. During the walk, stops were made at all of the houses which were completed during the past year. Bibles were presented and Habitat windsocks were hung from the porches. The walk and the house blessings are a time to remind us of the impact Habitat continues to have in the neighborhoods in which we're working. Fifteen new homes are under construction. Families moved into four completed rehab projects so far this year and another six are in process. St. Alphonsus and St. John Vianney continue to lead the list of participating congregations in terms of financial support and house leadership development. The newest coalition - The Saints - has engaged enough congregations for financial support, leadership and volunteers to be working on two houses simultaneously! St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish is at work on their first sponsored house. Continued sponsorship from Sargento, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Foundation, Bank One, Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee Electric Tool Co. and Harnischfeger has made 15 houses in the 15th year a reality. We welcomed Ameritech and Quarles & Brady as additional new house sponsors. Over the fifteen years there certainly have been some set backs - one stolen furnace was followed by a second stolen furnace...out of the same house in 1990. A house in the early stages of rehabilitation was destroyed by fire. A basement wall collapsed during construction. Occasional break-ins occur. Homeownership has not worked out for every family with whom we worked. But Habitat for Humanity is a faith ministry...and we continue to believe that by building homes and hope in the Midtown and Walnut Hill neighborhoods that we are making a difference in the lives of those who buy Habitat houses and in lives of those who support the ministry with their gifts of time and dollars.