HUD threatens to yank Milwaukee County’s funding

I’ve written at length about the ongoing saga of the Lake Bluff Apartments in South Milwaukee, and in the latest twist to that strange story, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has informed Milwaukee County that all of the county’s HUD funding could be jeopardized if it is proved that the City of South Milwaukee is not “affirmatively furthering fair housing” in that city’s actions towards the Lake Bluff Apartments. The warning came in a letter issued to Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker on July 6, 2009 from HUD’s Detroit office.

The letter to Scott Walker from HUD was triggered after a complaint was filed with HUD by the American Civil Liberties Union and two other legal-aid organizations who are attempting to assist residents of the Lake Bluff Apartments, who feel they are the targets of racial discrimination. The same three organizations are also suing the City of South Milwaukee in federal court, alleging discrimination in housing. What’s important to note about the letter sent from HUD to Scott Walker is that the letter makes it clear all of Milwaukee County’s HUD funding would be jeopardized if the City of South Milwaukee is found to be acting in a discriminatory manner towards the residents of Lake Bluff. Milwaukee County administers the federal Community Development Block Grant program, and as a recipient of those grants, South Milwaukee has pledged that it would affirmatively further fair housing, so if South Milwaukee is found to be acting in a manner contrary to the intent of the Community Development Block Grants, Milwaukee County may very well lose all its HUD funding.

That would surely be a stiff price to pay, and it’s truly unfortunate that all the rest of Milwaukee County may end up suffering as a result of South Milwaukee’s unwillingness to find a settlement to this issue that satisfies all the parties involved. After 15+ years of lawsuits, appeals, and counter-suits, it seems to me this situation is less about South Milwaukee’s rights to enforce its zoning laws and has become more about officials in South Milwaukee being unwilling to reach any sort of compromise.

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