Evicted in Milwaukee

Today, after Church, I talked with a young homeless man. His story was sad but true. He was living in an apartment in West Allis, part of Milwaukee Metro area, owned by a major slum landlord whose real name he does not even know. The apartment was falling apart, rat and roach infested. When he complained about the conditions there was no action. Finally he called the building and fire inspectors who agreed the building was in terrible shape and served notice on the absentee landlord. The landlord asked for an extension of the notice while he removed this person in the apartment. He was granted the extension and immediately the landlord served this man with an eviction notice. When he complained again to the city the landlord had the local police ticket the two trucks he had been parking at the place legally. The young man used the two trucks to do odd jobs to supplement his disability payment. Right after the trucks were ticketed for trespassing the landlord called the city to have the two trucks towed away. The young man complained that the trucks had been illegally towed away but all he could do was pay a $480 fine to get his trucks back. The money was all he had left on his disability payments so now he finds himself in a homeless shelter near our Church.

Sadly, this story, which I have reason to believe is true, is not so unusual with low income people struggling to survive. This young man was white but he had to agree that if he was a black young man the story would have been worst.

The greater Milwaukee Metro area, that includes West Allis, was once known for its high rate of home ownership. However, in recent years the opposite is true. In 2008 a Housing corporation on North side of Milwaukee noted there had been destabilization of neighborhoods due to the rising rate of absentee landlord’s ownership of property. Since that time it has gotten even higher and in neighborhoods once know for pride in home ownership absentee landlords now control most of the housing. The poor are once again suffering at hands of rich and greedy.

What can this young man do? There is not much but to stay in the homeless shelter until he can build up a little money to rent another one bedroom apartment. Hopefully this time the absentee landlord will not be so nasty and greedy. With housing, as with other factors with poor, it is becoming harder and harder to survive.

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