Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods

06/16/2026

Wisconsin's future is shaped by the voices of our communities. RON is proud to partner on this important gubernatorial forum and have the opportunity to engage with candidates on issues that impact our neighborhoods every day.

Please join us and make your voice heard. Show up and show out! If you're part of the RON coalition, wear your RON T-shirt and stand together as we advocate for transparent leadership and stronger communities. We hope to see you there!

📅 Saturday, June 27, 2026
🕙 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 North Division High School

06/11/2026

National Homeownership Month Partner Spotlight

This June, Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods is proud to highlight the organizations that help Milwaukee families achieve and sustain homeownership. Today, we're recognizing one of our valued RON partners: Milwaukee Community Crossroads.

Milwaukee Community Crossroads understands that strong neighborhoods are built through both opportunity and investment. Their housing programs help create pathways to homeownership while ensuring existing homeowners can remain safely in the homes they love.

Through its YouthBuild program, Milwaukee Community Crossroads trains young adults ages 18–24 in construction and skilled trades while they help build affordable homes for low-income and first-time homebuyers. The program creates opportunities for young people to gain education, credentials, and hands-on experience while strengthening Milwaukee neighborhoods one home at a time.

Milwaukee Community Crossroads also operates the Neighborhood Improvement Project (NIP), which helps income-qualified homeowners address critical housing repairs and unsafe conditions. By helping residents maintain safe and stable homes, NIP supports long-term neighborhood stability and allows families to remain rooted in their communities.

At RON, we know that successful homeownership requires a network of support. We're grateful for partners like Milwaukee Community Crossroads who are creating opportunities for future homeowners, preserving existing homeownership, and investing in the next generation of skilled trades professionals.

Together, we're building stronger neighborhoods and expanding pathways to homeownership across Milwaukee.

06/02/2026

Throughout National Homeownership Month, we'll be sharing more insights from our neighborhood data and highlighting resources that help residents move from renting to owning.
Together, we're reclaiming our neighborhoods—one homeowner, one home, and one block at a time.

05/28/2026

We’re honored to work alongside an organization that believes lasting change starts within the community itself. Bridge Builders continues to create opportunities for residents to shape the future of their neighborhoods. Learn about their impact by taking a look at their social media and website!
https://bridgebuildersmke.org/reclaim/?h

05/26/2026

For 10 years, Data You Can Use has been an essential partner in the work of the Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods Coalition (RON), helping transform resident-collected housing data into meaningful insights that strengthen Milwaukee neighborhoods.

Every year, residents and neighborhood partners walk blocks, document housing conditions, and gather critical information about what is happening on the ground in our communities. Data You Can Use then works its magic — analyzing, organizing, and translating that information into tools, maps, trends, and insights that help drive advocacy, investment, accountability, and action.

Their work helps ensure that neighborhood voices are backed by credible, community-driven data, and that the realities residents see every day are visible to decision-makers across the city.

We are deeply grateful for this decade-long partnership, and for the care, expertise, and commitment Data You Can Use brings to this work every step of the way.

Congratulations on 10 years of impact Data You Can Use — and thank you for being such an invaluable part of the RON network.

05/26/2026

Celebrating this accomplishment and the hard work of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and the residents who made this happen!

05/22/2026

Last week, RON neighborhood partners came together for a powerful strategy retreat focused on the future of healthy housing, neighborhood stabilization, and resident-led change in Milwaukee.

Together we focused on
- strengthening coordinated advocacy
- improving housing conditions
- deepening resident engagement
- using data to drive action and accountability
building a stronger collective voice for neighborhoods

What continues to make RON special is the commitment of partners who show up — not only for their own neighborhoods, but for each other. The retreat reaffirmed that lasting neighborhood change happens through collaboration, trust, and sustained community leadership.

Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed your energy, insight, and vision. Thank you Urban Economic Development Association of WI (UEDA) for hosting this day. The work ahead is important, and we are stronger doing it together.

05/05/2026

We’re grateful to partner with an organization that puts community, equity, and opportunity at the center of everything they do. Check out their website and social media pages to learn about their phenomenal work!
https://metcalfeparkbridges.org/

04/23/2026

The push for safe, dignified housing in Milwaukee continues—and residents are making their voices heard.

A recent 3-part series from WUWM 89.7 FM highlights how tenants are organizing to call attention to conditions in properties owned by Highgrove Holdings, including long-standing maintenance issues and code violations. Common Ground

👉 Hear Part 1: https://www.wuwm.com/david-tomblin-milwaukee-landlord-lawsuits-tenants-highgrove

At Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods (RON), we see this as part of a broader pattern across the city. Through more than 40,000 resident surveys conducted across 20 Milwaukee neighborhoods, neighbors have consistently raised concerns about housing conditions—especially in investor-owned properties.

In fact, RON data shows that investor-owned properties are nearly twice as likely to need major repairs compared to owner-occupied homes.

This moment underscores something important: when residents document their experiences and speak collectively, it brings greater visibility to issues that too often go unaddressed.

Everyone deserves a safe, stable place to call home.

David Tomblin, founder of Highgrove Holdings, owns over 200 homes in Milwaukee. His tenants organized to document code violations, leading to lawsuits that threaten to "evict" Tomblin from his properties.