Governor Evers awards Milwaukee County $4 million for Clinton Rose Senior Center improvements – WisPolitics

MILWAUKEE – County Executive David Crowley is celebrating the nearly $4 million in grant funding that was recently awarded to Milwaukee County by Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) to assist with the renovation of the Clinton & Bernice Rose Senior Center. Milwaukee County received $3,967,737 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds by the State of Wisconsin through the Flexible Facilities Program.

This project will benefit more than 700 individuals, including minority populations, elderly individuals, and those experiencing poverty and health challenges. Funding will go towards expanding the existing community center with a telemedicine room, a multi-purpose space, and a computer lab with 12 desktop computers. The project will include the addition of technical equipment to provide individuals with greater access to updated and improved educational, vocational, and nutritional programming, and will fund much needed renovations to the kitchen and dining room.

“Milwaukee County’s senior centers are vital community hubs that allow folks to access healthy living services, connect with their neighbors, and thrive in social settings,” said County Executive Crowley. “We are incredibly grateful to Governor Evers and the Biden-Harris Administration for delivering federal funding for these much-needed capital improvements at Clinton Rose Senior Center. Lack of access to technology, educational programming, and nutritional information can pose significant barriers for older adults in managing their daily lives. This investment will help bridge that gap in access to support and resources, so our senior community can thrive.”

“We’re working to build the 21st-century infrastructure and workforce Wisconsin needs to meet the demands of the 21st Century, including expanding access to high-speed internet. Every Wisconsinite should have access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet, and these investments will help build upon our work to close the digital divide, especially in our rural areas and communities,” said Governor Evers. “I’m incredibly proud to be working alongside our dedicated state agencies and federal partners to help bolster our public infrastructure, including supporting our libraries and community centers and expanding access to critical services for folks in every corner of our state.”

With more than 185,000 residents in Milwaukee County who are 60 years or older, and the older adult population continuing to grow, investment needs to be made to ensure a strong quality of life for seniors. Connecting older adults with services and support across the continuum of care, addresses social isolation, loneliness, depression, and health and wellness.

“Ensuring our older adult population has access to well thought out community space and the tools they need, not just to live, but to thrive, is a high priority. This new funding will help us make important quality of life improvements,” said Shakita LaGrant-McClain, Executive Director, Department of Health and Human Services. “With the older adult population continuing to grow, this is an investment in a healthy community.”

“I’m thrilled with this new investment in one of our busiest Senior Centers. The stereotype of an older adult is no longer true. We are active, vibrant members of the community,” said Janice Wilberg, Ph.D., Chair, Milwaukee County Commission on Aging. “This is a great step in reimagining community spaces for older adults, and advancing the Livable Community Model.”

Funded through the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF) as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act, the Flexible Facility Program grants are going toward funding public facility expansion or improvement projects designed to provide reliable broadband access to local communities, including libraries, community centers, and multi-purpose community facilities.