Milwaukee youth shelter could close due to federal funding loss
MILWAUKEE - Walker's Point Youth & Family Center, a nonprofit on Milwaukee's south side, provides help and shelter to kids who have nowhere else to go. Now, it needs help from the community to avoid shutting down for good.
"Maybe they are here because home is no longer an option," said the center's Audra O'Connell. "Maybe they are here because they truly are homeless."
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
The center provides a temporary home for young people, and volunteers are available to help them through any crisis.
"We are 50% of the youth shelter beds in the city of Milwaukee, and we are the only shelter for pregnant and parenting teens," O'Connell said.
Audra O'Connell
Now, Walker's Point Youth & Family Center is facing a crisis of its own. O'Connell said, in October, the organization was made aware that it had lost a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"We realized that we were not going to be able to stay operational if we did not find a way to fund that gap," she said.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
O'Connell said, if they don't find a way to make up for the $200,000 dollars lost by Dec. 31, the center could close for good.
"The need is much greater than our capacity already, so to remove half of those beds is devastating to the system, to the young people that we serve, to everyone," she said.
Walker’s Point Youth & Family Center
Milwaukee has relied on the services Walker's Point Youth & Family Center provides for nearly 50 years. Now, O'Connell hopes their work does not come to an end when the year does.
"Hopeful that the city is going to be able to help us," she said. "Donations of any size are appreciated – but I think also just making people aware."
Anyone interested in donating can find information on the Walker's Point Youth & Family Center website.