On January 19, 2010 Common Ground released it’s Foreclosure Research and Action Report. The report identifies the need for three banks – Deutsche Bank, US Bank, Wells Fargo – to take responsibility for their part in the foreclosure crisis and meet three demands:

Sell Responsibly:  Stop selling to speculators and work with us to develop a plan to sell to responsible owners.

Tear Down the Bad Ones: Pay for the demolition of the properties beyond rehabilitation and donate the land to a community trust for future residential construction.

Fix the Salvageable Ones: Each bank contributes $25 Million towards a $75 Million fund, which will be used to rehabilitate and sell these properties.

The report can be downloaded here:  CG_FOF_ResearchReport_web

Georgia Pabst of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel brings exposure to the foreclosure battle in an article published November 24, 2009. Click the photo to link to the article.

On Saturday, September 26, 2009, 100 Common Ground members spread out across the city as part of a photographic survey of bank owned foreclosed houses in Milwaukee.  The nearly 500 photographs gathered speak graphically to the blighting effect on our community of economic challenge and unscrupulous, predatory lending.  De-briefing conversations of the photo survey revealed that while some houses have already been resold and rehabilitation has started, many others still sit boarded up – and unphotographed.  Common Ground is now looking to organize a follow-up shoot focusing on areas of heavier foreclosure saturation.  Saturday’s action is a first step in addressing the banks responsibility regarding their property and its impact on neighborhoods.

At Common Ground we believe that improving job opportunities for Milwaukee youth will improve the economic and social well-being in our four-county area.  The City of Milwaukee’s Earn & Learn Summer Job Program addresses that goal by providing opportunities for qualified high school students to gain valuable workplace experience.  The program lays the foundation for a trained workforce, provides job readiness skills, offers real work experiences and a variety of career possibilities, and allows experienced employees to participate in positive change in their community.

Last year Common Ground successfully lobbied the City to increase the number of summer youth jobs from approximately 1,300 in 2008 to a record 3,000 in the summer of 2009.  We successfully campaigned for the City to provide $250,000 in flexible funding to the program. Working with the Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC), the Milwaukee Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB), and the City to increase private business participation in the project by establishing a goal of 1,000 private sector jobs in 2010, we are creating momentum for the development of a future workforce.

Fox 6 News was in attendance at our August 31st Sherman Park Public Action. Watch the video by clicking here.

The Youth Jobs Issue Campaign and The City of Milwaukee’s Earn & Learn Partnership

Print a copy.

At Common Ground we believe that improving job opportunities for Milwaukee youth will improve the economic and social well-being of the area.  Given the current crisis it is even more critical that opportunities are provided to our youth so they may participate in the economic recovery.  On behalf of Milwaukee youth, Common Ground is asking Milwaukee area businesses and foundations to participate in this program by providing jobs and/or by making grants to assure that Earn and Learn has adequate resources.

Provide a Job and Transform a Life

The City of Milwaukee’s Earn & Learn Summer Job Program provides opportunities for qualified high school students to gain valuable workplace experience, and puts a few dollars in some empty pockets.  By breaking the cycle of joblessness and exposing young adults to the culture of work, Earn & Learn:

- Lays the foundation for a trained workforce
- Provides job readiness skills
- Offers real work experiences and a variety of career possibilities
- Allows experienced employees to participate in positive change in their community

The Greater Milwaukee Committee and Southeastern Wisconsin Common Ground, a broad-based citizen organization, have supported the expansion of the Earn & Learn program and are now helping to recruit businesses and area foundations involvement.  The goal of this effort is to increase the number of summer jobs from about 1300 last summer to 3000 in the summer of 2009.

Earn & Learn Program Information

Earn & Learn is a collaborative partnership of the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB), the City of Milwaukee, businesses, and community based organizations.  Its mission is to assist young people from Milwaukee to make a successful transition from adolescence to productive adulthood.  The MAWIB staff works with employers to place students in meaningful work and ensures the program’s effectiveness.

All youth participating in private sector Earn and Learn jobs have at least one previous job experience and receive job readiness training prior to starting the job.  MAWIB staff provides support and service for the employer throughout the duration of the youth’s employment.  At the end of their job, students go through an evaluation that determines what they have learned and what they need to do to improve their work perfomance.

Participating employers are asked to provide summer jobs which:

- Provide student workers with a written job description
- Provide at least 20 hours of work per week for a minimum of seven weeks
- Pay at least minimum wage
- Are located in the Milwaukee County area for youth accessibility to the job location

After positions are posted MAWIB staff will assess the request, prescreen applicants and then recommend one or more youth that meet employer requirements to fill the position.

More Information on the Earn & Learn Program

City offers Options for Jobless Teens – December 2008:  http://www.jsonline.com/business/36770639.html

Editorial:  Work for Kids – The Milwaukee Common Council should boost funding for the Summer Jobs Initiative to provide more opportunities for youth. – November 2008:  http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/34054794.html

Hope in the Lives of Young People:  1500 gain experience through Earn and Learn – July 2008:  http://www.jsonline.com/news/29411434.html

Youth to Get a Slice of the Pie:  Palermo Villa a Leader in City’s Summer Jobs Program – April 2008:  http://www.jsonline.com/business/29588764.html

Open Letter from Earn & Learn Co-Chairs Mayor Tom Barrett and Giacomo Fallucca, President/CEO of Palermo’s Pizza – March 2008:  http://www.mkedcd.org/earnlearn/pdf/Letter031408.pdf

The mayor talks about the importance of the Youth Jobs program in his February 13th E-Newsletter:  http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/thebarrettreportarchives/Feb.06.09NewsFromTheMayor.htm

Earn & Learn Website at www.earnandlearnmke.com

Contact Information

Interested businesses can attain more information about the program and post a youth job opportunity by contacting:

Bill Malone, Youth Jobs Coordinator, via phone 414.286.5894 Email

Or Common Ground Issue Campaign Leaders:
- Debra Schneider:  414-550-2167 or Email
- Denise Fried:  414-333-0709 or Email

The Milwaukee Common Council should boost funding to the Summer Jobs Initiative to provide more opportunities for youth.

Two years after Habitat for Humanity encountered a stumbling block trying to build affordable housing for low to moderate-income families in Grafton, the organization is trying again.

Thursday morning, October 30, the Finance & Personnel Committee of the City of Milwaukee Common Council approved an increase of $250,000 for the Summer Youth Jobs Program next year.   The Council will spend the money if it is matched by the private sector or other money.  City panel backs reversing cuts in proposed budget  (scroll down page to find article.)

This Friday, November 7, the full Common Council will rule on the budget.  Please let us know if you would be willing to contact your Alderperson to support this.

More than 100 Marquette students and volunteers hit the streets of Milwaukee Sunday afternoon at the Marquette for Common Ground Neighborhood Walk in a mass effort to promote community awareness. Read the entire article from the Marquette Tribune