- Milwaukee County is holding 2024 Budget Town Halls.
- Attend a Town Hall and Share your budget priorities. Information is posted on the county website.
- Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors
August 8, 2023 Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force meeting
Briefing on Proposed 2024 Milwaukee County Department Budget Requests
As Submitted to the County Executive
Join us for the August Mental Health Task Force Annual County Budget Briefing on Tuesday, August 8, from 3 – 5 PM. The briefing will feature County Executive David Crowley and department leadership as listed below. This is an important opportunity to get a preview of the proposed budget early in the process, while there is still time to influence the budget.
The meeting will be held at Independence First, 540 S. 1st Street. All speakers plan to attend in person. We will also offer a virtual option via Zoom – but encourage you to attend in person. Please register below to help us with planning.
Meeting Agenda
View the August 8, 2023 meeting agenda (PDF).
View the August 8, 2023 meeting recording via Youtube.
Our speakers and topics will include the following:
- Welcome (3 – 3:05)
- Mental Health Task Force Co-Chairs, Mary Neubauer and Christine Apple
- Opening Remarks:
- Milwaukee County Executive, David Crowley (3:05 – 3:20)
- Budget and Budget Process: Joe Lamers, Director, Office of Strategy, Budget and Performance (3:20 – 3:40)
- View the Milwaukee County Budget and Budget Process presentation (PDF).
- Milwaukee County Transit System (3:40 – 3:55)
- Tim Hosch, Chief Financial Officer
- Sandy Kellner, Chief Administrative Officer
- View the Milwaukee County Transit System presentation (PDF).
- Milwaukee County Health & Human Services, including Aging & Disability Services;
Behavioral Health; Children, Youth & Families; Housing; & Veterans Services (3:55 – 4:15)- Shakita LaGrant-McClain, Executive Director
- David Muhammad, Deputy Director
- Matt Fortman, Chief Financial Officer
- View the Milwaukee County Health and Human Services presentation (PDF).
- Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center (4:15 – 4:30)
- Chantell Jewell, Superintendent
- Michael Bickerstaff, Public Safety Fiscal Administrator
- View the Community Reintegration Center presentation (PDF).
- Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (4:30 – 4:45)
- Chief Deputy Daniel Hughes
- View the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office presentation (PDF).
- Wrap up, Call to Action and Next Steps – Coalition Leadership (4:45 – 5)
- Mary Neubauer and Christine Apple, MHTF Co-chairs
- Barbara Beckert, MHTF Coordinator – Disability Rights Wisconsin
Meeting materials will be posted on our website as we receive them.
Resources for the 2024 Milwaukee County Budget
Meeting Registration
Our meetings are open to all. To register for the meeting, complete the form below. Indicate if you plan to participate in person or by Zoom.
For the safety and comfort of all those with chemical and environmental sensitivities, Independence First requests that attendees please refrain from using any perfumed products such as scented soaps, deodorants, perfumes, colognes, and heavily scented fabric softeners.
Accommodations
ASL interpreters will be provided. To request other disability related accommodations, please email barbara.beckert@drwi.org as soon as possible. We will do our best to respond to all requests.
July 11, 2023 Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force meeting
Join us for the July Mental Health Task Force meeting on Tuesday, July 11, from 3 – 5 PM.
The July 11 meeting will be held at Independence First, 540 S. 1st Street. This will be our first meeting back at Independence First since March 2020 and we are excited to return to in-person meetings after meeting virtually through the pandemic. We will also offer a virtual option via Zoom – but encourage you to attend in person.
Meeting Agenda
View the July 2023 Meeting Agenda (PDF).
View the July 2023 Meeting Recording via Youtube.
Our agenda will include the following:
- Welcome, Mary Neubauer and Christine Apple, co-chairs (3:00 – 3:10)
- Thanks to Independence First for once again hosting Mental Health Task Force meetings, beginning July 11th
- Ground rules for hybrid meetings
- Volunteers are needed for our Karen Avery Forum planning committee. This year’s forum will focus how to address housing needs. Interested in helping? Email beckert@drwi.org. Thanks to those who have responded to date.
- Save the date for our annual Milwaukee County Budget Briefing scheduled for Tuesday, August 8th at 3 PM with special guest County Executive David Crowley and department leadership.
- What’s Happening with Peer Support? Focus on Peer Run Respite and Peer Recovery Center with Our Space (3:10 – 3:40)
- Speakers: Jennifer Zuelke the Lead Peer Support Specialist for the Parachute House, and Brittney Saenz our Program Development and Analytics Officer for Our Space
- View the Our Space presentation without video (PDF).
- Brochures
- Supported employment: Learn about the Club House model of supported employment, the work of Grand Avenue Club, and opportunities to get involved (3:40 – 4:10)
- Speaker: Phillip Connelly, Executive Director, Grand Avenue Club
- View the “A Discussion about Mental Illness and the Clubhouse Model” presentation (PDF).
- Resiliency to Advocacy – Leading a Fulfilling Life through Peer Support (4:10 – 4:40)
- Speaker: Mary Neubauer, MSW, CPS.
Mary is a Milwaukee County trained Peer Specialist since 2006 and has been state certified since its inception. Join us as Mary chronicles various types of Peer Support she has provided over the past 40 years and shares the fulfillment of being a Certified Peer Specialist. She will share points of critical Peer Support she has received during the past 40 years and how it impacted her recovery and direction of her life.
- Speaker: Mary Neubauer, MSW, CPS.
- Policy Updates – State Budget and Milwaukee County Mental Health Board (4:40 – 5:00)
- Speakers: Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights Wisconsin & Mary Neubauer, MHTF Co-chair and Mental Health Board member
- We will share an update on the mental health in the state budget, and what provisions were approved in the final budget. We will also share an update on the Milwaukee County Behavioral Services proposed budget.
- Overview of Mental Health Provisions in the 2023 – 2025 State Budget (PDF).
- Milwaukee County Behavioral Services Proposed Budget from July 6th Mental Health Board meeting packet
Meeting materials will be posted on our website as we receive them.
Meeting Registration
Our meetings are open to all. To register for the meeting, complete the form. Indicate if you plan to participate in person or by Zoom.
Accommodations
ASL interpreters will be provided. To request other disability related accommodations, please email barbara.beckert@drwi.org as soon as possible. We will do our best to respond to all requests.
June 13, 2023 Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force meeting
Join us for the June Mental Health Task Force meeting on Tuesday, June 13, from 3 – 5 PM via Zoom. The topic for our June meeting is Housing Advocacy Resources. Housing is always a priority for the Mental Health Task Force and this is an especially challenging time to obtain and keep housing.
Meeting Agenda
- View the June 13, 2023 Meeting Agenda here (PDF).
- Learn more about our June 2023 speakers here (PDF).
- View the June 13, 2023 meeting recording via Youtube.
Our agenda will include:
- Welcome – Mary Neubauer & Christine Apple, co-chairs (3 – 3:10)
- Meeting ground rules
- Upcoming meeting will be hybrid; thanks to Independence First for once again hosting Mental Health Task Force meetings, beginning July 11th.
- Volunteers are needed for our Karen Avery Forum planning committee. This year’s forum will focus how to address housing needs. Interested in helping? Email barbara.beckert@drwi.org.
- Housing Advocacy and Resources: Community Advocates and Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center – Maudwella Kirkendoll, Chief Operating Officer, (3:10 – 3:40)
- Housing Advocacy, Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee – Nick Toman, Managing Attorney, Housing Trust (3:40 – 4:05)
- IMPACT Coordinated Entry – Emily Kenney, LCSW, Director of System Change (4:05 – 4:35)
- Discussion about 2023 Karen Avery Forum to focus on housing – Christine Apple (4:35 – 4:45)
- Policy Updates – State Budget and Milwaukee County Mental Health Board – Barbara Beckert & Mary Neubauer (4:45 – 5)
We will discuss plans for actions to support mental health in the state budget and share updates on the Milwaukee County Behavioral Services proposed budget.- Milwaukee County Behavioral Services Proposed Budget (PDF)
- State Resources
- Who are my Legislators: Wisconsin Legislative District Viewer. Enter your home address in the “address” field.
- 2023 Joint Committee on Finance (wisconsin.gov) – includes list of members and Budget Exec Hearing information
- Proposed Budget: Improving Mental Health and Crisis Services, Wisconsin Department of Health Services
- Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force Public Comments on the State Budget April 2023 (PDF)
- Full Funding for Community Support Programs Letter to Joint Finance (PDF)
- Funding for Room and Board for Medicaid members seeking residential substance use disorder treatment (PDF)
- Speak Out for Mental Health in the State Budget – May 2023 (PDF)
- Mental Health Professional Shortage Area in Wisconsin, by County, 2022
- CRISIS: Lack of Accessible Mental Health Services for People with Hearing Loss (PDF)
Meeting materials will be posted as we receive them.
Resources
Housing Advocacy Assistance Resources
- Community Advocates, Milwaukee, WI
- Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center
- Impact, Inc.
- Coordinated Entry, Milwaukee Continuum of Care
- Fair Housing Council
- Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee
- Eviction Free MKE
- Legal Action Wisconsin
- Landlord / Tenant Concerns via Milwaukee Justice Center
- Disability Rights Wisconsin – disability-related housing discrimination
Other Housing Resources
Meeting Registration
Our meetings are open to all.
To request disability-related accommodations, please email barbara.beckert@drwi.org as soon as possible. We will do our best to respond to all requests.
Invest in Mental Health in the State Budget May 8th Press Event & Mental Health Awareness Month Celebration
Join the Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force and County Executive David Crowley to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month and share a message about the need to invest in mental health in the state budget. Our speakers will address the benefits of proposed mental health and substance use disorder initiatives including community-based services, peer delivered services, and mental health services for people with hearing loss.
Investing in mental health is the right thing for people and the right thing for the budget. Limited access to community-based mental health care has resulted in people with mental illness being placed in costly out of home and institutional settings or confined in jails or prisons. Increasing access to treatment and services will promote recovery and resilience and reduce overutilization of emergency, hospital, and justice system resources.
- View the video of Support Mental Health in the State Budget event on our Facebook page.
- Read the event coverage in Wisconsin Health News here.
Join Us on May 8th to Support Mental Health
Space is limited and registration is required. Register below.
When: Monday, May 8, 2023, at 11 AM
Where: Independence First, 540 S. 1st St.
Speakers
- Milwaukee County Executive, David Crowley
- Kathy Acevedo, Independence First Chief Operating Officer
- Mary Neubauer, Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force co-chair
- Maria Gonzalez-Edwards, Meta House Board member
- Katy Schmidt Hagmeyer, LCSW, Deaf Mental Health Advocate and Therapist in private practice with Deaf Inspire, LLC
- Maria Perez, PhD, Licensed psychologist, Vice president of Behavioral Health Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, Milwaukee County Mental Health Board Chairwoman
- Call to Action: Montreal Cain, MERA Cares Executive Director, Mental Health Task Force Steering Committee
Facilitated by Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights Wisconsin, Director of External Advocacy
Cosponsors
- Community Advocates
- Disability Rights Wisconsin
- Grand Avenue Club
- Independence First
- Jewish Family Services, Inc.
- Mental Health America of Wisconsin
- Meta House, Inc.
- NAMI Southeast Wisconsin
- People First Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Community Services
- Our Space
- AMRI Counseling Services, LLC / AMRI Counseling & Family Services, Inc.
- Wellpoint Care Network
State Budget Resources
- Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force Public Comments on the State Budget April 2023 (PDF)
- Full Funding for Community Support Programs Letter to Joint Finance (PDF)
- Funding for Room and Board for Medicaid members seeking residential substance use disorder treatment (PDF)
- Speak Out for Mental Health in the State Budget – May 2023 (PDF)
- Mental Health Professional Shortage Area in Wisconsin, by County, 2022
- CRISIS: Lack of Accessible Mental Health Services for People with Hearing Loss (PDF)
- Proposed Budget: Improving Mental Health and Crisis Services, Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Reasonable Accommodations
ASL interpreters will be available. To request other accommodations, please email barbara.beckert@drwi.org as soon as possible.
Environmental Chemical Sensitivities
For the safety and comfort of those with chemical and environmental sensitivities, IndependenceFirst requests that when attending agency-sponsored events, please refrain from using any perfumed products such as scented soaps, deodorants, perfumes, colognes and heavily scented fabric softeners. To maintain a smoke-free environment, please also refrain from smoking in paths of travel and doorways.