City of Milwaukee - File #: R13769

• File #: R13769
• Version: 0
• Type: Housing Authority Resolution
• Status: Passed
• File created: 5/15/2026
• In control: HOUSING AUTHORITY
• On agenda: 5/20/2026
• Final action: 5/20/2026
• Title: Resolution approving a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the reallocation of twenty-five (25) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers from the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) to the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), removing them from HACM’s Consolidated Annual Contributions Contract, with the goal of increased utilization
• Sponsors: THE CHAIR

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
5/20/2026	0	HOUSING AUTHORITY	Minutes note: Ken Barbeau, HACM’s Chief Operating Officer of Program Services, explained that the local office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, has requested that HACM reallocate 25 of its Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers to the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). HACM currently administers 374 VASH vouchers but is utilizing only about 80 percent of them. In contrast, WHEDA administers 124 VASH vouchers across a broader geographic area throughout the Milwaukee metropolitan region, thereby providing homeless veterans with more housing options, which allows WHEDA to maintain a higher utilization rate, and the capacity to manage additional vouchers. Mr. Barbeau noted that HUD regularly offers Public Housing Agencies opportunities to request additional VASH vouchers. Therefore, if HACM's utilization rate increases in the future, the agency may apply for additional vouchers to meet demand. Commissioners raised questions regarding the proposed reallocation, including whether the transfer would be permanent, whether HACM would retain sufficient vouchers to meet local demand, and why HACM lags behind the statewide average for the time required to move veterans from voucher issuance to housing placement and voucher utilization.

Number
R13769

Version
Original

Reference

Sponsor
The Chair

Title
Resolution approving a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the reallocation of twenty-five (25) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers from the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) to the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), removing them from HACM’s Consolidated Annual Contributions Contract, with the goal of increased utilization

Analysis

Body
WHEREAS, HUD currently allocates 347 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers in total to HACM in partnership with Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center (CZVAMC); and

WHEREAS, currently only 79% of the vouchers allocated to HACM currently are leased to VASH participants; and

WHEREAS, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) also manages a voucher program, including a total of 124 VASH vouchers in the CZVAMC catchment area, and their voucher utilization is currently at 98% with 89% of the vouchers currently under lease; and

WHEREAS, HUD Notice PIH 2022-25 (HA) on Voluntary Reallocation or Recapture of HUD-VASH Vouchers details the process that a PHA may voluntarily reallocate all or a portion of their VASH vouchers to another PHA within the same area, which includes agreement by all partners and approval by the respective Boards; and

WHEREAS, the VAMC, WHEDA, HUD Field Office, and HACM have communicated, assessed the situation, and are all in agreement that this reallocation of 25 VASH vouchers and (including associated funding) from HACM to WHEDA can result in a higher utilization and more homeless veterans housed faster, with the ability to use the voucher in a larger geographic area in the CZVAMC catchment area; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee that HACM request a reallocation of 25 currently unused VASH vouchers be reallocated from HACM to WHEDA...