Guest House of Milwaukee - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

TEAURAUN A.

The casemanager Monae truly believed that I was complacent being there and like living the shelter life during Covid lol. After leaving the Guesthouse to go to the Salvation Army, the caseworker there somehow agreed with the other caseworker and labeled me complacent lol while Covid was still around. Lol

alkolcu

Brought someone and they were willing to provide housing despite they have a wait policy each and every day. We need more places available for those in need in cold weathers like this.

Zortar N.

Staff is rude. The place is nasty, along with sick residents. The area is unsafe. Bullets do fly around this area. Security is existing to a very small extent. What is that wand going to do? Food poisoning will happen to you eventually. Thieves/crackheads are around you. The only ones with sense is the vets. Racism is high amongst residents. Jennifer is the best case worker( give her a raise).

K.W. B.

I stayed here twice in 2016 and was ‘exited’ twice after 90 days. This is standard practice.

I don’t drink or do any self medicating of any kind. They breathalyze and do supervised drug screening as condition for housing. It’s fine the first couple times, but housed people look for drugs in homeless piss like a person with autocratic tendencies looks for voter fraud. Even when it never shows up, they just assume it went uncaught.

I wasn’t given a pathway to housing, and I ended up sleeping outside two years. I would say this was a failure of city housing policy under Tom Barrett more than as any issue specifically with The Guest House.

The Guest House exists by way of flawed housing policy—even if it is one of the better, safer men’s shelters in Milwaukee. It is the place you get when a bunch of neoliberal practices gets granted money from people who have never dealt with food or housing insecurity a day in their life.

My pathway to permanent housing was done through a Community Advocates program called Project Bridge. It was a long process, but I now have full employment and financial independence with a unionized job.

The Guest House is a space at the crossroads of massive inequality in today’s society and the highs and lows of participating in a space like this all stem from that simple fact.

mrgcav

Arrived during COVID in 2019, Stayed for eight Months.
Has lots of problems with Staff over minor issues.
Did NOT Tell them I got a Job With Accurate Appliance Electronics during my stay. Or they would of wanted fees.
Two faced Friendly staff. Lots of rules ! Good diners Only. Bag Lunch. No Breakfast. Lots of STUPID rules. Some residents good, some not so good. Mostly you are left alone to do your own thing but DO NOT attract attention to yourself. Better than the Mission. Safer place than most to store your stuff. But Residents do Steal from on another and the staff will "Confiscate" Steal property and then make us an excuse. If the staff takes your stuff, Threaten to call the police and press charges.
Staff, Especially Candice act like demi Gods and will try to control you. They "Conficated" all my Laundry supplies three weeks after I arrived in a dorm sweep. They refused to return them. So I went and bought more identical supplies and hid them.
Two Washers and Two Dryer for 100 men.
Do it yourself atmosphere. They help you get back on your feet and back to an independent life but you have to do the work..
Case managers are helpful and godlike. Staff are bossy and conflicted. Each staff member thinks they run the place. Donations do go missing too. Staff do not respect a persons property rights. Staff ignore the law. Staff believe GH rules supersede the law.
Residents are treated as criminals if a rule is broken. Threat of eviction is frequent.
DO NOT tell the Staff Anything as it will be used against you.
Bunk beds not comfortable. Three Showers for 100 men. Luck to shower twice a week.
Its a slum.
They kicked me out, evicted me on Christmas day. I had nowhere to go.
I am so glad I saved my money in the bank and got out. I now have an apartment and a job.

Gunnard B.

I recently stayed here for 5 months. The case worker Candis thinks she runs the place and acts like a drill Sargeant. All of my property was confiscated during surprise dorm sweep. It was all on top of my footlocker and not a problem to anyone. Candis made it so hard to get it back. Minus her, the place isn't bad, but I had a horrible experience personally

James S.

They did help me get my housing voucher after much to do... Too much delay and knit picking, as I was qualified when I arrived. I stayed about two months waiting for my voucher. So I casually told a worker in passing, I was moving out soon. Did not say when. But instead of letting me pack my own stuff, they immeadiatly packed it for me behind my back while I was at work and some of my property disappeared. So I get back from work and an told I have to leave immeadiatly. Its January, I have nowhere to go and my new place is unavailable for three more weeks, at the first of the month February 1st.
Then much later I find out they banned me for complaining about my stolen property but did not tell me this either. I filed a formal complaint with Guesthouse.
I should sue for loss of property.
They only pretend to care about people as long as it brings them in funding. They use people.
If you have to stay here and can not get into the Salvation Army Emergency lodge which is way better, then plan not to stay long. Get in, get a job, get out and get a real place of your own but do not tell the Guest House... ANYTHING.
Also you and your property are not safe here. Residents prey upon on another. You must hide everything from everyone. Take all valuables with you if you leave the premises. Staff will only pretend to help with such issues.

Ace S.

- guests were made to do chores while staff sit back and watched.
- staff would sit and make fun and degrade guests who were working on bettering their life situations.
- donations would come and mostly everything would be stolen by the staff.
- the good staff members who were actually making a difference would be fired over the bad ones.
- issues such as rude staff and bad customer service/ professionality.
- incidents would a occur and every guests would have to pay the price for it.