Milwaukee Mitchell Airport (MKE) has installed four new donation boxes to help fight homelessness. The boxes, located outside and past the security checkpoints at concourses C and D, are in place to collect donations in support of Milwaukee’s Housing First initiative.
The project involved a partnership between the Milwaukee County Housing Division, Greater Mitchell International Airport (GMIA) and the County Board of Supervisors, which, in May, approved changes to an ordinance that had prohibited solicitation at the airport in order to permit installation of the boxes.
Chris Abele, Milwaukee County executive, said, “These boxes reflect a creative, collaborative approach that is necessary for us to tackle some of the county’s biggest issues.
“We’ve been able to dramatically cut the number of homeless residents in our county in the last three years, but we still have more work to do. I’m hopeful that this will make a real difference in our community. Some spare change from passengers can add up to making big changes for people in our county.”
While Milwaukee is on track toward its goal of ending chronic homelessness by this autumn, those who don’t fit the definition of chronically homeless also require assistance. A majority of the new funding to combat homelessness has come from Milwaukee County in the past few years, but additional resources are needed.
Brian Dranzik, the airport’s director, commented, “The spare change collectors are a great way for Mitchell Airport to support and improve the community that supports us. I will join my fellow MKE travelers in contributing spare change before going through security on my next flight.”
