Planning Process

Long Range Plan to Reduce Homelessness
in Milwaukee County for 2000 To 2004

II. Planning Process

A Steering Committee comprised of representatives from Milwaukee County, the Shelter Task Force, and several CoC agencies emerged during mid-1999 and took the important initial step of creating the Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) that was charged with the responsibility of guiding the development of a long-range plan for reducing homelessness in Milwaukee. Since the focus of such an effort was to be comprehensive and community-wide, great care was taken in formulating the composition of the LRPC to include not only providers of homeless services but also community representatives from such areas as business, government, funders, landlords, and community volunteers (see Appendix A for a list of the LRPC membership). The intent in developing the long-range plan was to serve as the blueprint for the whole community, including all funders and funding streams (e.g., HUD’s CoC) for developing a comprehensive, coordinated community response to the needs of the homeless population. It was also seen as a potential vehicle for creating public awareness about and support for homeless individuals and families.

Once the LRPC members were selected, a general orientation about homelessness in Milwaukee was conducted for the community representatives in September 1999 to enhance their participation with the service providers in developing the long range plan. Over the course of the six-month period from October 1999 to March 2000, numerous meetings were held to develop the various components of the long rang plan document, i.e., vision and mission, homeless sub-population needs, service gaps, and goals and objectives for 2000 to 2004.