$1 million grant delivered for Brown County United Way community house

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Several federal and state leaders were in Green Bay Wednesday to present a $1 million grant to the Brown County United Way.

The United Way chapter is seeking to build a first-of-its-kind neighborhood community house. It’s designed to help people in four east-side neighborhoods: downtown, Joannes Park, Navarino and Whitney Park. It will be a place where people job training, help with housing, and mental health support.

“We don’t go into a community, we don’t develop programs or initiatives and just say ‘this is our idea’ but really listening to the voice of those who are going to be most impacted and benefit from our work,” Brown County United Way CEO Robyn Davis said.

It’s the largest amount to date that the United Way has received, and it will be matched with local funding.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) was instrumental in securing the funding. Davis said her organization made a congressional spending request with Baldwin’s office.

“The space will be used to foster a greater sense of belonging, a greater sense of ownership, a greater sense of empowerment for so many people,” Sen. Baldwin said.

According to the non-profit, 48% of Green Bay households fall into the “A.L.I.C.E.” definition -- Asset Limited, Income-Constrained, despite being Employed.

“We all are interested in helping people, in strengthening our neighborhoods, in lifting up our community, but we are not capable of doing that unless we know individuals on an intrapersonal level,” Mayor Eric Genrich said.

The site of the community house hasn’t been determined yet.

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