Implementing the An-ti-dote, Re-defining, Re-branding and UN-TRAPPING the Infrastructure ATMs

U.S.Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Wisconsin 4th District

“The financial assistance and educational resources provided by the CDFI and NACA Programs here in Milwaukee are critical to our community’s growth and building a strong, robust economy,” said U. S. Representative Gwen Moore. “I want to thank CDFI Fund Director Donna J. Gambrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Treasury Don Graves and the Department of Treasury for choosing the great city of Milwaukee to make this very important announcement. I look forward to continuing to work with them to help provide these much needed resources to our most vulnerable communities.”

August 6, 2012 - Milwaukee

Speaking to a group of CDFIs that work in Wisconsin, Director Gambrell highlighted how the awards announced today will benefit a broad swathe of Americans. “I am pleased to announce the 2012 awards for the CDFI Program and the NACA Program, which will increase the capacity of CDFIs serving low-income and Native communities across the country,” said Director Gambrell. “This year’s awardees will continue to provide vital financial services in low-income areas that are typically overlooked by traditional lenders, bettering the lives of Americans nationwide.”

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What is a CDFI - Community Development Financial Institution?

A CDFI is a specialized financial institution dedicated to serving low-income individuals and communities that lack access to financial services from mainstream financial institutions. CDFIs offer retail banking services as well as loans for small businesses and microenterprises, affordable housing projects, and social service organizations. They also provide additional services—such as business planning, credit counseling, and homebuyer education—to help their borrowers use credit effectively.

The MISSION of the CDFI Fund (The CDFI Fund) is to expand the capacity of financial institutions to provide credit, capital, and financial services to underserved populations and communities in the United States.

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The city of Milwaukee qualifies for empowerment of its People and strengthening its People, land and assets for self-sustainability.
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Off Fiscal Cliff

Our research, review and observation has revealed the existence of needed funding and resources coming to Milwaukee to help eliminate the status of Enduring Concentration Poverty in the Urban city of Milwaukee.  However, there is an infrastructure of planning and implementation that MUST BE changed.  

It is the "status quo" models of many deposits in the Milwaukee ATM/Automated (Automatic) Teller Machine from the federal government to individuals/organizations that by-design are disconnected from the masses that they should be servicing for capacity building and real change.  The CDFI/Community Development Financial Institution fund is but one of the big depositors.

It is not that there isn't some goodness done; but, the model/pathways of how-how much-who-what-when-where of the money - do not create infrastructural pipelines that should have sustainable parts, distribution points and connected outreach in every nook and cranny of the 190 neighborhoods of Milwaukee.  

We can not  empower the End-user, build a bottom-up economy, create economic engines, attract investors on the merits as long as preferential treatment guides a systemic way of conducting business. 

We can not have funds coming to the neighborhood - used, outsourced and controlled by everybody but the stakeholders-shareholders-taxpayers of the residential, commercial and social fabric of the city of Milwaukee neighborhoods. 

So we Call for Follow the $$$$....and REBOOT.

Status Quo
In Milwaukee, the contagion of the oligopoly-monopoly model controls and continues to raise the flag of widespread Discrimination, lack of due process, segregation, arbitrary and capricious acts, conflict of interest, greed and “by-design” exclusion of neighborhood hidden talent and vetted businesses. 

The planning, implementation and funds are co-opted by well-connected leaders and boards of organizations, real estate barons, chamber and civic groups that have anchored themselves in lobbying, networking among themselves, and controlling the flow of mega resources that come to Milwaukee.  The devaluing of Milwaukee/Milwaukeeans is seen in the massive "outsourcing" of funds from Milwaukee coffers to corporation that fail to do their part to build the city and to outer areas.

It is one thing to collaborate and partner for the betterment/good of all; but, we always should take care of home - the city and county seat for many as well as the largest urban city in the state.

ALL Hands on Deck WE - Antidote
Since Milwaukee has had decades on top of decades of "by-design" discrimination of People of Color, it is this population that constantly show disparities disproportionately  in quality of life and economic development gains to Caucasian.

The population of Milwaukee is over a half-million people - 3/4 are People of Color.
These are the folk that the CDFI and other mega funds come to empower for self-sustainability.

These are the folk that want to move beyond the staggering statistics of deficits of health, employment, education attainment, technology knowhow, safety issues to "preparedness".

It follows that People of Color and the Work Challenged (un-, under-employed; un-, under-degreed and certificated; un-, under-financed neighborhood-level business; disabled; and re-entry - especially those returning from WAR, INCARCERATION, BOOMERANG EMPLOYMENT, BOOMERANG RETIREMENT and DEGREED students without employment), require empowerment concentration and maximizing ALL funds and services to see real gains.  The taxpayers/stakeholders MUST be participating every step of the way for "skin-the-game".

It is important to note that exclusion/DISCRIMINATION is in place even though you will find African American, other People  of Color and Work Challenged individuals in key positions.  The mindset challenges include:

• Their roles and responsibilites dictate "going along to get along".
• They have no real power of decision making or if they do, it is rubber stamping the template for more funding. 
• They have bought into the "vicitimizing" of the victims.
• They lack luster and stamina for reform.
• They are not trained in empowerment customer services.
• They too often feel powerless.
• They are one or two in a sea of many Caucasians.
• Some feel only MORE funding is the culprit.
• They become complicit in wrongdoing.

The REBOOT paradigm calls for All Hands on Deck, WE expectations, buy-ins, education, communication, collaboration, neighborhood-neighborhood partnerships, transparency, best practices, stability, predictability and accountability.

Hidden Talent & Vetted Businesses - Antidote

The strangle-hold on the URBAN infrastructure is in the devaluing of existence of hidden talent and vetted businesses at the neighborhood level.  Therefore, there is NO Economic CHANGE.  The cycle repeats itself and the People of the city of Milwaukee are demonized.  The many reports are written of Enduring Concentration of Poverty.  But, most of all, our families remain "trapped" without quality of life and economic development opportunities.

We can and will do better than this - we have the knowhow, the resources and NOW is the time.

Financial Resources and Tools - Antidote

"When individuals are selected from regions - companies, banks, CDFI/Community Development Financial Institutions, SBA/Small Business Administration, the corporate structure and large groups only, the other 95% majority of the population is disadvantaged and the full scale of the economy of Milwaukee-America is falsely presented and more importantly, creates greed and privileged behavior that are presented as the norm.  It also fosters "conflict of interest" and preferential treatment irrespective of the firewall that is to be in place, and a continued unequal distribution of wealth and unemployment in our city-county-state.

Economic growth must be realized at the neighborhood level  with a collective partnership of expectation and buy-in by/for Milwaukeeans to come off the fiscal cliff and to stop the collateral damages.

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As part of the reporting by Mary Glass, Chair/CEO, Milwaukee Professionals Association, for the Call for Investigation (United States Department of Justice), those who received the 2012 CDFI funds and others listed in this article have been included.  The recent CDFI designation has increased the number known and they will each be contacted for information sharing for implementation of the Antidote for ensuring that the federal funds are maximized - show "empowerment and city/neighborhood gains".

We will call on the 2012 Awardees:

• First American Capital Corporation ($149,601)
• Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce ($90,500)
• Legacy Redevelopment Corporation (600,000)
• Milwauke Economic Development Corporation ($1,053,806)
• Northwest Side Community Development Corporation ($400,000)
• Ways to Work ($1,453,806)
• Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative ($953,806)

Our focus also includes:

• Community Development Block Grant
• Fred Lubar Company - Chicago Federal Reserve and Local
• LISC/Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Manpower - Chicago Federal Reserve and Local
• Milwaukee banks and Financial Institutions
• The Small Business Administration
• Wisconsin Business Growth Fund - Chicago Federal Reserve and Local
• Others

Stay tuned.