HOME GR/OWN
HOME GR/OWN: Table Talk
Parallel to HOME GR/OWN moving forward, community members have been meeting to plan for a Milwaukee food hub. More information on food hubs can be found here. Food hubs are integrated into the HOME GR/OWN concept to build wealth and access to healthy food in Milwaukee. Could food hubs help Milwaukee's local food supply chain? What should a food hub look like? The concept of a food hub could mean anything from a farm stand located on a street corner to a food processing kitchen facility. Members of the UEDA-sponsored food hub working group discuss food hubs in THIS ARTICLE in Outpost Natural Food's Spring Edition of Graze Magazine. Thanks to Outpost for development of this story.
Milwaukee Named as Fan Favorite Runner-up in the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayors Challenge
Mayor Barrett and the team at City Hall thank all the citizens that helped propel the HOME GR/OWN initiative forward despite not being named a Mayors Challenge winner. While Milwaukee was not selected for one of the five monetary awards from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Milwaukee was named “Fan Favorite Runner-Up” . Milwaukee’s HOME GR/OWN application received unique recognition both for its idea and the tremendous level of support from both Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Huffington Post. Together we can still make HOME GR/OWN a reality and national model of success!
HOME GR/OWN will live on despite the lack of Bloomberg Philanthropies start-up funding. The HOME GR/OWN team continues to work on details and logistics of a 2013 roll-out while we work with partners to identify supplemental sources of funding. Stay tuned!
HOME GR/OWN in the NEWS.
Check out the original Tournavation site HERE that originally started HOME GR/OWN in the Milwaukee community.
Read the City of Milwaukee's Press Release HERE that announced Milwaukee as a top 20 finalist. 
Read a Journal Sentinel article featuring Milwaukee as finalist HERE.
Read a Riverwest Currents article on the HOME GR/OWN project HERE.
Check out the update on HOME GR/OWN HERE. This January 2013 presentation summarizes where the City of Milwaukee was in the application process and what were next steps as the community moves forward.
Check out the HOME GR/OWN Fact Sheet HERE.
Read the City of Milwaukee Press Release HERE about Milwaukee as a Fan Favorite in the Mayors Challenge.
Read the Huffington Post article HERE that summarizes Milwaukee's HOME GR/OWN idea submitted to the Bloomberg Challenge.
Listen to the WUWM Lake Effect Interview with Mayor Tom Barrett HERE on the future of HOME GR/OWN without Bloomberg funding.
Watch Milwaukee's Finalist video below to the Bloomberg Challenge. Created in collaboration with Wisconsin Foodie and Harvest Motion Design, it addresses how the City of Milwaukee is dealing with the issue's of foreclosed homes, vacant lots, urban blight, and healthy food access.
Below is a rendering of a potential HOME GR/OWN Neighborhood designed for the Mayor's Challenge. Click on the rendering for a PDF version.
To aid in envisioning the HOME GR/OWN project, a University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee architecture design charrette assisted the Office of Environmental Sustainability in rendering site designs. The architecture class called "Greening Milwaukee" teaches students how to design and think about the state of sustainable issues in Milwaukee area.
Site C
This site is visualized as an urban homesteading lot and how it fits into a community. The use of a foreclosed home next to a vacant lot would be repurposed as a neighborhood resource. The main purpose of having urban homesteading lots directly in neighborhoods would be to improve local access to food, however, there would be other indirect benefits such as creating a better sense of community.
Site F
Site F addresses the new potential for affordable housing in neighborhoods that have experienced high foreclosure rates. The Department of City Development may retain certain areas for future economic development possibilities.
Site H
On lots that already have sustainable features the HOME GR/OWN project aims to keep the environmental features integrated within the city. Site H envisions a vacant lot with many trees already on site to be converted into a community pocket park.
Site L
Site L was envisioned as homesteading lot controlled by a community faith organization. The produce generated could be sold to neighborhood stores or a central Food Hub. This site focused on the fencing materials that could be used on each site to maintain security. Emphasis was placed on using recycled materials that would make the site partially visible but still keep it secured and protected.
HOME GR/OWN is a project of the Office of Mayor Tom Barrett with support from the City of Milwaukee Departments.