Rooted & Rising – Washington Park
A Social Service Agency of the United Methodist Church founded in 1962
Our Mission
Our mission is to cultivate a vibrant and resilient neighborhood by fostering connections, nurturing local talent, and empowering every member to contribute to the growth and well-being of our community.
Our Vision
At Rooted & Rising, we envision a neighborhood where every resident is deeply connected to the community, where our shared roots run deep, and where together we meet the community at the level of their needs. Only then can we rise to meet the challenges and opportunities of our ever-changing neighborhood and world.
From the very beginning, housing, social work outreach, education and community building have been at the core of the agency’s mission. The group home closed in 1979 due to shifting donor funding priorities, at which time the organization, then known as United Methodist Children’s Services (UMCS), implemented a teen parent program combining social work and nursing services for pregnant and parenting teen mothers. The Wisconsin Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Women were instrumental in the founding and support of the organization as it gained its foothold in the Milwaukee community.
History
Rooted & Rising – Washington Park was founded in 1962 as Methodist Children’s Services and was initially based in Madison, Wisconsin, before opening a second office in Milwaukee in the early 1970’s that operated a program called Project Reach. In 1972, the agency purchased a large duplex on W. Keefe Ave. in Milwaukee and housed a maternal group home for pregnant and parenting teen mothers unable to live with their own families.
In 1991, UMCS purchased an old apartment building across the street from Washington Park, the former home of the Milwaukee Zoo and one of the crown jewels of the Milwaukee County Park system that was designed by the renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Longtime Executive Director, Perry Huyck, was instrumental in the move of UMCS to its current location in the heart of Milwaukee’s Washington Park neighborhood. After many months, countless hours of ‘sweat-equity’, and exceptional contributions from volunteers from several different UMC churches, the current 18-unit Parkview Apartments opened for residents of the Transitional Living Program.
Since the move to 40th St. & Lisbon Avenue, the agency has expanded greatly, including the construction of multiple supportive housing developments beginning with the 6-unit UMCS Townhomes project in 2006, the 24-unit Washington Park Apartments in 2009 and the 24-unit UMCS Phase III project in 2012 comprised of 10 apartments and 14 additional townhomes on N. 38th and 39th Streets.
The Washington Park Neighborhood Improvement District (NID) #3 was established in 2012. At that time, UMCS volunteered to serve as the convening agent for the Washington Park Partners, a collaboration of neighborhood residents, businesses, funders and community partners that developed the Washington Park Sustainable Communities Plan and led efforts to implement community-based projects and attract new investment to the neighborhood. Over the succeeding five years, the Washington Park Partners implemented more than 100 different community projects to enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood. In 2014, UMCS was an award finalist for the BMO Harris Cornerstone Award, one of the MANDI (Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation) awards recognizing organizations for their commitment and effectiveness over time.
In 1998, the Growing Tree Children’s Center was founded on the 1st floor of the Parkview Apartments building to provide quality childcare for mothers and their children living in the transitional housing program on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Today, the Growing Tree is a 3-star, state-licensed early childhood education center serving Rooted & Rising housing residents, staff and families from across the Washington Park neighborhood and beyond.
In partnership with Hunger Task Force and with the dedicated support of several local United Methodist Church congregations, The Family Resource Center developed into a key food security resource for the Washington Park neighborhood that also provided hygiene items and a clothing bank. Today, Rooted & Rising’s Community Food Center operates as a choice-based shopping model and continues to provide vital hygiene and winter clothing assistance to an expanded service area that includes all of the 53208 and 53210 zip codes.
In 2014, the Transitional Living Program was broadened and adapted to offer permanent supportive housing to families throughout the entire 72-unit housing portfolio. Today, Rooted & Rising is one of the only organizations in the city offering permanent, supportive housing for families that are transitioning out of homelessness, with 15 units dedicated to family referrals from Milwaukee’s Coordinated Entry System. In 2022, Milwaukee’s Continuum of Care (CoC), the coalition of agencies dedicated to eliminating homelessness, recognized Rooted & Rising as its Landlord of the Year for its contributions as both a landlord and social service provider in the fight against homelessness.
In 2016, Perry Huyck retired from the Executive Director role after 35 years of distinguished service to the organization, its mission and the Washington Park neighborhood.
During the height of the covid pandemic in 2020-2021, the agency kept its doors open throughout the entire period and continued to provide vital resources and emergency assistance during a time of heightened uncertainty and need.
In September 2023, with a slight delay due to covid pandemic disruptions, the agency celebrated the 60th Anniversary of United Methodist Children’s Service’s remarkable legacy and commitment to service. The following month, in October 2023, the agency concluded a multi-year consultative process and officially rebranded and changed its name to Rooted & Rising – Washington Park.
While the locations, programs and services provided have evolved and expanded over the years, the agency’s core mission has remained intact. It is our sincere hope and belief that if the agency’s founders within the United Methodist Church were able to read the revised Mission Statement of Rooted & Rising that they would nod their heads in approval and celebrate the common purpose and bonds that continue to unite us across the divides.
Rooted & Rising – Washington Park believes in the dignity, potential and worth of all people and is dedicated to helping individuals and families meet their basic needs, establish stable foundations, and pursue their dreams. We are united in our mission to build a nurturing, thriving community where all people feel welcome, supported and a sense of belonging.
Through quality housing, childcare, food security, basic resources, and neighborhood engagement programming, we are committed to listening to and elevating the voices of our neighbors, serving with humility and compassion, and working with our partners to build a more stable, equitable and prosperous community for all Washington Park residents. We walk alongside our neighbors to help put down roots and rise to reach our community’s fullest potential.