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UMOS to keep Milwaukee County anti-poverty programs running through June 2027
A state contract extension will let UMOS continue providing food, housing and health services to low-income Milwaukee County residents while officials seek a permanent community action agency. The nonprofit says its programs have already reached thousands of households and generated hundreds of health referrals.
UMOS will continue providing food, housing and health services to low-income residents in Milwaukee County through June 30, 2027, under a contract extension from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.
The extension is intended to prevent a break in services while the state looks for a permanent community action agency for the county. UMOS, a South Side-based nonprofit, began serving as an interim provider in November 2025 after the state withdrew the designation of the Social Development Commission, which had held the role for more than 60 years.
SDC had helped residents with services including tax preparation and job training, but reported financial problems in 2024 and stopped providing services. The state’s decision to remove its designation ended SDC’s eligibility for federal Community Services Block Grant funding. A federal office upheld that decision in December 2025.
UMOS initially received the remaining 2025 grant funding, using it for its Community Pathways Program. The nonprofit had until Sept. 30, 2026, to spend $2.1 million from that funding period. The new contract allows it to use $1.4 million in remaining federal fiscal year 2026 funds for the service region. The state also added $729,000 to UMOS’s contract in May after the nonprofit served more people than projected.
UMOS Vice President of Social Services Marjorie Rivera-Torres said the organization’s finance team was still closing out the earlier grant period in October and determining the final amount spent on Community Pathways services. She said $1.38 million went to housing assistance, which offered eligible residents up to $1,800 for rent, mortgage payments or property taxes.
From January through September, UMOS reported providing housing assistance to 899 people. Rivera-Torres said the program also completed 492 behavioral health referrals and 513 physical health referrals. Through its food pantry and partner sites, it distributed more than 1 million pounds of food to 9,133 households.
The housing assistance program is paused during October while UMOS updates its winter requirements and is scheduled to reopen Nov. 1. “For us, it’s really important to be able to support families when the weather is not the best,” Rivera-Torres said.
Residents can contact UMOS to apply for Community Pathways services. The nonprofit will continue working with Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, Northcott Neighborhood House, Wellpoint Care Network, Outreach Community Health Centers and the Medical College of Wisconsin, Rivera-Torres said, and is working to finalize additional partnerships.