United Methodist Children’s Services of
Wisconsin, Inc was founded in 1962 and was initially located in Madison,
Wisconsin. In the early 1970’s a second
office was opened in Milwaukee, which operated a program called Project
Reach. In 1972 UMCS purchased a large
duplex on West Keefe Ave in Milwaukee and housed a maternal group home for
pregnant and parenting teen mothers unable to live with their own
families. The group home closed in 1979
due to shifting county funding priorities, at which time UMCS implemented a
teen parent program combining social 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.
In 1991, UMCS purchased an old apartment
building across the street from Washington Park, the former home of the
Milwaukee Zoo. Executive Director, Perry Huyck was instrumental in the
move of UMCS to its current location. After many months, countless hours
of ‘sweat-equity, and many contributions put into the project, the current
Parkview Apartments opened for residents. Since the move to 40th &
Lisbon Ave, the agency has expanded greatly including multiple building
additions with the Washington Park Apartments in 2009, the UMCS Townhomes in
2007 & 2011 and the Grandview Apartments in 2011. UMCS now has 72 units of
affordable housing that include both 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom units.
Throughout the years the programs of UMCS have
also expanded. Our programs have evolved throughout the years in order to
target specific child, family, and community services.
While the services provided have changed and
expanded over the years, United Methodist Children’s Services’ goal has
remained the same: to make a significant difference in the lives of children
and their families as an expression of our love for Christ.
