IMPACT helps Milwaukee County Achieve Nation's Lowest Unsheltered Population
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has recognized Milwaukee as having the lowest unsheltered homeless population of any community per capita in the nation. Seventeen individuals were counted, representing a 70 percent reduction from the previous year.
IMPACT 211 began serving as the entry point for those seeking emergency shelter in Milwaukee County in 2013. Planning for the “Coordinated Entry” project began in 2011 as an outcome of the Milwaukee County Continuum of Care's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. By 2017, Coordinated Entry was fully implemented from shelter to permanent supportive housing. In 2019, IMPACT began to emphasize homelessness prevention and added two prevention navigators to our team.

Coordinated Entry leads the effort to reduce homelessness across Milwaukee County by delivering comprehensive services and collaborating for system improvement. In 2021, there were 25,007 requests for emergency shelter assistance (which includes domestic violence shelters, crisis nurseries, cold weather shelters, runaway/youth shelters and shelters for men, women or families) and other emergency housing services in Milwaukee County. In addition, IMPACT 211 responded to 34,079 housing-related requests to preserve stability.

Milwaukee County has taken a holistic approach to improving health outcomes in the community looking through the lens of social determinants of health. The County invests funds into Housing First programs, with the focus on increasing permanent housing options to end the cycle of homelessness.