When Lynnea Katz-Petted left a corporate job, she wanted to do something more meaningful. Apparently she found her niche in 2005 when she took the reins of a small nonprofit called Rebuilding Together, a volunteer organization that repaired about four homes a year. Her charge was to double the number of homes the organization was repairing annually. Working from home for five years along with a part-time contractor, that organization has now rebranded itself as Revitalize Milwaukee, has 22 employees, a 6,000-square foot office/warehouse space, and repairs between 600 and 800 homes a year.
“When I started working here, it became obvious that the community needed more help. I was able to utilize some of the skills and connections from corporate to take this organization to the next level,” said Katz-Petted.
Revitalize Milwaukee is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose goal is to reduce social, economic, and environmental disparities by providing FREE home repairs throughout Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. Revitalize Milwaukee is the largest provider of home repairs to eligible homeowners in Southeast Wisconsin and the only one that provides them for free. Keeping existing homeowners in their homes helps stabilize neighborhoods and the tax base paid to the city.
“Revitalize Milwaukee provides opportunities to change people’s lives in a way that allows them to live their best lives. There is so much judgement and racism in our community and I just want people to know that all people—from all walks of life—are integral to our community. I want to let residents know that they are not alone and they have someone here to help them,” said Katz-Petted.
To help fund its program, Revitalize Milwaukee hosts three fundraising events a year. Among them are an annual golf outing, which will be held this year on July 12 and its Block Build, where residents and volunteers repair 30 homes in 36 hours.
“During our Block Build, we identify sponsors for each of the homes to do repairs, get permits and we rehab the neighborhood, which changes its trajectory. This event is always held in August and this year it will occur on August 18 and 19,” said Katz-Petted.
The organization also hosts a gala at the Wisconsin Club every October, which is a celebratory event known for the incredible food that is served.
During the pandemic, Katz-Petted was proud of how Revitalize Milwaukee staff rose to the occasion to serve residents, never shutting its doors.
“During the covid-19 pandemic the number of people we serve increased 240% over the usual number. We received calls for everything from getting food for people to fixing overflowing toilets. Being able to serve residents during the pandemic became a sense of pride for our staff. Residents called us for problems unrelated to home repairs because they did not have anyone else and we helped them. For example, one of our seniors went to the grocery store and when she came out, her tire was slashed. She did not know who else to call, so she called us and we replaced the tire,” said Katz-Petted.
“We just want people to know they are not alone and we are here to help. I am so
blown away and impressed by the resiliency of our homeowners. They are an inspiration to me and that makes me want to do more for them,” said Katz-Petted.
That is one of the reasons why the Milwaukee Community Journal is recognizing Revitalize Milwaukee as one of this year’s diamonds; they are serving our community, repairing homes, and stabilizing neighborhoods, no matter what.
For more information about Revitalize Milwaukee, please call Revitalize Milwaukee at (414) 312-7531 or visit the website to see if you qualify, www.freehomerepairs.org/ .