WCS is excited to announce the upcoming On the Road Again fundraiser for the Center for Driver’s License Recovery & Employability (CDLRE) program!  This new and unique event aims to bring awareness of the CDLRE program to the Milwaukee community as well as raise money so the program can continue to…

Mediation & Dispute Resolution Skills Workshop March 7th & March 8th, 2019 Workshop Location WCS Administration Building 1st Floor Conference Area 3732 W. Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53208 This workshop is a “hands-on” experiential training that will give participants an opportunity to test their skills in helping others to resolve disputes and find peaceful solutions to their…

Register now for a Community Building Workshop!

Wisconsin Community Services, Inc. (WCS) is hosting a 4-Day T4C Train-the-Trainer Training on November 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th, 2018.  Register and pay online HERE! Thinking for a Change (T4C) TRAIN-THE-TRAINER (T4T) TRAINING 4-day, 36-hour TRAINING FOR TRAINERS The program trains individuals to become Certified Thinking for a Change (T4C) facilitators.  T4C is focused on an integrated,…

Share Your Heart! Heart of Canal Street is Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s signature community program that raises funds for children’s charities – and WCS is in the running to be a beneficiary. This marks its 25th anniversary. Heart of Canal Street has raised more than $18 million for hundreds of area children’s…

The Wisconsin Community Services (WCS) Black Male Advisory Council (BMAC) hosted its 4th Annual Community Resource and Job Fair on August 15, 2018.  136 job-seekers from throughout the Milwaukee community attended, which brings the total number of African American males served since 2015 to 412.  This year, 33 vendors provided information…

The WCS Black Male Advisory Council is hosting its 4th Annual Community Resource & Job Fair on August 15th!

    WNOV's Jermaine Reed will be welcoming WCS to “The Rise and Shine Morning Show” on Thursday, February 1, 2018 from 8am to 9am.  WNOV can be found at 860 AM, W293CX, and 106.5 FM. Listeners can also stream WNOV live at http://wnov860.com/. Joining Jermaine Reed from WCS are: Executive Director Clarence Johnson,…

February 28-March 2, 2018 May 30-June 1, 2018 June 22-24, 2018 September 12-14, 2018

The WCS Black Male Advisory Council (BMAC) is hosting a Community Resource & Job Fair on Wednesday, August 30th. All community members are welcome to attend to learn about job and service opportunities in the Milwaukee area!  See details below!

  TO APPLY: CLICK HERE  Then SCROLL DOWN to "Click here to view ALL CURRENT OPENINGS."  

The WCS Black Male Advisory Council (BMAC) hosted a Community Resource and Job Fair on Wednesday, August 31st in the WCS Conference and Training Center and  parking lot at the facility located at 3732 W. Wisconsin Avenue. Hundreds of community members attended the fair which provided information on health, education, finances,…

Clarence Johnson has been selected by WCS Board of Directors as the agency's new Executive Director, effective January 1, 2017. Current Executive Director Holly Patzer is retiring on December 31, 2016.

  CLICK HERE TO DONATE to the WCS Outpatient Mental Health Clinic's Wellness & Recovery Fund!      

  Wisconsin Community Services, Inc. (WCS) is a Key Partner in Milwaukee County's efforts to "End Chronic Homelessness."  Learn more about the Thurgood Marshall Apartments here!   See the press releases from Milwaukee County below.   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Kimberly Kane (414) 202-5762 kimberly.kane@milwaukeecountywi.gov Katy Glodosky (920) 627-2619 katy.glodosky@milwaukeecountywi.gov MILWAUKEE COUNTY ANNOUNCES NEW MILESTONE IN EFFORTS TO END CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS Thurgood Marshall…

The Wisconsin State Assembly approved a bipartisan measure that will change the maximum length of a driver’s license suspension for failure to pay a forfeiture (“FPF”) from two years to one.

During National Caregiver Month in November, WCS recognized longtime staff member Colleen Dublinski as the WCS Caregiver of the Year.  She began her career at WCS in 1978 and has touched the lives of thousands of clients and staff over the past 37 plus years. Currently, Colleen is the Director…

WCS staff member Torre Johnson has been recognized as a "Milwaukee Superhero." His image, along with the images of 17 other Harambee neighborhood community leaders, is featured on a mural from Riverworks.   Click on the news links below to learn more about the mural project and the community leaders it…

Thursday, November 12, 2015 AND Friday, November 13, 2015 9:00am to 5:00pm CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! Workshop Location Citizens Bank of Mukwonago in Waukesha 2109 Corporate Drive Waukesha, WI 53188 (Phone: 262-548-0208) * Workshop attendees are not allowed to remain at Citizens Bank of Mukwonago during the one hour lunch break. Please make arrangements for this time. Cost $250/person (cash/check) $256.82/person (credit card/Paypal)…

The BMAC Community Resource Fair, which was held on September 30, 2015, provided information and education to African American men served through WCS programs, as well as to African American men in the broader community. See photos from the BMAC Community Resource Fair below!                                               The WCS BMAC was established in early 2015 in…

Thanks to everyone who supported the WCS Outpatient Mental Health Clinic by attending the Wine, Chocolate, & the Spirit of Giving fundraiser on April 22, 2015 at RedLine Milwaukee. THE EVENT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!                                                                                                                           

In a recent article on MSN.com, WCS' Director of Policy Research Nichole Yunk Todd provides insight into Wisconsin's driver's licence revocation and recovery system.  Molly Gena, a lawyer with the Legal Action of Wisconsin, was also interviewed for the article. http://www.msn.com Retrieved April 20, 2015 Bad drivers probably shouldn't be on the road.…

  Milwaukee is known to be the most segregated city in the United States with the largest disparities in the incarceration of Black males. With this reality in mind, WCS recently created the Black Male Advisory Council (BMAC). The BMAC provides African American men, employed by WCS, an opportunity to convene…

   Mario Costantini, of the HFYC Board of Directors, accepts the MetLife Foundation Award for Excellence    in Gang Prevention and Youth Safety.   The Holton Youth + Family Center (HYFC) was one of 11 groups nationally to be honored with the 2014 MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award. The award, which is adminsiterd by…

On October 13, 2014, the Center for Driver’s License Recovery & Employability (CDLRE) won the 2014 Greater Together Challenge with its proposal to restore universal driver’s education in Milwaukee! On October 15, 2014, the Common Council of Milwaukee unanimously passed a resolution supporting the proposal by CDLRE in the Greater Together…

  Opportunity & Freedom Center for Driver’s License Recovery & Employability (CDLRE) 2014 Biennial Community Meeting Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) Downtown Campus Friday, September 19, 2014 WATCH: The Impact of a Driver’s License (original video) VIEW:  Overview of the CDLRE’s direct service, educational advocacy, driver’s education, and communuty awareness work (PowerPoint presentation) The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is a…

On Friday, August 22, 2014 the streets surrounding the Holton Youth + Family Center were filled with neighbors and friends celebrating one of the last days of summer.  The End of the Summer Event featured a commnity cleanup, neighborhood cookout and music. Members of the Milwaukee Police Department, including Chief…

Register Now for Mindfulness Training

Program participants and staff from the Holton Family + Youth Center (HYFC) are taking part in Milwaukee's Bridge Project - a collaboration of more than 40 organizations dedicated to building bridges in neighborhoods. The campaign kicked off on Saturday, April 12 with a march on the Father James E. Groppi…

WCS Site Manager Torre Johnson   WCS' Torre Johnson was a guest panelist at a recent forum hosted by WUWM and MPTV. On March 11, 2014, more than 125 people attended the forum about Wisconsin’s disproportionatley high rate of black male incarceration. A recent UW-Milwaukee study showed that Wisconsin has the highest rate (one…

An Urgent Call to Action: COMMUNITY BUILDING MILWAUKEE ALIGNMENT EVENT January 30 and January 31, 2014 Tripoli Shrine Center 3000 W. Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee, WI  53208 ----------------------------------------------------------- THURSDAY, JANUARY 30th 7:00am - Continental Breakfast 8:00am - Activities Begin 12:00pm - Lunch Served 5:00pm - Day Concludes FRIDAY, JANUARY 31st 7:00am - Continental Breakfast 8:00am - Activities Begin 12:00pm - Day Concludes *There is free parking for…

The Role Driver’s Licenses Play in Black Male Incarceration

The WCS Training and Temporary Placement Partnership Initiative with the Department of Public Works (DPW) was recently featured on the Fox 6 News. Check out the clip below!     WCS is partnering with the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) to fill temporary and seasonal work positions. As DPW workers work…

2013 Miracle on Canal Street

BBC News Feature on Wisconsin's High Incarceration Rate of Black Men

Our WCS family has lost a longtime colleague and friend. Steve Swigart was employed by Wisconsin Community Services from 1973-2007, serving as Executive Director from 1997 until his retirement in 2007.  To help us celebrate Steve’s life and honor his memory, you can donate here. A tribute to Steve was featured in…

Milwaukee Excel High School (MEHS) graduated 17 seniors on June 17, 2013!  More than 100 family members and friends gathered to celebrate the educational accomplishments of these dedicated students! Congratulations graduates!

WCS Executive Director Holly Patzer discusses a Wisconsin budget provision that would allow private bail bondsmen in five Wisconsin counties.

Dr. David Mays will be presenting an important training - Suicide Risk: Awareness, Assessment, and Prevention. Register now!

Help WCS to carry out its mission by donating to the $100 for 100 Years Campaign.

Wisconsin Community Services (WCS) was featured in a recent study published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

WCS Begins Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) Committee

100 Years of Working With the "Friendless"

RSVP today to attend the 2012 Center for Driver’s License Recovery & Employability 5th Anniversary Community Meeting on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., at the Downtown MATC Campus, in Rooms M612-14.  A continental breakfast will be served and parking in the Bradley Center parking structure for attendees…

Proclamation Whereas, Wisconsin has a tradition of strong public-private partnerships to find solutions to community problems; and Whereas, Wisconsin Community Services, Inc. (WCS) was founded in 1912 as the “Society for the Friendless” to help people who were incarcerated and to assist the families left behind, and its present-day mission has remained…

"The Society for the Friendless . . . was first organized in Topeka, Kansas in 1901.  Its chief work is the care of prisoners who leave the penitentiaries and are placed in positions of self-support . . . "  Kansas: a cylopedia of state history, 1912

WCS has won a 2012 MANDI Award from LISC Milwaukee! The agency was selected as the winner of the 2012 BMO Harris Bank Cornerstone Award.  The award honors an individual or organization that has a long-standing commitment to a neighborhood(s) and has demonstrated persistence and effectiveness over time. The two other…

Check out the WCS video from the 2012 MANDI Awards on YouTube !  

  WCS received commendation from Waukesha County officials for the 5 year Anniversary of the Waukesha Day Report Center and the outstanding job of  WCS staff at the Center.   During the recognition on March 28, 2012, Waukesha County commended WCS' contribution to community safety and the "compassion and understanding" WCS provides to…

Milwaukee Excel High School (MEHS) graduated its first class of seniors on June 14, 2012!

The Willis Foundation donates $5,000 to WCS' Overcoming Adversity Fund.

Check out the new WCS publication Celebrating 100 Years.  The report looks back at the last century of our agency's service to the community and provides an overview of our current programming, partnerships ans supporters.

On Wednesday, April 10th, WCS employee and staff member, Michael Balda was honored by Waukesha County during an event  to recognize National Crime Victim’s Rights Week . Mike was presented with the Waukesha County Exceptional Victim Advocacy Award for his outstanding dedication and service to victims of crime. Mike oversees…