These homes are not part of a new suburban subdivision.

They are part of the revitalization of the central city of Milwaukee.

20 new homes, seven different styles in the heart of the city within the parkland public housing development.

These homes are all four-bedroom.

They range either two, two and a half bathrooms, two and a half car garages, central air.

These are modular homes.

In other words, they were built in a factory and truck down here and sit on a foundation that we did ourselves.

They'll range in price between 130,000 to 155,000 dollars.

They're available to any housing authority eligible resident.

Applicants don't have to currently live in public housing, but Department of Housing and Urban Development Guidelines say buyers should be families who would be eligible to live in public housing.

A ten thousand dollar grant is available to help out.

All the response has been excellent.

Some have some difficulty with the price.org or by calling 286-5126.

And there's more.

Fannie Mae, the nation's largest source of financing for home mortgages and North Milwaukee State Bank announced a $10 million faith-based lending homeownership initiative to help low and moderate income home buyers.

Stabilize your community.

Increase your wealth.

And that's what this is all about today.

Home ownership for as many as 150 families is the goal of this new program.

Officials say many people could find themselves paying less per month for a mortgage payment than they're paying in rent.

And we know we have a lot of individuals in our community that is credit challenged.

And so the programs that we're offering today will help resolve some of those issues.

You can get in a home with no money down for some people and as little as $500 down for other folks.

And so we think we have a broad enough program that can reach deep into our community and make sure that we begin to turn around home ownership in our community.

For the longest time, uh I've been charged, amongst other things at Fanny May, with trying to increase minority home ownership.

And one of the ways that we've been trying to do that is reaching out to the faith community because we really feel that the faith community as a trusted advisor can really talk to folks about the value of owning a home.

So let me say what a joy it is to uh to be here today and to indicate the support uh for this wonderful, wonderful project to empower community and to make our place a wonderful place to be.

North Milwaukee State Bank will originate the low-down payment loans, and Fannie Mae has agreed to purchase the eligible loans.

You can call the bank at 466-2344 for information.

This is a good partnership, and it impuls involves good institutions in the community.

The uh state of Wisconsin is proud uh that um institutions that are important for building communities in Milwaukee are coming together to build our neighborhoods, which are the building blocks for great cities.

Hopefully, this initiative will act as a catalyst to bring back the central city housing market and encourage further positive economic development activity in the uh community.

Put graffiti in its place was the theme for the annual anti-graffities spring kickoff in Milwaukee.

Students from St.

Amelia Lakeside and Prince of Peace School painted trash cans and created posters to promote the city's anti-graffiti efforts.

So we really appreciate your help in this.

It helps to make Milwaukee uh even more beautiful place than it would be otherwise if we keep it clean.

Then the other thing I wanted to mention was don't let anybody ever confuse you to think of graffiti as art.

We even have people coming from other countries and other states to view what we've done because we have been successful in fighting this.

And I want to thank most of all the children and the teachers from St.

Amelia's and Prince of Peace for being here today.

You are our hope for tomorrow, and we need you to help us stamp out graffiti.

We have one of the best programs in the country, and so we have to make sure that we are diligent and go about keeping graffiti and and and marks and things that shouldn't be on buildings and on walls off of them.

And especially you boys and girls, you're really one of the keys to it to keep graffiti off our out of our neighborhoods so we can have a safe and clean city.

This is where all those colorful and creative garbage cans were created in a classroom at St.

Amelia Lakeside on Milwaukee's west side.

But this story begins a couple of months ago when the plans were taken to the city's anti-graffiti task force.

Like all children, we believe that our students deserve very special opportunities to explore an opportunity to be able to increase their self-esteem and their self-worth, and our opportunity to be involved in the spring kickoff is a wonderful chance for them to be able to do that.

We believe that the project is a positive project that promotes giving to the community.

Alderman liked the idea and the students' handi work first appeared along Lincoln Avenue on March 26th.

They presented six specially designed garbage cans to businesses in the area.

The students had previously worked with the owners to come up with ideas that related to the business.

Food for a trash can at a bakery, a party theme at a wellness center, flowers for one funeral home, candles and a church near another.

We did a survey with the Lincoln Avenue business owners and found out what some of the issues that they felt on the street were, and one of them is litter.

So by creating garbage cans that are more user-friendly, we're hoping that pedestrians will use a garbage cans instead of throwing litter on the street.

The wheels are for um destination, the colors are for happiness.

I like art because it helps me learn and makes me feel better.

I chose hearts, flowers people, and tomato because I think that it is joyful.

I feel home needs dreadful pictures because I will make the families feel better.

I like art.