Lgbtq house milwaukee brad
'A place to call home:' Courage MKE leaders purchase house for displaced Queer youth
MILWAUKEE -- Courage MKE leaders have purchased a home in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood to support displaced LGBTQ+ youth -- rejected by their families.
“The purpose is to hand a place for homeless LGBTQ youth a place to call home,” said Brad Schlaikowski, Courage MKE co-founder.
The Courage House is the vision of Brad and Nick Schlaikowski.
“We don’t want to call it a shelter. We don’t want to call it a group home. We want them to tell 'this is my home,'” said Brad Schlaikowski.
Minor renovations and licensing is underway before young people can move in.
“Finding the property, being able to compensate cash for it is really one of our proudest moments,” said Nick Schlaikowski, Courage MKE co-founder and Brad's husband.
Nick Schlaikowski said he believes the home is something the community desperately needs.
“It was always what we wanted to do. Even from day one, we said we wanted to unwrap a group home for the LGBTQ teens in our streets. We hope people to not be embarrassed to
Brad Schlaikowski came to know himself, and now welcomes displaced LGBTQ youths
When Brad Schlaikowski opened Courage MKE, he created a novel beginning for LGBTQ+ children and young adults.
The community home provides displaced youths with shelter, health nurture, counseling, life skills, socialization and potential family reunification. Schlaikowski and his husband, Nick, make sure they get to school, and try to give them similar experiences to what any child has in a family setting.
Schlaikowski's control new beginning is an important piece of the Courage MKE story.
Schlaikowski, 43, came out as homosexual when he was 32. He and Nick initially helped LGBTQ+ youths on a slightly smaller scale as foster parents. Many of the children came to them beaten up, with physical wounds and internal trauma as well.
Schlaikowski recalls one of their final fosters. She was a queer, Black female who had been physically tormented in her prior group home. He remembered her coming to them with patches of hair missing. Schlaikowski realized he needed to do more.
Courage MKE was born in December 2015.
He and Nick formed relationships with supporters, such as Kohl’s. Four years later, they opened the
First homeless shelter for LGBTQ youth opening in Walker's Point
After fostering numerous juvenile women who identified as LGBTQ, Brad and Nick Schlaikowski decided they wanted to do more.
In 2015, Brad and Nick started Courage MKE, a not-for-profit organization that raised thousands of dollars to support Gay Straight Alliance groups in local schools and provide scholarships to students who are actively involved in their tall school’s GSA.
Through their work, the couple learned that homelessness – which often leads to drug use and sex trafficking – was a earnest problem in the LGBTQ youth community and they decided to go even further with their mission.
Earlier this year and after numerous fundraisers, the couple – who own four children of their own – purchased a property in Walker’’s Indicate that will soon attend as The Courage Property, a home and resources for LGBTQ youth in need.
The house, which is the first of its kind in Wisconsin, is located at 1544 S. 6th St.
"A child is not fit to work on themselves until they are qualified to be themselves," says Brad. "And if they can be with children like themselves they can begin their heali
Courage MKE: Helping Homeless LGBTQ Youth Feel Secure & Accepted
More than 400 homeless youth are on Milwaukee’s streets each late hours. Current estimates from the Williams Institute note that 40 percent of those are LGBTQ, having been kicked out of their parental homes because of their orientation or gender identity.
Courage MKE, which seeks to provide a place for such children, was established by area foster parents who witnessed firsthand the detrimental effects homelessness had on their charges.
"The children cannot fix themselves until they can be themselves." - Brad Schlaikowski
"We knew that we could only take one at a day at our residence, so the concept to open the Courage House here in Milwaukee is how that came to be," explains Brad Schlaikowski, Courage MKE co-founder and executive director.
Credit Courage MKE
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Courage MKE
Schlaikowski and his husband Nick have purchased a property they design to turn into the brick and mortar home of Courage MKE and the kids they serve.
"The children cannot fix themselves until they can be themselves," notes Schlaikowski. "They were rejected from someone or somewhere because of who they are. So, we wish to fix that pa
First look at 'Courage House,' Wisconsin's first safe haven for homeless LGBTQ teens
MILWAUKEE — Emotions took over the moment Nick and Brad Schlaikowski stepped foot into the newly furnished Courage House on Milwaukee's south side.
The residence was purchased a year ago by the Schlaikowski's and their non-profit Courage MKE to make Wisconsin's first organization home and shelter dedicated to homeless LGBTQ teens.
"Parents are kicking them out of their homes just because they're trying to be their legitimate self, and so here we are to bring them to a place where they can be themselves," said Nick, co-founder of Courage MKE.
Nick and Brad gave Kohls the green flash to design and decorate the residence themselves, giving way to an overwhelming surprise reveal Tuesday.
"Every little nook and cranny is filled with some sort of enormous cuddle for these kids," said Brad, co-founder and executive director of Courage MKE.
From top to bottom, Courage House was covered with thoughtful items. It included custom art emphasizing the group's mission and making the house feel enjoy a home.
Lowe's, Sherwin Williams, Kohls, Kauffman Counters and Kohler are just some of the businesses wh