A New Way Forward

A New Way Forward

COC has had to make a rather substantial shift in our community plans due to an unforeseen loss in some of our funding. As a result of these changes, Communities of Crocus is entering a new phase of development focused on sustainable growth, phased housing opportunities, and a continued commitment to creating lifelong housing solutions for adults with special needs.

We are also launching a new housing pathway through our LLC model with the hopes to begin serving families sooner. This next phase allows us to create meaningful progress today while continuing to build toward a more accessible and inclusive future.

More Details Below...

What is changing?

As our planning and development efforts have progressed, it has become clear that the original project requires a stronger financial foundation before construction can responsibly begin. As a result, Communities of Crocus will be unable to meet the timeline requirements associated with the $2.5 million Milwaukee County Housing grant, and they have requested that all of those funds be returned. As part of this transition, we have made the strategic decision to put the current land up for sale with the goal to potentially sell a portion of the land in order to repay some of the grant money previously used for the land acquisition. This step allows us to meet our obligations responsibly while creating a stronger foundation for future development. We are also shifting our focus to Haven at Crocus, a parent-funded housing model that will allow us to begin creating housing opportunities sooner while continuing to build momentum for the larger community vision. We are re-evaluating our fundraising strategy and development timeline to better align with the realities of today's construction and funding environment.

Why is it changing?

Creating a community that includes specialized support services, and long-term opportunities for adults with special needs is a significant undertaking. While we have received tremendous support from families, donors, and funding partners, rising construction costs and the overall scope of the project have highlighted the need for additional financial resources before moving forward with the original development plan. Unfortunately the Milwaukee County Grant had time restrictions that we are unable to honor realistically. This transition allows us to begin development through the Haven at Crocus co-op model while continuing to strengthen the financial foundation needed to bring future phases, including The CARE Homes, CENTRE, and APTs to life. Our mission remains unchanged, and we are taking intentional steps forward in a way that supports long-term impact and sustainability.

How can people stay involved?

The support of families, donors, volunteers, and community partners continue to be essential to this mission.

There are many ways to stay involved as we move into this next phase:

FOLLOW our progress and updates as we transition to a more sustainable model.
SHARE our mission with others who care about inclusive housing solutions.
PARTNER with us on our mission to create lifelong housing for individuals with special needs.
EXPLORE housing areas of interest for your family or loved one by filling out our interest form.
CONNECT with us by joining us at upcoming community events.

Every conversation, donation, and act of support helps move this vision forward. We are deeply grateful for the community that continues to stand alongside us as we build toward a more inclusive future.

A Letter to our Donors & Stakeholders

Milwaukee County Grant Update

As you may be aware, we were previously blessed to receive a $2.5 million grant from Milwaukee County Housing to support our vision of creating a community for adults with special needs. This funding was a meaningful step forward in addressing the urgent need for supportive housing for one of the most marginalized populations, adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.

As our planning progressed, it became clear that the original project scope required significantly more funding to responsibly begin construction. Because we were committed to ensuring long-term sustainability and success, we made the decision to continue building a stronger financial foundation before breaking ground. During this time, we continued to raise awareness of the great need for lifelong housing with services for this population and encouraged our stakeholders, families, and friends to donate to this mission.

Our donors have been generous, however, due to rising costs in housing and a changing fundraising landscape, we still have a funding gap and will be unable to meet the timing constraints and other requirements of the grant. Therefore, we have been advised by Milwaukee County Housing that the grant funds need to be returned so they can be allocated to a project that is further along in the process. We have been good stewards of the grant funds and have only used a small portion towards our land acquisition, and the rest has been held in a restricted fund. Unfortunately, we have been asked to return the entire grant award of $2.5 million, which includes the funds already used, leaving us to now raise an additional $500,000 to fulfill that obligation before moving forward with phase one of the project.

While this may sound like a setback, it has also led to an exciting and necessary evolution of our community project, and as a result, we are actively pivoting to a more sustainable development model, one that will allow us to move forward with greater momentum and long-term impact. As part of this shift, we are bringing an additional phase of parent-funded housing to the forefront, with the goal of beginning development sooner and building energy around the project to support future fundraising efforts. This part of the community, Haven at Crocus, will move forward as a separate phase, fully funded by families and dedicated supporters who share in this vision.

As part of this transition, and in order to acquire the funds necessary to repay Milwaukee County without putting undue burden on our donors, Communities of Crocus has also made the strategic decision to put the current land up for sale. The goal, if possible, would be to sell a portion of the project land in order to repay the previously utilized portion of the Milwaukee County grant while allowing us to continue forward with the project on a smaller portion of the land that has already been approved by the City of Franklin. This step allows us to fulfill our repayment commitment to Milwaukee County while creating a stronger and more sustainable foundation for future development.

We want to assure you that our mission has not changed. If anything, this moment has strengthened our commitment to building a community that is thoughtful, sustainable, and truly responsive to the needs of the individuals and families we serve. Your support makes it possible for us to adapt, grow, and keep moving forward—even when the path requires change.

We are deeply grateful for your continued belief in this work and remain committed to creating lifelong housing opportunities for adults with special needs, and look forward to sharing future opportunities for community involvement and support.

If you have any questions, we welcome the opportunity to connect with you directly. Please feel free to reach out to us by phone (864-593-2457) or email (amy.hansel@communitiesofcrocus.org).

Thank you for standing with us as we take these next important steps.

With gratitude,

Amy Hansel (President/CEO) & the COC Board of Directors