About YWCA Southeast Wisconsin

Our Timeline

On January 10 2023, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin (SEW) celebrated the 130th anniversary of our incorporation. Since then, we have championed many social movements important to our community then, and now, including civil rights, affordable housing, healthcare, racial justice and pay equity…

1892 – 1898

• 1892 – Two hundred women sign a petition to form YWCA Greater Milwaukee.
• 1893 – Our organization was officially incorporated as YWCA Greater Milwaukee.
• 1894 – With an annual budget of $2,000 our YWCA headquarters moved to Mason Street, which had a gymnasium and a lunch room.
• 1898 – We opened the first cafeteria in the Midwest, providing respite and camaraderie for “factory girls” and shop workers in the city.

1901 – 1917

• 1901 – Our organization opened another headquarters building at 626 N. Jackson, which was donated by Elizabeth Plankinton.
• 1917 – The Blue Triangle and the Grace Dodge House residences open to accommodate an influx of working women arriving to the city of Milwaukee to help with World War I efforts.

1946 – 1950

• 1946 – The Girl Reserves Group is renamed to Y-Teens to capture the needs of a new generation.
• 1950 – $75,000 was raised to convert a market into a north side center at 2578 N. 8th Street. The purpose of the center was to increase interracial membership.

1972 – 1974

• 1972 – The National Convention in Cleveland resulted in adoption of the YWCA’s ONE IMPERATIVE, “to eliminate racism wherever it exists by any means necessary.”
• 1974 – The north side center at 3940 N. 21st Street is renamed the YWCA Vel Phillips Center.

1986 – 1988

• 1986 – Our organization adopted a long-range strategic plan focusing on programs to foster economic self-sufficiency for low-to-moderate income women, girls, teens, senior women and single parent headed households.
• 1988 – The Transitional Housing Program (THP) begins serving homeless women and their children.

1991 -1999

• 1991 – The First Annual Racial Justice Convention is held in January. Our organization receives Racial Justice Award from YWCA USA for its efforts to improve race relations.
• 1995 – The YWCA Women’s Enterprise Center (WEC) opens – and provides a new location for a one-stop center of services aimed at helping women and their families achieve self-sufficiency.
• 1996 – Our organization forms YW Works, a limited liability corporation, to help transition individuals from welfare to work.
• 1997 – Our organization created Generation 2 Plastics, a plastics processing plant supplying injection molding and compounding products to the plastics industry while serving as a workplace skills training center.
• 1999 – YWCA Greater Milwaukee opens YW Global Career Academy, a public charter school for grades K4 through 5. We also opened “Creative Workshop”, an employment training program designed with a creative work experience in an environment that promotes problem solving and sharing among participants.