How often do you use a jig saw for woodcutting? How often do you use a 40-foot extension ladder? Do you have a garage to store it in? For a small yearly membership fee, you could use The Tool Loan Center's equipment instead of purchasing hammers, saws, paint scrapers, piano dollies, crow bars, tile cutters, lawn mowers and all those other tools only used one time to twice a month for part of the year.
The Tool Loan Center, 2500 W. Capitol Dr., is one of two centers in the Tool Loan Program of Housing Resources, Inc., a non-profit whose mission is to empower "people to live their dream of successful homeownership through education, advocacy and supportive services."
City of Milwaukee homeowners, for a $25 annual fee, can use any tool the center has in its inventory on any kind of home repair or improvement project. The membership is $20 for homeowners over age 62 and $40 for non-profit businesses. Although they're not loaning out tools to renters right now, Tracy Polk would like to see it happen.
Polk holds the title of Tool Loan Clerk, which means he runs the Capitol Drive center. He's had the position for eight years, starting when the program was funded by the now-defunct Neighborhood Housing Services, a city program that was dissolved in 2006.
According to Polk, the original conception behind the Tool Loan Program was to make tools readily available for large groups of people involved in block clean-ups and other larger scale community activities. The program was later expanded to residents, who wanted to undertake their own home improvements, in target areas designated by the city.
Now city-wide, the Tool Loan Program is open to all residents. During the transition from Neighborhood Housing Services after its dissolution five years ago, Housing Resources, Inc. maintained two separate programs, Minor Home Repair and the Tool Loan Center. Subsequently eliminated, the repair program used to provide reimbursement grants up to $750 for certain home improvements.
Currently assisting homeowners in the Department of Neighborhood Services' Neighborhood Improvement Program, the Tool Loan Program has helped 14 homeowners this year. However, according to Polk, when paired with the previous Home Repair Program, the Tool Loan Program helped 70 people each year.
"We've been stepping up our fundraising efforts," says Polk. Recently, Scott Gelzer, director of the Faye McBeath Foundation, held a fundraiser in memory of his son, Brandon, a carpenter and entrepreneur – who had a lot of tools. The total for tools and money raised was $6,000.
An upcoming fundraiser is the grand opening of Housing Resources' Home Ownership Center, 7830 W. Burleigh St., on Wednesday, Sept. 21. People interested in attending can call the Center at (414) 461-6330. The Home Ownership Center provides credit counseling, first-time home buyer education classes and foreclosure prevention.
Polk wanted to be involved with the Tool Loan Center to help people keep their houses in shape without it being costly for the homeowners. And he started working there for personal reasons – in addition to community sustainability issues, he really likes tools and wanted to learn all he could about them. Now he gets people the right tool for the job on a daily basis.
"I have a lot of repeat customers. But I also get new ones every year," says Polk.
The tools include everything from cement-working tools to weed trimmers, rakes, snow shovels and finish carpentry and drywall tools, like squares, taping knives, trowels and wet / dry vacuums. An inventory appears here.
Step ladders and up to 40-foot extension ladders are available, but with an extra deposit. New extension ladders of this height can run between $250 and $500.
The Tool Loan Program's South Side location is at 1407 W. Lincoln Ave. Jose Castillo is the contact there and can be reached at (414) 383-7071. Membership applications are available at the centers and on the Housing Resource website.
The Capitol Drive Tool Loan Center is open Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Royal has taught courses in critical pedagogy, writing, rhetoric and cultural studies at several schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota. He is currently Adjunct Associate Professor of Humanities at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.
Royal lives in Walker’s Point with his family and uses the light of the Polish Moon to illuminate his way home.
