'The abuse is the tipping point': Neighbors detail years of alleged abuse & neglect by caregivers at Milwaukee group home

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- We're digging deeper into the years of alleged abuse at a Milwaukee group home.

Video we aired over the weekend appears to show a caregiver hitting a severely autistic man outside the home. Neighbors held a protest Saturday, demanding action.

"How is Steven doing?"
"He's not doing good."
On @CBS58: we dug deeper into the years of alleged abuse & neglect at a Milwaukee adult group home after video of a caregiver allegedly slapping a severely autistic man sparked protests.
Here's the video, there is explicit language: pic.twitter.com/F0Fb3lCT2D

— Adam Rife (@AdamRifeReports) September 5, 2023

Neighbors allege caregivers and workers drink and use drugs while on the job at the home.

They also say the workers neglected the people they're charged with caring for, and physically and verbally abused them.

And they say those problems started almost immediately after the company Helping Hands opened the home three years ago.

Ginger Otto lives across the street from the group home. When we asked about the alleged issues, she said, "Where would you like me to start? It's been a nuisance house from day one."

But Otto was not talking about the adults living in the group home in her Wedgewood neighborhood. She explained, "We're not worried about the residents. We love the residents. We understand they have troubles. We get it."

She's talking about the caregivers and workers at the home, which was opened by Helping Hands about three years ago.

After cell phone video showed a caregiver allegedly hitting Steven, a severely autistic and nonverbal 31-year-old resident, neighbors are sharing years of concerns with how the residents are treated.

Otto said, "The abuse that I've seen for three years. The abuse is the tipping point."

Another neighbor said off camera workers have partied in the backyard of the home when they were supposed to be caring for the residents.

A third said off camera they've called Milwaukee Police repeatedly because of the workers' conduct.

Ginger explained one instance, saying, "They were in the middle of the road here, fighting. Who's taking care of the residents?"

The Wisconsin Division of Quality Assurance licenses and regulates assisted living facilities, and, by law, requires caregiver background checks and the reporting and investigation of caregiver misconduct.

The state also maintains a registry for caregivers who have committed misconduct.

But Steven's mother, Kathy Hauglie, told us it would be hard for her to check that registry because Helping Hands has never communicated with her, and "Every time I went there, there were no staff members. I couldn't even tell you their names."

Hauglie said Steven was doing well before he lived in the Helping Hands home, but things changed after he moved in.

"I expect them to treat my son the way he should be treated. Not like an animal."

She said she noticed a lot of signs of abuse in the past two years, like bruises and cuts. She said Steven was restrained in his room with a lock on the door that she did not consent to.

Hauglie said, "Steven went to this group home three years ago and I was promised that they would take care of him."

But now she said the Helping Hands home severely impacted him.

He's crawling on hands and knees and not chewing his food. Hauglie said he's also broken a window. And when she tried to take him to the home he refused to go, even banging his head on the concrete in protest.

Steven's housing is coordinated by a state agency and paid for through his social security benefits.

Hauglie said, "He's supposed to have two staff members to just him, and they're getting paid for that."

Neighbors have met with Milwaukee Alderman Mark Borkowski.

He said over the phone Monday he has dozens of group homes in his district but this one is the only one with issues, describing it as "totally out of control."

Borkowski added he has done and will continue to do everything in his power to fix the situation.

Steven was moved to a new home last week, opened by a woman who will care just for him.

We asked Hauglie how he's doing. She said, "He's not doing good. He's just gone backwards."

Neighbors who've gotten to know Hauglie and her Steven were still struggling with what they've seen at the home, and what Steven's family is going through.

Ginger Otto said she imagines it's "Hell and high water. I feel for her so bad. I just feel so bad for her."

Kathy Hauglie told us she plans to file a lawsuit once she hires an attorney.

But she also said it's going to take a long time for Steven to heal, blaming damage done at the Helping Hands home.

Neighbors tell us one resident still lives in the home.

Helping Hands did not respond to calls or emails Monday.

We also reached out to DHS for information about the regulation and oversight of group homes, but offices were closed for Labor Day.