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Community Updates, News Stories, Best Practices, Resources, and other data supporting the development of affordable housing for the citizens of Wisconsin in every city and region in the State. Please consider partnering with us and sharing your story

Key Points:

• The real estate company Redfin says Madison will be one of America`s hottest housing markets in 2026.
  
  
• The Great Lakes region has wide appeal because of affordability and being a `relatively safe haven` against climate change, the report says.
  
  
• Madison`s rapid growth is creating a housing crunch that city leaders are struggling to solve.
  
  
• Heat, wildfire smoke and flooding worsened by climate change still affect Madison.

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Leo’s notes: The city’s population is projected to grow 37% by 2050, yet Madison has not added housing nearly fast enough to match demand. Home values continue to climb, higher-income buyers are competing for the most affordable units. With mortgage rates expected to ease slightly and wages projected to outpace home prices next year, 2026 could offer a window to accelerate supply — but only if communities stay focused on expanding attainable, workforce-oriented housing rather than allowing demand to outstrip opportunity yet again.

The Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) building could be demolished and replaced with a mixed-use residential development.

MPM Inc., the non-profit that runs the museum, is building a new facility at 1310 N. 6th St. MPM will close the existing museum at 800 W. Wells St. and open the Nature and Culture Museum of Wisconsin in 2027.

The building on W. Wells Street is owned by Milwaukee County, which hired consultants in 2024 to plan for the future of the empty building. The consultants GRAEF, Bear Real Estate Group and CG Schmidt are recommending the county demolish the building and market the site for mixed-use redevelopment, according to a report from the county’s Economic Development Division...

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Leo’s notes: Milwaukee’s soon-to-be-vacant Public Museum site could become one of the most consequential housing opportunities in the region. With museum operations moving to the new Nature and Culture Museum of Wisconsin in 2027, consultants are recommending the county demolish the aging, structurally failing Wells Street complex and open the 3.7-acre site to high-density, mixed-use residential development. Early concepts show the potential for up to 555 new homes, including market-rate, workforce, affordable, and student housing — a transformative scale at a moment when Milwaukee’s housing shortage continues to deepen. As Milwaukee County prepares to issue an RFP in mid-2026, this project represents exactly the kind of site where bold housing investments can reshape opportunity for the next generation.

In its third and last Community Grant cycle of the year, Alliant Energy and the Alliant Energy Foundation awarded over $980,000 to various causes and nonprofits across Iowa and Wisconsin. This brings the 2025 total Alliant Energy has awarded to over $2.28M. 

All Community Grant recipients seek to make an impact on Alliant Energy’s four focus areas: Community safety and engagement, environmental stewardship, hunger and housing and workforce readiness...

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Leo’s notes: As housing costs continue to climb across the region, philanthropic partners like Alliant Energy play an increasingly important role — not as a replacement for policy action, but as a catalyst that strengthens local safety nets and helps communities move closer to stable, attainable housing for all.

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ENABLING BETTER PLACES: A USER’S GUIDE TO WISCONSIN NEIGHBORHOOD AFFORDABILITY	WHEDA’s Rural Affordable Workforce Housing Initiative	Wisconsin REALTORS® Association
WISCAP Affordable Housing Network	Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources	Housing Authority City of Milwaukee (HACM)
Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp	WEDA Legislative Tracker	NRA Housing Needs By State / Wisconsin
Wisconsin Housing Alliance	Office of Rural Prosperity Wisconsin Economic Development

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Nate Notes: to be included as a Workforce Housing resource email us a link and a brief note to: wwhnews.com@gmail.com...

Middleton’s plan commission recommended against rezoning the property

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Notes:

RACINE, WI — The former St. Nicholas Episcopal Church property at 2509 16th Street has been cleared for redevelopment, with construction of four affordable homes set to begin in 2026.

According to City Housing Manager Veronica Seymour, the City of Racine is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to build the new homes...

...The church, owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, had been vacant for several years and was in poor condition, prompting the city’s Community Development Authority (CDA) to consider its acquisition and redevelopment...

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Leo’s notes: Racine’s plan to replace the long-vacant St. Nicholas Episcopal Church with four new Habitat for Humanity homes is a small but meaningful step toward addressing the city’s estimated 3,500-unit housing shortfall. By leveraging federal HOME funds and partnering with Habitat, the city is turning an underused property into quality, ownership-ready housing that fits the neighborhood and serves income-eligible families. It’s another example of how thoughtful infill development — even at a modest scale — can strengthen communities, stabilize blocks, and expand opportunities for families priced out of the market.

NEENAH, Wis. (WBAY) - Froedtert ThedaCare is investing in the future of healthcare in Northeast Wisconsin. The health system is building new on-campus housing for medical residents at ThedaCare Medical Center-Neenah.

Approximately 56 townhouse units will be constructed in two phases on Doty Island. This housing will support ThedaCare’s graduate medical education program, which was accredited in September.

The program aims to train and retain physicians, addressing Wisconsin’s need for thousands more doctors by 2035...

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Ken Notes: This is an idea that could be used in a number of businesses. Housing and Skilled labor are two of the biggest concerns today...

RHINELANDER (WJFW) -- Oneida County has faced a housing crisis in recent years, but a new planned development in Rhinelander will bring more living spaces to the area.

Just along highway 17 across from the Rhinelander Menards is an expected location of new apartment and townhome housing, thanks to Shorewest Realty and The Oneida County Economic Development corporation.

The Northwoods housing crisis has been a problem in the area for the last two decades. Businesses are having trouble finding employees as options for living spaces have been limited. Shorewest real estate agent Deb Mann explains the process for how this came to be...

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HUD cuts could endanger housing for families, veterans, children

A proposed budget from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that cuts funds which have meant the difference between shelter and homelessness for about 170,000 people nationwide has left communities scrambling. In Wisconsin, the cuts are projected to cause the loss of permanent housing for 2,379 people according to a report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. The loss of funds would hit early in the new year, leaving local governments to absorb the fallout in the middle of winter. 

Korey Lundin, senior staff attorney at the National Housing Law Project and former staff attorney with Legal Action of Wisconsin, told the Wisconsin Examiner that the grants that HUD cut —  known as Continuum of Care (CoC) funds — “help thousands of people. That includes folks who have been recently unhoused.” In Wisconsin, 52% of permanent housing funding is covered by the CoC program...

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Across Wisconsin many employees can simply not afford to live where they work.

This is true in big cities and small rural communities. Both the availability and price of housing is not in line with the needs of those working in jobs that are vital to the success of our communities. Imagine a firefighter, teacher, city employee, service, or retail worker not able to afford a home in the community they serve.

We believe Wisconsin employers will support these efforts so they can successfully recruit workers to fill the thousands of job openings now hampered by a shortage of affordable housing.


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WWHNEWS Notes: To add a resource or correct above send data and link to wwhnews.com[at]gmail.com...