Wisconsin Workforce Housing News


Ken Harwood
Advocating for Wisconsin
608.334.2174

Leonardo Silva
Architect / Full Service Design Firm
608.698.3522

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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

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La Crosse County Farm development inches forward, despite pushback from West Salem

A study commissioned by La Crosse County found the County Farm property in West Salem could support 1,145 housing units.

Consultants presented the study to the La Crosse County Board on Monday after presenting a similar, countywide housing assessment. They maintained that the 111-acre property near Lake Neshonoc would be attractive to both developers and renters.

They also cautioned that the project’s greatest risk was community resistance — a concern that seems well-founded.

Several members of the board, as well as a West Salem trustee, voiced concerns that the village’s government and school district haven’t been sufficiently included in the project...


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Leo's notes: As an advocate for housing affordability and reform, this development underscores a familiar challenge across Wisconsin: large-scale sites capable of meaningfully addressing housing shortages often encounter local resistance before planning even begins. With La Crosse County projected to need roughly 4,900 new housing units over the next decade, projects like the County Farm property could play a critical role in regional supply — but only if local governments, school districts and residents are brought into the conversation early and collaboratively.

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Construction underway on downtown Madison workforce housing development

MADISON, Wis. — Construction crews have broken ground on The Bankston Apartments on West Mifflin Street as demand grows for downtown housing that essential workers can afford.

The 40-unit development represents a partnership between SSM Health and Madison Development Corporation to address the growing shortage of workforce housing in downtown Madison. The project targets middle-income workers who are increasingly priced out of the downtown housing market.

Madison faces a severe housing shortage, with 11,230 more households than available homes, according to the City of Madison Housing Snapshot 2025. Those with the lowest incomes have the fewest choices and often face severe housing cost burden, paying more than 50% of their income toward rent every month...


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Leo's notes: Construction has begun on The Bankston Apartments in downtown Madison, a 40-unit workforce housing project developed through a partnership between SSM Health and Madison Development Corporation. Projects like this highlight an important shift: employers, nonprofits and community lenders stepping in where the market alone cannot meet workforce housing needs. If communities want to remain economically competitive and livable, expanding housing options for the workers who keep cities running must remain a central priority.

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Governors Applaud Progress on Housing Affordability

Washington, DC – Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, co-chairs of the National Governors Association (NGA) Education, Workforce and Community Investment Task Force, released the following statement on congressional consideration of the “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.”

“Governors have been on the frontlines of housing affordability and are pleased that Congress is now working to deliver the bold, supply-side leadership that states have pioneered,” commented Govs. Evers and Gordon. “Governors welcome alignment at the federal level with the approach they have long championed and stand ready to be partners in implementation. America cannot achieve economic competitiveness, workforce mobility or intergenerational opportunity without adequate, affordable housing. Governors have built the case, and we welcome Congress answering the call.”

This federal action directly reflects the bipartisan consensus Governors forged at NGA’s 2025 Winter Meeting, when they unanimously approved federal priorities including:

  • Increasing housing supply by strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and giving states and territories the tools necessary to streamline zoning, permitting, and land use policies.
  • Accelerating infrastructure project delivery and streamlining permitting to reduce the cost burden on developers and local governments while retaining critical review processes.
  • Ensuring federal action is state led and locally driven — avoiding one-size-fits-all mandates that undermine gubernatorial authority.

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Leo's notes: Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon are urging stronger federal action on housing as Congress considers the “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.” They also highlighted the importance of streamlining permitting and ensuring solutions remain state-led and locally driven. The message is clear: expanding housing supply is essential not only for affordability, but for workforce mobility, economic competitiveness and long-term community stability.

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Plans Approved for 39-Unit Affordable Housing Apartment

Sturgeon Bay’s Aesthetic Design and Site Plan Review Board approved plans on March 9 for Spoerl Commercial to build the first phase of an affordable housing project along North 14th Avenue. The initial phase calls for a three-story, 39-unit apartment building south of Georgia Street.

Developer Brian Spoerl has been awarded low-income housing tax credits through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) to offer the units to households earning between 30-60% of Door County’s area median income.

Spoerl said his affordable housing project is “feasible and financeable,” with one-bedroom apartments for residents earning 30% of the county’s area medium income renting for $479 per month...


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Leos’ notes: Sturgeon Bay is advancing an affordable housing development after site plan approval for the project’s first phase. Supported by Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, the project illustrates the reality housing developers face today — careful design adjustments and cost controls are often required just to keep affordable housing financially feasible. For communities like Door County, where workforce housing shortages continue to grow, projects like this represent an essential step toward restoring balance in the local housing market.

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Wisconsin Workforce Housing Resources

ENABLING BETTER PLACES: A USER’S GUIDE TO WISCONSIN NEIGHBORHOOD AFFORDABILITY

 Wisconsin REALTORS® Association

WISCAP Affordable Housing Network

Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources

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...

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Central Wisconsin housing summit aims to spark solutions April 15

Central Wisconsin leaders gather April 15 for a hands-on housing summit focused on supply, affordability, needs, and small?scale development.

STEVENS POINT ? The Central Wisconsin Housing Summit is set for April 15 at the Dreyfus University Center in Stevens Point.

The event will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It aims to bring together regional leaders, housing professionals, employers, developers, lenders, educators and community members to address housing challenges in the area, according to a community announcement.

The summit will focus on practical solutions for housing supply, affordability, workforce development and neighborhood reinvestment. It will include an overview of regional housing efforts, featuring new findings from the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s Regional Housing Study...

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Leos’ notes: A great initiative that will bring together community leaders, developers and lenders to focus on practical solutions to housing supply, affordability and workforce development. The event will feature new insights from the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s Regional Housing Study and a keynote from UW–Madison urban planning professor Kurt Paulsen. A great opportunity to move beyond discussion and build coordinated regional action to increase housing development and reinvestment.

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Madison officials float more financing tools to expand affordable housing supply

The City of Madison Economic Development Division discussed using tax incremental financing to support affordable housing development during a Housing Policy Committee meeting last week.

Members of the Economic Development Division met with city staff to discuss their use of Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) to increase housing support in a Housing Policy Committee meeting on Feb. 26.

Madison officials are turning to new housing policies and financing tools as the city works to keep pace with rapid growth and one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in the country.

Launched in 2021, the city’s Housing Forward initiative aims to help create 15,000 new homes by 2030 through expanding housing choice. Some of the completed milestones include renovating rental homes and public housing units, constructing additional affordable housing and creating a transit district that prioritizes walking and biking access to bus lines. 

To continue creating affordable housing throughout Madison, the city’s Economic Development Division said their staff has three main focuses:  “[Monitor changes in TIF policies, strategically purchase land and provide accessible public transportation].” 

At the committee meeting, Madison’s Economic Development Division Director Matt Mikolajewski said lawmakers at the Capitol have been revising state housing laws in recent weeks...



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Leo's notes: Madison officials are expanding their use of Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) as part of the city’s Housing Forward initiative, which aims to create 15,000 new homes by 2030. City leaders say tools like strategic land acquisition, transit-oriented development and flexible TIF policy will be essential to closing the housing gap. Proposed state changes allowing longer TIF use for affordable housing and stacking multiple financing programs could significantly increase development feasibility. The pattern remains clear- solving the housing shortage will require creative use of public financing tools alongside private investment.

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Affordable housing bill headed to US Senate

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday was poised to pass legislation aimed at boosting affordable housing construction nationwide, giving lawmakers the ability to campaign for re-election this year by highlighting efforts to ease the burden of high living costs.

The legislation, spearheaded by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott of South Carolina, a conservative Republican, and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the progressive senior Democrat on that panel, would have to be reviewed and voted on by the House of Representatives if it passes the Senate, as is expected.

Late on Wednesday, senators voted overwhelmingly to advance the bill toward passage. It was a moment of rare bipartisanship in a chamber that spent most of the day in bitter disagreements over immigration policy and the war President Donald Trump is waging on Iran without approval by Congress...


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Leo's notes: The U.S. Senate is advancing bipartisan legislation aimed at boosting affordable housing construction and addressing the nation’s estimated 4 million home shortage. In summary, the proposal includes incentives to increase housing supply, streamline permitting, expand financing through federal block grants, and raise loan limits for multifamily housing. The bill also proposes limits on large institutional investors purchasing single-family homes, reflecting growing concern about investor competition in the housing market. This effort signals rare bipartisan recognition that increasing housing supply must be central to addressing affordability and easing pressure on first-time buyers.

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About Wisconsin Workforce Housing News (WWHNews.com)

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 aggregate news and highlight programs that are working to provide affordable workforce housing in Wisconsin. We advocate for state and local policies that improve the more affordable housing markets. We encourage developers to build new homes that are affordable for those working for Wisconsin while still making a fair profit on the work they do. We encourage communities and neighborhoods to become partners in meeting these needs. We highlight what others have done as a form of "Best Practices" in the State and Country. Finally, we provide direct links to resources and programs in the State.

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.

Safe, affordable housing makes a difference in the lives of children and families impacting both education and health. We are supporting affordable housing because it is good for business, good for families, good for communities, and good for Wisconsin.

Ken Harwood
Editor / Publisher
Advocating for Wisconsin
608.334.2174
harwoodken[at]gmail.com



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List of Housing Resources


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

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