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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

Western Wisconsin Health (WWH) and St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity (SCV Habitat) are proud to announce a meaningful partnership aimed at improving community health by expanding access to safe, stable and affordable housing.

WWH has donated a parcel of land near the original Baldwin hospital site to SCV Habitat, supporting the construction of future Habitat homes for local families in need.

The organizations are currently working closely with the Village of Baldwin to finalize property access and development details, with plans to begin building in spring 2026.

Access to stable housing plays a critical role in overall well-being. According to studies highlighted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), safe and affordable housing are directly linked to improved health outcomes, reduced health disparities, and greater health equity...

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Leo’s notes: Western Wisconsin Health’s land donation to St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity is more than a real-estate transfer — it’s a clear acknowledgment that housing is healthcare. By providing land for future Habitat homes in Baldwin, WWH is investing directly in community well-being and supporting the workforce that keeps rural health systems running. Research cited by the CDC underscores the impact: families who secure safe, affordable housing see fewer emergency visits, more primary care engagement, and better long-term health outcomes. As the median age of first-time homebuyers climbs to 40 and affordability pressures grow, partnerships like this offer a blueprint for how health systems and housing organizations can work together to build stability, resilience, and healthier communities across western Wisconsin.

As Madison leaders and developers seek to build the city’s stock of affordable housing, one nonprofit has sought to keep land affordable for community uses like housing and urban agriculture since 1991.

The Madison Area Community Land Trust plans to add affordable housing through several projects in the next few years, including 12 townhomes on the Voit Farms property on Madison’s east side. Those projects are meant to build on more than five dozen homes already in the trust, which are kept affordable through a unique model.

This month marked a transition for the organization, with Mason Cavell taking over from Olivia Williams as the trust’s new executive director. The outgoing and incoming leaders recently sat down with the Cap Times to discuss the area’s housing needs and the nonprofit’s goals, and to answer the question: What is a land trust anyway?...   ...Full Story Here

Leo’s notes: Through a model that separates land ownership from the home itself, MACLT ensures that every public dollar invested in affordability stays in the community forever — keeping homes attainable for families earning $50,000–$80,000. With new leadership in place and projects underway at Voit Farms and beyond, the land trust is expanding missing-middle options, supporting first-time buyers, and reducing displacement pressures by freezing land costs for future generations. In a moment when stability is increasingly out of reach, community land trusts offer one of the most durable pathways to affordable home ownership and long-term neighborhood resilience.

Ken Notes: It is the land and land owner the controls the development. Working with communities, Land Trusts could solve much of the workforce housing issues in the State by developing small clusters of homes, nice small well built architecture, great amenities and public space.

Veterans Community Project provides temporary housing in 240-square-foot homes for veterans who stay an average of 335 days to address problems and implement a plan for independent living.

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Ken Notes: While our focus is workforce housing, solving the homeless issue should begin with Veterans. Imagine an amendment to the GI bill that states that GI`s will be able to find affordable housing in the US. Wisconsin has some working examples of these "villages".

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...

A developer plans to build 40 rental houses in Milwaukee`s Amani neighborhood ? if the firm can obtain federal affordable housing tax credits.

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Leo’s notes: Milwaukee is taking another meaningful step toward rebuilding housing stability in long-disinvested neighborhoods, granting Emem Group exclusive negotiating rights on 40 city-owned parcels in Amani for a proposed affordable rental development. If awarded federal low-income housing tax credits this spring, the project would bring new homes to an area that has seen decades of vacancy and disinvestment — with long-term affordability requirements built in. At the same time, the city is launching a pilot to spur “missing middle” homeownership by providing lots and subsidies for replicable duplex, townhome, and small-scale infill designs.

The homes, whose owners are expected to move in by the end of 2025, are the second and third completed in Sister Bay by the Door County Housing Partnership, which also built five in Sturgeon Bay.

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Leo’s notes: These are the seventh and eighth homes completed by the Door County Housing Partnership — and part of what could become a 10-home affordable subdivision in Sister Bay. Using the community land trust model, the partnership keeps homes permanently affordable by retaining ownership of the land and selling the homes at below-market prices, supported by grants and donor subsidies. Families build equity responsibly while ensuring the homes remain attainable for future income-eligible buyers. With demand rising, a dollar-for-dollar match campaign is now underway to help build two more homes in 2026 — a clear reminder that sustained community investment is essential to expanding the region’s long-term affordable housing supply.

RHINELANDER (WJFW) — While prices haven’t started falling and it’s still considered a seller’s market, the supply of houses is slowly growing as the Baby Boomer generation gets older.

David Clark, economics professor emeritus of Marquette University and economics consultant for the Wisconsin Relators Association, acknowledges the struggles of current home buyers.

“The real challenge is not on the demand side. There’s plenty of demand for housing but the real challenge is on the supply side,” he said. “There are simply more people who want to buy homes than there are homes for them to purchase.”...

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Ken Notes: For boomers to vacate the nice affordable homes they live in now, there will have to be nicer homes and communities to move into. We can do this but we need to plan and design neighborhoods that are attractive to those willing to move. Florida and Arizona Have been doing this for decades...

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...