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Wisconsin Workforce Housing News |
 Ken Harwood Advocating for Wisconsin 608.334.2174 Leonardo Silva Architect / Full Service Design Firm 608.698.3522 This Weeks Articles for 4/13/2026 ...
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  |
Nonprofit home builders trumpet new Wisconsin law that provides bridge loans for first-time homebuyers |
 JANESVILLE — Gov. Tony Evers has signed a bill into law that will help working people in Wisconsin more easily reach homeownership. A local homebuilding nonprofit official from Habitat for Humanity said the new law, brought forth through Assembly Bill 454, will provide up to $10 million statewide for secondary home mortgages that will help first-time homeowners afford newly built housing. Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha, Jefferson and Rock Counties Director of Development Sue Vock says the new lending program would provide additional “bridge loans” for first-time homebuyers that offset about $270 a month in mortgage cost... ...Full Story Here Leo's notes: this is an important complement to supply-side reforms: building homes is only half the equation—buyers also need pathways to afford them. If paired with continued efforts to expand starter-home production, programs like this can help reconnect new housing supply with the households it is intended to serve. |
Armstrong Housing Bills Signed into Law |
 Gov. Evers Signs Four Armstrong-Authored Bills Aimed at Expanding Affordable Housing and Supporting Rural Communities.WISCONSIN — After a session of advocating ways to
address Wisconsin’s affordable housing shortage, State Rep. Dave
Armstrong (R-Rice Lake) is happy to announce that Gov. Tony Evers signed
four Armstrong-introduced housing proposals into law on April 8. The
Senate had passed all four bills on March 17, the last day of the
regular 2025-2026 legislative session. “As a state representative and as a county economic development
director, I recognize the critical importance of affordable housing to a
community’s long-term survival,” Representative Armstrong said. “Nobody
wants to work where they can’t afford to live. “Housing isn’t – or shouldn’t be – a Republican vs. Democratic issue, or
an urban vs. rural issue – it affects all of us one way or another,”
Representative Armstrong continued. “I’m grateful for the increased
interest the housing issue received in the Legislature this session and
for the bipartisan support these proposals enjoyed in committee and on
the Assembly and Senate floors.”... Leo's notes: A broad package of bipartisan housing legislation was recently enacted with aims of reducing development barriers and expanding production. These new laws support residential TIF districts, rural LIHTC allocations, streamlined workforce housing loan access, and expand historic tax credit eligibility. While no single reform will solve the shortage, aligning tax policy, financing tools, and development regulations is exactly the type of multi-pronged strategy needed to improve long-term housing production statewide. |
City Keeping Two TIDS Open To Boost Affordable Housing Funds |
 The Sturgeon Bay Common Council agreed April 7 to make use of a provision in state law that will allow the city to extend the life of Tax Incremental Districts (TIDs) #2 and #3 by a year to generate additional funds in the city to support affordable housing. By using the additional year’s increment collected in 2027 from the 2026 tax roll, 75% of the property-tax increments received would be used to benefit affordable housing, with the remaining 25% available to improve the city’s housing in general. Affordable housing is defined by state statute as housing that costs no more than 30% of a household’s gross monthly income, such as the apartment units Spoerl Commercial plans to build in TID #6 along North 14th Avenue using low-income housing tax credits from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority... ...Full Story Here Leo's notes: Sturgeon Bay is leveraging a powerful but often underused state tool by extending two mature TIDs for an extra year to generate roughly $1.6 million for housing initiatives. The move will direct the majority of proceeds toward affordable housing, with remaining funds supporting broader housing improvements citywide. Smart municipal TID extensions allow communities to recycle past economic development success into future housing production without creating new taxes. As more Wisconsin communities confront housing shortages, I hope this strategy becomes an increasingly common part of the local housing toolbox. |
Survey to assess Milwaukee housing conditions kicks off |
 MILWAUKEE — A program aimed at identifying the overall condition of Milwaukee’s housing stock is making a push to get more data. The community organization Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods, or RON, officially kicked off its annual housing survey last week. Between now and early summer, surveyors will head out to 20 different Milwaukee neighborhoods concentrated on the north and south sides. The goal is to assess the condition of around 40,000 homes, getting information about the exterior physical condition of the house... ...Full Story Here |
Wisconsin Workforce Housing Resources |
 ...Full Story HereNate Notes: to be included as a Workforce Housing resource email us a link and a brief note to: wwhnews.com@gmail.com... |
Homeownership is slipping out of reach in Dane County |
 With skyrocketing costs and a skilled labor shortage, new construction can’t keep pace with the city’s population boom, driving prices up and shutting prospective buyers out.“We built our offers to go up as high as $100,000 over asking and got outbid on six consecutive homes.” “I got rejected from multiple houses, until I decided to waive my inspection.” “Our family couldn’t afford to live in Madison, so we bought a home in Rock County and commute to work.” Experiences like these, unfortunately, aren’t unique. Bidding more than $100,000 over asking price, waiving a buyer’s inspection and settling for a commuter location are familiar trade-offs for prospective Madison homebuyers in the past five years... Leo's notes: Madison’s affordability crisis reflects the full complexity of today’s housing shortage: explosive population growth, lagging construction, labor shortages, rising land costs, and decades of restrictive zoning that’s pushed homeownership increasingly out of reach for middle-income households. Simply put, this illustrates a critical truth for communities statewide: housing affordability is no longer simply a pricing issue—it is a systems issue. Sustainable progress requires simultaneous action on land use, labor force, construction innovation and economics, and political willingness to prioritize future affordability over protecting scarcity-driven home values. All parties involved need to look for creative, leaner solutions that “pencil” for everyone. |
Senator Baldwin visits Hayward housing development |
 US. Sen. Tammy Baldwin visited
Trailview Cottages on Hwy. 77 in Hayward on March 30 to tour the
workforce housing development and meet with local and regional partners
involved in the project.The visit highlighted ongoing efforts to expand access to affordable housing in northwestern Wisconsin and support workforce development across the region. Baldwin highlighted federal support for the project during her visit. “Wherever I travel in Wisconsin, the challenge to find affordable
housing and a good paying job go hand in hand,” she said. “Investing in
affordable housing and workforce training is a win-win for Wisconsin
families and businesses. That’s why I was proud to deliver $4 million to
help make the project I visited in Hayward a reality.”.. Leo's notes: Trailview Cottages pairs 40 workforce housing units with training access through Northwood Technical College, reinforcing the growing recognition that housing shortages are constraining labor force participation as much as job availability. From a housing perspective, this is the kind of integrated rural development model worth replicating: housing, workforce training, and economic development are interconnected rather than treated as separate policy silos. For many of our rural communities facing both labor shortages and population stagnation, this alignment may prove essential to long-term competitiveness. |
Officials Break Ground on Deer District Apartments |
 Fieldhouse Flats is poised to transform a vacant city block across the street from Fiserv Forum. The $117 million development, which broke ground Thursday, will bring 269 units of workforce housing and an athletic facility for students at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) to a parcel bound by W. McKinley Avenue, W. Juneau Avenue, N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and N. Vel R. Phillips Avenue... ...Full Story Here Leo's notes: The project’s layered capital stack—including LIHTC equity, bonds, TIF, and institutional partnerships—shows how complex financing has become even for well-located workforce housing developments. Glad to see examples of housing development integrated into broader placemaking and economic development strategies. |
In Focus: Affordable housing |
 On this week’s “In Focus,” NY1’s Cheryl Wills discusses the housing crisis and rental rip-off hearings with Councilmember Pierina Ana Sanchez. Plus, Fund for the City of New York’s Dr. Lisette Nieves and Dr. Aldrin Bonilla highlight their upcoming “True Cost of Living” report. And Asian Americans for Equality’s Thomas Yu shares how the organization has created more affordable housing units for the community. ...Full Story Here |
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. 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 |
List of Housing Resources |
WWHNEWS Notes: To add a resource or correct above send data and link to wwhnews.com[at]gmail.com... |
Wisconsin REALTORS® Association
