Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Summit 2026 Recap

On May 7, Kenosha County Housing Task Force members attended the Southeastern Wisconsin (SEWI) Housing Summit, which Community Economic Development Extension Educator Savannah Meyers helped facilitate.

The SEWI Housing Summit gathered representatives from ten counties in Southeast Wisconsin at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The event gave attendees an opportunity to learn from a variety of keynote speakers and specialized presentations in breakout rooms. Presentations covered topics such as zoning, legislative developments, trends in housing and households over the last handful of decades, and programs that can promote the construction and funding of affordable and healthy communities in the coming years. 

Speakers relayed significant information about Kenosha County and Wisconsin in general, including the following:

Kenosha and Wisconsin Housing Statistics...

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Leo's notes: The Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Summit highlighted how closely zoning, financing, infrastructure and workforce housing production are intertwined. With new-home affordability increasingly out of reach for many households, the region’s focus on streamlined approvals, higher-density development and expanded WHEDA tools is well placed. The next test is whether these policy changes translate into a sustained increase in actual housing production. Also great article that names and briefly explains the seven bills recently signed into law. For more information, please look in our NEWSLETTER RESOURCES for a more in depth coverage of each bill.