| Wisconsin Workforce Housing News | ||
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 | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 10 - Wk: 100 Date: 6/8/2026 9:13:34 PM | ||
| New report explores latest WI housing projections, policy implications | ||
Leo's notes: A new Forward Analytics report finds Wisconsin will need approximately 84,000 new housing units by 2030 to keep pace with current workforce and population trends—significantly lower than earlier estimates of 140,000 units due to a steeper-than-expected decline in the state's working-age population. This report reframes Wisconsin’s housing challenge from one of scarcity alone to one of economic competitiveness. The question now ought to be whether enough units can be build to attract the workers, families, and talent needed to grow. Communities that view housing as an economic development strategy—not simply a response to demand—will likely be best positioned to compete for future workforce growth and investment. Contact us for a deeper response to the full report. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 24 Date: 6/8/2026 8:31:13 PM | ||
| Builders, industry group share what encourages new home building | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 24 Date: 6/8/2026 9:12:17 PM | ||
| Northeast Wisconsin projects awarded WHEDA tax credits for 227 affordable housing units | ||
Leo's notes: The latest WHEDA awards highlight how housing tax credits remain one of Wisconsin’s most effective tools for producing affordable housing at scale. The geographic diversity of this year’s NE Wisconsin projects also reflects a growing reality: housing shortages are no longer limited to major metropolitan areas. Communities of all sizes are increasingly competing for workforce talent, making affordable housing production an economic development strategy as much as a housing policy initiative. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 24 Date: 6/8/2026 7:41:35 PM | ||
| When private equity firms buy mobile home parks, rent increases leave residents with few affordable options in rural areas | ||
Leo's notes: Manufactured housing is one of the few naturally occurring affordable homeownership opportunities available in rural America, yet it remains largely overlooked in housing policy discussions. As communities search for solutions to housing shortages, preserving existing affordable housing stock—including manufactured home communities—may be just as important as building new units. The challenge highlights a broader reality: housing affordability depends not only on the cost of the home itself, but also on the long-term stability of the land and infrastructure that support it. Ken Notes: We need new rules for manufactured housing, neighborhoods, and development. While smaller lots are good we need to remove the profiteering owners from calling the shots. We need communities to buy and develop sites for manufactured housing, install the infrastructure, create security, develop amenities, approve architecture, create neighborhoods and integrate these into the larger community. Leo and I can show you dozens of examples where this is working but it does take planning, education, and the ability to work together. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 24 Date: 6/8/2026 8:06:25 PM | ||
| WHEDA announces $47.5 million in housing tax credits | ||
Leo's notes: WHEDA awarded $47.5 million in housing tax credits to 35 developments across Wisconsin that will create or preserve more than 2,100 affordable housing units. The awards combine both competitive 9% tax credits and 4% federal and state credits, helping developers bridge financing gaps and attract private investment into affordable housing developments.These latests awards continues to highlight that affordable housing production at scale depends on layered financing and public-private partnerships. While tax credits are often invisible to the public, they remain one of the most effective tools available for creating workforce and affordable housing, particularly as rising construction and financing costs continue to challenge project feasibility. It is also worth highlighting how affordable housing is increasingly being integrated into downtown redevelopment, neighborhood revitalization, and transit-oriented growth strategies rather than being treated as a standalone housing issue. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 24 Date: 6/8/2026 8:28:20 PM | ||
| Wisconsin Workforce Housing Resources | ||
| Nate Notes: to be included as a Workforce Housing resource email us a link and a brief note to: wwhnews.com@gmail.com... | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 10 - Wk: 125 Date: 4/6/2026 9:26:43 PM | ||
| Project Redevelops Housing Downtown at Cherry Lanes | ||
Leo's notes: the completion of The Lofts at Cherry Lanes in downtown Sturgeon Bay transformed a long-vacant second floor above the historic arcade and bowling alley into eight affordable apartments. Supported by WHEDA’s Restore Main Street program and local workforce housing financing, the project received immediate response- roughly 90 applications received and all units leased before opening. The rapid lease-up demonstrates the depth of unmet workforce housing demand in Door County, particularly for smaller, attainable units serving single workers and couples. Just as importantly, the project showcases how adaptive reuse of underutilized downtown buildings can add housing supply without consuming new land—an approach that many Wisconsin communities may increasingly look to as they balance housing needs, historic preservation, and downtown revitalization goals. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 24 Date: 6/8/2026 7:43:59 PM | ||
| Winnebago County names Oshkosh GOEDC for housing fund | ||
Leo's notes: This is a notable shift from planning for housing to actively financing it. Revolving loan funds can be particularly effective because they target the often-overlooked financing gaps that prevent otherwise viable housing projects from moving forward. As more Wisconsin communities recognize housing as critical economic infrastructure, locally controlled capital tools like this may become an increasingly important part of the workforce housing toolbox. A model worth following! | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 24 Date: 6/8/2026 7:51:25 PM | ||
| Almost 100 Affordable Housing Units are Coming to La Crosse | ||
Leo's notes: La Crosse has secured $2.4 million in WHEDA Housing Tax Credits to support two affordable housing developments that will create 96 new affordable units by 2028! While 96 units alone will not close La Crosse’s housing gap, the developments demonstrate how communities can leverage historic structures, public-private partnerships, and housing tax credits to create attainable housing while preserving neighborhood assets. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 24 Date: 6/8/2026 8:11:53 PM | ||
| WHEDA Foundation 2026 Housing Grant Program now open | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 24 Date: 6/8/2026 8:35:12 PM | ||
| About Wisconsin Workforce Housing News (WWHNews.com) | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 10 - Wk: 125 Date: 3/23/2026 9:49:04 PM | ||
| List of Housing Resources | ||
| WWHNEWS Notes: To add a resource or correct above send data and link to wwhnews.com[at]gmail.com... | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 11 - Wk: 125 Date: 9/2/2025 7:30:59 PM |