Housing

New homes under construction

Fast-growing communities rewriting zoning unclear on requirements of new housing programs

BY: - October 31, 2023

This summer, Wisconsin lawmakers created several programs aimed at making a dent in the state’s shortage of affordable housing. As those programs are rolled out by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), they face their first hurdle — the slow and politically thorny process of municipal zoning updates.  The programs, signed into law […]

Lawmakers pitch legislative package to expand protections for Wisconsin renters

BY: - October 23, 2023

A Milwaukee pilot program that has provided legal representation to tenants facing eviction would go statewide under draft legislation that Democratic lawmakers began circulating last week to recruit cosponsors. The proposal is part of a package of nearly two dozen draft bills that senators and representatives have drawn up to establish stronger protections for tenants […]

Wisconsin Supreme Court limits online access to eviction records to two years

BY: - October 10, 2023

The Wisconsin Supreme Court voted Monday to reduce the amount of time some eviction records are publicly available on the state court website from 20 years to two years.  In its first public administrative conference in more than a decade, the court’s four liberals voted to shorten the record keeping timeline, which tenants rights advocates […]

New Wisconsin Supreme Court meets for first time in hearing on eviction records rule change

BY: - September 7, 2023

The recently flipped Wisconsin Supreme Court met publicly for the first time Thursday, holding a hearing on a petition that would change court rules for how long evictions remain accessible on the state’s court access website.  Since August, the court has been embroiled in controversy as the presence of new Justice Janet Protasiewicz gave liberals […]

Members of the Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union (MATU) join other Milwaukee residents in a protest calling for a freeze to rents and evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Milwaukee landlord Berrada sues Tenants Union for defamation

BY: - August 10, 2023

One of Milwaukee’s biggest landlords is suing a local group of housing and tenants rights activists for defamation. Youssef “Joe” Berrada, who runs companies that  own an estimated 8,000 Milwaukee-area rental units, is seeking damages against the Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union (MATU), after its members protested and made social media posts following a fire at […]

Gov. Evers signs package of legislation aimed at increasing housing stock

BY: - June 22, 2023

Gov. Tony Evers signed five bills into law Thursday that are aimed at increasing Wisconsin’s housing stock as a lack of supply continues to make housing scarce across the state.  The bipartisan bills create or expand a number of loan programs through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). The product of negotiations between […]

Builder framing a house

Five bipartisan housing measures pass Legislature, head to governor

BY: - June 15, 2023

A package of bills aimed at making it easier for communities and developers to address a statewide shortage of affordable housing passed both houses of the Legislature Wednesday with broad bipartisan support.  Several of the bills were shaped in consultation with the administration of Gov. Tony Evers, and Republican authors in the Assembly made a point […]

New homes under construction

Bipartisan housing bills aim to close Wisconsin’s massive affordable housing gap

BY: - May 18, 2023

To address its growing shortage of affordable housing, Wisconsin needs to build 120,000 additional rental units, Elmer Moore Jr., CEO of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), told an Assembly committee at a public hearing Thursday.  In an effort to encourage the massive increase in construction of affordable and workforce housing that is […]

Protesters gather to march on Mayor Tom Barrett's house, to demand a freeze on evictions. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Advocate has lukewarm reaction to report on legal aid for tenants facing eviction

BY: - April 25, 2023

Although a program in Milwaukee County that helped tenants facing eviction find legal representation saw major successes, local housing advocates feel that far more is needed. “It’s still kind of a drip in the bucket,” Joshua Taylor, an organizer with the Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union (MATU) told Wisconsin Examiner. “It’s a positive reform, but we […]

New homes under construction

Mortgage rates are stabilizing but that may not be enough to help house hunters

BY: - April 7, 2023

Home prices are cooling off and mortgage rates fell last week, but the fallout from recent bank closures could continue to make it hard for some Americans to buy homes, economists say.  Mortgage rates fell to 6.32% for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, Freddie Mac data released March 30 shows. Last fall, the 30-year fixed […]

Salvation Army Press Conference

Madison homeless shelter and housing project gets federal support

BY: - March 20, 2023

A $50 million Dane County Salvation Army project to build a new homeless shelter and affordable housing apartment complex is getting $4 million in support from Washington in the 2023 federal budget. “This investment will expand access to affordable housing, safe shelter and critical support services for women and children experiencing homelessness in Dane County, […]

Republican legislators take aim at local zoning rules to address Wisconsin’s housing shortage

BY: - March 8, 2023

This week, Stevens Point residents attended a city council meeting to fight against a neighbor’s efforts to build an extension to their garage so their ailing in-laws have a place to move in.  Earlier this year, Madison residents mounted a campaign against the city’s efforts to change zoning rules to allow higher density apartments near […]