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As rural housing becomes harder to find, one Wisconsin dairy is building more than a workforce by providing homes for nearly all of its employees and helping families put down roots in the community.

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Leo's notes: The Breys’ approach highlights how workforce housing increasingly overlaps with immigration, economic development and community sustainability. Perhaps most notably, the farm’s strategy reframes housing not simply as compensation, but as part of organizational culture and employee investment. In regions where housing supply remains constrained, employers willing to directly participate in housing delivery may gain a significant competitive advantage in attracting and retaining workers.

Ken Notes: This is a double edged sword, it is a great idea for creating quality housing for employees but needs some regulations or legal representation to prevent the 2026 version of indentured servitude. I know some larger city hospitals and doing something similar for nursing and support staff.

Also note the photo is from a development in Darlington WI - not the Brey farm...

PESHTIGO, Wis. — The City of Peshtigo’s motto, “Reborn from the Ashes,” is a testament to the resilience of its citizens and leaders. Since the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, the city has turned its historical roots into a draw for tourists.

Mayor Katie Berman joined Spectrum News 1’s “Your Local Leaders” segment to share how the city is creating sustainable growth.

“We are in a bit of a unique situation for a small community in Wisconsin,” Berman said. “We are three square miles. We are kind of land landlocked. We don’t have a lot of urban sprawl, so housing is top of mind for us.”

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Leo's notes: Peshtigo is a great example of how smaller Wisconsin communities are increasingly tying housing policy directly to economic development and long-term population stability. Facing geographic constraints and limited room for outward expansion, their approach focuses on ownership-oriented housing scaled to the realities of a small, land-constrained city. Their blended solution of heritage preservation, walkability, local events and modest workforce housing investment reflects a strategy worth following for smaller regional communities trying to grow without losing their character...

Across the country, more people are experiencing loneliness and social isolation – trends that affect not only emotional well-being, but overall health and quality of life. Yet the solution may be simpler than many expect: a conversation, an invitation, a shared moment.

What if something as small as inviting someone to coffee could help strengthen connection – not just for two people, but across an entire community?

During La Crosse Housing Week, coordinated by Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region, AARP Wisconsin sponsored a community lunch discussion at the Pump House Regional Arts Center to explore exactly that.

Centered on the concept of “third places,” the May 7 conversation highlighted the everyday spaces – and everyday actions – that help people build relationships, find belonging, and stay engaged...

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Leo's notes: This particular session from last week’s La Crosse Housing Week reflects an important evolution in housing conversations. Creating healthy communities is not only about building units, but also about designing places that encourage interaction, accessibility, and long-term social connection. As communities address workforce and affordable housing shortages, there is growing recognition that public spaces, walkability, community programming, and opportunities for belonging are equally important components of livable neighborhoods.

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...

GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- Green Bay high school students are constructing homes and building their resumes in one fell swoop.

It's all part of the Bridges Construction & Renovation program -- a collaboration between the Green Bay Area Public School District, NeighborWorks Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

Throughout the 2024-25 academic year, juniors and seniors from all four Green Bay high schools (East, West, Southwest and Preble) worked together to build a two-story home from the ground up. It's located at 158 N. Maple Avenue.

"This is my second year doing the program. I think we're doing pretty good. A little bit more difficult of a home -- two stories this year, a little bit larger square footage -- but we were able to get most of it done. There's still some tweaks that we've got to get done inside yet," said Bridges instructor Chris Ziegler...

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Leo's notes: Through the Bridges Construction & Renovation program in Green Bay, students are not only helping address local affordable housing needs, but also gaining direct pathways into skilled trades careers. The program reflects a broader trend emerging statewide: solving the housing shortage will require more than financing and zoning reform alone. Expanding the construction workforce, creating early career pipelines, and connecting education directly to community development are becoming essential components of long-term housing strategy.

But one alderman offers fierce dissent and questions concept of aldermanic privilege.

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Leo's notes: The debate at the Milwaukee Common Council highlights a growing tension in affordable housing policy: the difference between increasing the number of income-restricted units and preserving neighborhood control over housing decisions. As a whole, this discussion and decision reflect a larger challenge of balancing the urgent need for affordable and workforce housing against concerns over neighborhood change, local autonomy and trust in outside developers. As construction costs remain high, preservation and acquisition strategies like this are likely to become more common — and more politically contested.

A Dane County program is working with rental property owners to make multifamily homes more energy efficient through renovations that make the buildings more environmentally sustainable while lowering energy bills, all at no cost to renters.

The Efficiency Navigator has helped small- and medium-sized apartment buildings in Madison, Middleton and Fitchburg for about five years, said Claire Schaefer Oleksiak, the executive director of Sustain Dane, a sustainability group that offers the Efficiency Navigator program.

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Leo's notes: While this may not be focused on new housing stock, it still directly impacts our workforce households. Many owners of older “naturally affordable” apartments face difficult tradeoffs between maintaining buildings and keeping rents attainable. Programs covering efficiency improvements can help bridge that gap by preserving affordability while improving housing quality. As Wisconsin communities continue grappling with rising housing and utility costs, programs like Efficiency Navigator suggest that housing policy may increasingly extend beyond construction incentives into energy systems, sustainability upgrades and long-term operating costs.

What does housing have to do with your daily life?

If you had been in the room during Madison Housing Week’s “Six Minutes, One Idea: Everyday Perspectives on Madison,” you might have come expecting a conversation about zoning, development, or policy. Instead, what unfolded was something more personal – and more universal.

This Pecha Kucha–style event, developed by AARP Wisconsin, invited presenters to share short, visual, fast-paced stories drawn from lived experience. For many in the audience, it was a new format. The curiosity in the room was palpable. What could possibly be said in six minutes?

As it turns out—quite a lot...

See Also:

Low supply is pushing Madison’s home values higher and higher

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Ken Notes: Send us your Pecha Kucha presentation on any Workforce Housing image and we will publish it...

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...