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Assembly Bill 454 provides zero-interest financing to help working families buy homes

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity said it played a role in the development and crafting of Assembly Bill 454.

For two years, Greater Green Bay Habitat, along with Habitat for Humanity affiliates throughout Wisconsin, worked together on an affordable housing solution for rural and urban areas across the state.

The bill establishes a workforce home loan program administered through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.

The program is designed to help working families achieve homeownership near their places of employment. By providing supplemental, zero-interest financing, AB454 makes housing more accessible and affordable for Wisconsin’s workforce...

https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/related/acts/239

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Leo's notes: Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity played a key role in shaping Wisconsin’s new workforce home loan program under AB 454, which provides zero-interest supplemental financing to help working families overcome affordability barriers and access homeownership. Programs like this won’t solve the shortage alone, but they are critical in ensuring newly built housing is actually attainable for the workforce it’s meant to serve.

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.

• Senate Bill 480 (now Act 235, introduced with Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac), which allows communities to create residential tax increment districts to defray residential infrastructure costs for modestly sized, owner-occupied one- and two-family houses
  
  
• Assembly Bill 182 (now Act 236), which updates the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, including a carve-out for developments in rural areas
  
  
• Assembly Bill 194 (now Act 237), which reduces barriers to participation in several competitive loan programs the 2023-2024 Legislature created to encourage workforce and senior housing development
  
  
• Assembly Bill 375 (now Act 238), which updates Wisconsin’s Historic Tax Credit program to encourage the preservation and rehabilitation of historic properties, including residential rentals

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Leo's notes: Governor Evers signed four bipartisan housing bills -introduced by Rep. Dave Armstrong- into law, targeting residential TID financing, LIHTC updates, loan program accessibility, and historic tax credits — adding to two additional Armstrong housing bills already signed this session. This kind of incremental, multi-tool approach is exactly what Wisconsin needs: no single bill solves the shortage, but stacking complementary supply-side incentives across rural and urban contexts moves the needle in the right direction.

The City of Green Bay could channel up to $1.3 million to support the plan to build affordable housing and a new Green Bay Metro Fire headquarters on South Broadway.

The city's Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday, April 14 approved two loans and authorized a request to apply for a state grant that could end up directing $1.3 million to General Capital Group's 85-unit Fire Station Flats development. The majority of the funding would cover the developers' costs to address the remaining site contamination on the former Badger Sheet Metal factory in the 400 block of South Broadway.

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Leo's notes: Green Bay is activating a full stack of public finance tools — brownfield revolving loans, city affordable housing funds, and a WEDC grant — to unlock 85 units of affordable housing on a long-blighted industrial site alongside a new fire headquarters.This is a strong example of brownfield redevelopment as a housing strategy. As buildable land becomes scarce and costly, projects that combine environmental remediation, public infrastructure, and housing—supported by layered financing—are increasingly essential to unlocking new supply in urban cores...

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...

Oak Creek is paving the way for what leaders are calling the first affordable housing subdivision in Milwaukee County.

County Executive David Crowley and local leaders on Apr. 13 announced the county’s Department of Health and Human Services will lead development of the 50-homes to be constructed at 3810 E. American Ave., 9050 S. Annette Pl. and 8950 S. Chicago Court in Oak Creek. The city’s Common Council a week earlier unanimously approved a measure allowing the new construction to move forward.

Crowley worked with the U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, to secure $7 million in federal funds to help cover roads, sewer, power and landscaping costs. They plan to cover unit construction costs with federal HOME funds.

“This first-of-its-kind project, an affordable subdivision in a suburban community, represents the continuation of our work to make critical investments that provide families with expanded access to becoming homeowners, improving their lives, strengthening our neighborhoods, and fostering a healthier community for all,” Crowley said.

Baldwin and Crowley touted the project as part of an effort to address Wisconsin’s housing crisis.

Construction of the roughly 1,200-square-foot units for Garden Medley Estates is slated to start in 2027 and are set to be on the market for $225,000-$250,000. The homes are expected to be a mix of one-and-two-story units. Buyers will be required to make 80% or less of the Area Median Income, which is roughly $80,000 a year for a family of three, according to the county.

A request for proposals for infrastructure work is expected to come out in the summer of 2026.

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Leo's notes: Oak Creek is advancing a notable first: a county-led affordable housing subdivision with up to 50 single-family homes, signaling a shift in how suburban communities are approaching housing supply. This marks a meaningful evolution where suburbs embrace smaller-scale, ownership-focused affordability solutions. If successful, this model could help fill a critical gap — bringing starter homes back into markets that have largely priced them out.

Ken Notes: Two quick apologies, one, the Daily Reporter has a paywall at the link. Two, while an interesting project, this is also a bit of an earned media campaign for a gubernatorial candidate.

WWHNews is nonpartisan and believes housing is a nonpartisan issue. We would also like to see policy that allows for 1,200-square-foot units on the market for $225,000-$250,000 without substantial government intervention and believe by working with developers, communities, and manufacturers this can happen. It will require a paradigm shift, but it can be done.

Developer exploring new partnership options as city weighs foreclosure on the stalled 31-story Edison site

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Leo's notes: Today’s financial realities are reshaping what gets built — and for whom. Milwaukee’s stalled “Edison” timber tower may find new life as workforce housing, marking a dramatic pivot from a luxury, record-setting project to one aimed at households earning up to 100% of area median income. The shift comes after cost overruns, financing gaps, and halted construction forced the developer to rethink the project’s viability. As capital tightens, projects that can align with workforce housing demand, public incentives, and achievable rents are far more likely to move forward than purely luxury concepts, even in high-profile developments. This is one high profile development we’ll continue to monitor closely!

More than 90 affordable homes will be built as a result of the funding, which supports a citywide collaborative effort to increase homeownership and revitalization in Milwaukee


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Leo's notes: Northwestern Mutual is doubling down on neighborhood-scale housing investment in Milwaukee, with an effort that leverages partnerships with local nonprofits, developers, and city-backed TIF tools to expand homeownership in historically underserved areas. This highlights an increasingly important trend: corporate capital is stepping in as a catalytic partner in community-based housing delivery. When aligned with local organizations and public financing tools, these investments can do more than add units — they can help rebuild ownership pathways and stabilize neighborhoods at scale.

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...