Housing

We're building a future where everyone can afford to call our community home.

Kindergarten readiness
Our investment in housing aligns with the Every Child Thrives network’s priority of Strong Families, because children are more likely to succeed when their families have the support they need.

Why Invest?

Today, much of our workforce - including nurses, manufacturing professionals, teachers and other middle-class employees - are being priced out of home ownership in Dodge and Jefferson County.
The good news is we’re finding innovative ways to overcome this challenge. By creating public-private partnerships, bridging funding gaps and updating zoning rules, we’re helping build a robust and affordable housing market. This means we are more likely to keep and/or attract the next generation of workers and families needed to help our community thrive.
"More than half of workers in jobs located in Jefferson County commute from outside the county each day. The development of housing that is affordable to our local workforce isn’t just an investment in roofs and walls; it’s an investment in our communities and the workers who contribute so much to them."
- Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation President and CEO Ben Wehmeier

strategy

80+ acre development on the Collective Campus

Development begins on a 48-acre model neighborhood offering a full continuum of housing—bringing people of all ages together in a walkable, connected community that showcases the area’s natural beauty.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION OPPORTUNITY

Our development partners

Workforce housing in Juneau and Lowell

A public-private partnership overseen by the Dodge County Housing Authority has earned $10+ million in state funding. The Foundation donated land and is contributing low-interest financing to the project.

ThriveED as Jefferson County’s housing champion

The Foundation has invested $2M toward the Live Local Development Fund, which provides gap financing to attract developers. This support has helped ThriveED become our regional housing technical assistance leader. ThriveED supports municipalities and offers loan and grant programs for home buyers at or below 80% Area Median Income.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THRIVEED'S HOUSING WORK

Partner with Habitat for Humanity

Strengthen Habitat for Humanity's impact in our region by aligning efforts and investing in safe and affordable housing.

Spur further research and development

Build regional capacity to support rural housing development.

Indicator

housing cost burden

30% of regional families are housing cost burdened, meaning housing expenses equal more than 30% of their annual income



Visit the Scorecard to learn more
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Download progress report (print-friendly)
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