Gov. Tony Evers announced Wednesday $50 million to support 22 new housing developments across 10 counties, creating nearly 1,900 workforce housing units across the state.
The funding is provided by the Vacancy-to-Vitality, Infrastructure Access, and Restore Main Street loan programs, which were created through bipartisan legislation in 2023 and supported by a $525 million investment — the largest state investment in workforce housing in state history — provided in the 2023-25 biennial budget.
To date, these three programs have supported nearly 3,500 housing units statewide. Since 2019, more than 35,000 housing units have been built to address the needs of Wisconsin’s workforce, seniors and families.
“Expanding access to safe, stable, and affordable housing is a key part of our work to support kids and families, strengthen our communities, and grow our state’s workforce,” Evers said in a press release.
In April 2026, Evers signed additional bipartisan legislation, making specific modifications to the Vacancy-to-Vitality, Infrastructure Access, and Restore Main Street loan programs.
Including this round of awards, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority has administered more than $76.5 million of the available loan funding.
“Affordable housing is challenging to fund and build,” WHEDA Executive Director and CEO Elmer Moore Jr. said in a press release. “These loans make a difference in getting needed projects to the finish line.”
