New Affordable Homes Open in Midtown Neighborhood

Affordable duplex developed by Emem Group at 2635 W. Garfield Ave. Photo taken June 17 by Graham Kilmer.

A handful of affordable homes recently opened to renters in Milwaukee’s Midtown neighborhood as part of a publicly-funded housing initiative.

The homes, three duplexes, are the first of 20 duplexes being developed by Emem Group. They are part of a public-private collaboration involving Milwaukee County, the City of Milwaukee and Habitat for Humanity aimed at building 120 units of affordable housing for first time homebuyers.

The duplexes built by Emem Group will be rented for 15 years, then sold at a discounted price to first time homebuyers, said Michael Emem, CEO of Emem Group. The county provided $6 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, the city provided a number of vacant and foreclosed lots, and Habitat was selected to build 80 single family homes that will sell for $110,000 each. In the end, 120 homes will be constructed for first-time homebuyers.

The homeownership project is one of the major housing achievements of County Executive David Crowley‘s tenure. The idea was drawn from a city-wide affordable housing plan developed by the Community Development Alliance (CDA) in 2021.

“We’ve committed more than $45 million toward affordable housing,” Crowley said during a press conference Tuesday. “Because we know that not only safe, but stable housing is a foundation of everything else.”

Under Crowley, the county adopted a strategic plan with a goal to make Milwaukee the healthiest county in the state by achieving racial equity. The county executive has repeatedly said housing is critical to the plan’s success. Crowley’s childhood was marked by extreme housing insecurity, something he often remarks upon.

Standing in Midtown Tuesday morning, the county executive said, “It is great to be back in this neighborhood, a neighborhood that I grew up in, a neighborhood where I was evicted three times in a two-and-a-half year span.”

The county’s federal stimulus funds played a major role in the county executive’s ability to fund affordable housing projects across the county, including a number of projects in suburban neighborhoods. But that funding has all been spent or allocated and the county now enters a period of budget deficits and financial uncertainty.

“We need more partnerships,” Crowley said. “And we want more partnerships to continue our progress.”

Emem Group is developing the duplexes for $270,000 per unit. They rent to households making less than 50% of the area median income for less than $1,200 per month. The project received financing from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, Milwaukee Development Corporation, Wells Fargo and equity investment from Cinnaire. Contracting was led by MESH construction.

After 15 years, Habitat will acquire the homes and “convert them into affordable homeownership opportunities,” said Al Smith, COO of Habitat for Humanity.

“Housing isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach,” Smith said. “It’s a spectrum. Families often begin their journey with quality, affordable rental housing.”

Tequila Thomas represents one of those families. She recently moved into one of the duplexes. She said the house feels like it was made just for her, and that she likes the neighborhood and is proud her children will grow up there.

Emem shares the county executive’s view of housing. For neighborhoods like Midtown, that were once “vibrant” and have suffered from “disinvestment,” affordable housing will be critical to breaking the cycle, he said.

“Homes represent the largest expense for households,” Emem said. “Home ownership is the primary way families build generational wealth.”