County Gets $2 Million Federal Funding for Affordable Housing

A Habitat for Humanity project on N. 6th Street. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

Milwaukee County is receiving $2 million in new federal funding for affordable housing projects, just as the county spends down its federal stimulus funds.

President Joe Biden recently signed a federal appropriations bill that includes million in federal funds earmarked for Milwaukee County, thanks to Rep. Gwen Moore and Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced Friday that the appropriations bill also included funding for affordable housing, which will go to the county’s Department of Health and Human Services. The department will develop affordable housing project for submission to the Board of Supervisors. Crowley’s administration has already found success using federal stimulus funds to support housing projects across the county.

“We know that partnerships and collaboration will help Milwaukee County achieve its vision, advance racial equity, and become the healthiest community in Wisconsin,” Crowley said in a statement. “Thank you to President Joe Biden, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Representative Gwen Moore, and our federal partners for delivering new funding to Milwaukee County that will help us build more affordable housing, reinvest in our public transit system, and enhance our parks for families to enjoy. I’m looking forward to our continued work together in the years ahead.”

The appropriations bill also included millions for transit and projects in Milwaukee County Parks, as Urban Milwaukee previously reported. The senate bill included the $2 million affordable housing appropriation, earmarked by Baldwin.

Only a few years ago, these federal appropriations would not have been possible. A moratorium on Congressionally Directed Spending ended in 2021. Congressional earmarks are sometimes called “pork-barrel” by critics, because they can be used to curry favor with a local political machine and have sometimes resulted in wasteful spending. But supporters say it allows representatives to drive federal funding to important local projects that wouldn’t survive a competitive grant process. The practice gives more authority over appropriations to the representatives “whose fingers are on the pulse of the needs of our communities,” Baldwin has said.

Crowley’s administration has made great use of federal funding in recent years to support housing initiatives. Stimulus funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) are being used to support affordable housing projects in suburban communities and to build 100 new homes in the King Park neighborhood.

The county’s housing efforts were recently highlighted by the White House in a video that featured Crowley meeting with Biden to discuss the projects.