Joel Brennan Announces 3% Mortgages for First-Time Buyers as Part of Statewide Build Roots, Build Wisconsin Housing Plan
Milwaukee, WI – This afternoon in Wauwatosa, Democratic candidate for governor Joel Brennan released his “Build Roots, Build Wisconsin”, a comprehensive housing affordability plan focused on building up inventory, giving new homeowners better tools to buy, and keeping folks in their homes by providing property tax relief.
“Every time a young person leaves Wisconsin because they can’t afford to stay and build a life here, we lose a worker, a taxpayer, a neighbor — and our future,” said Joel Brennan. “I’ve traveled this state and heard the same thing everywhere: people want to stay, but they can’t make the numbers work. This isn’t a problem we can solve with one silver bullet. It takes a real strategy, and that’s what this plan is.”
At the core of his plan, Brennan announced the “Wisconsin Home Forward Program”: a state-backed effort to unlock homeownership and increase mobility in the housing market to help solve this problem. The program will direct 3% mortgages, powered by WHEDA, provided to first-time homebuyers and long-term homeowners looking to downsize. It will be structured to recycle funds over time, reinvest repayments to support future buyers, and minimize long-term taxpayer cost. One program will trigger two outcomes: young families gain access to home ownership, and older homeowners gain the freedom to move.
The “Build Roots, Build Wisconsin” plan is organized around three core strategies:
- Build: 100,000 Entry-Level Homes. Brennan will transform WHEDA into a statewide housing delivery engine, modernize permitting and zoning to accelerate construction, and create a $50,000 shared-equity gap loan to close the gap between what homes cost to build and what families can afford to pay. The state recoups its investment as homes appreciate, making the program self-sustaining over time.
- Buy: Make Homeownership Achievable. The Wisconsin Home Forward Program will offer below-market, state-supported mortgage options for first-time buyers and long-term homeowners looking to downsize, unlocking movement across the entire market. One program, two outcomes: young families get in, older homeowners get out.
- Protect: Keep People in Their Homes. Property tax relief for low-income seniors, expanded support for cost-burdened households, and a tax on large corporate investors who purchase single-family homes as rentals, with revenues reinvested directly into housing solutions.
About Joel Brennan
Joel Brennan is a Democratic candidate for Governor of Wisconsin in the 2026 election. As Wisconsin’s former top appointed cabinet official and a leader in Milwaukee’s business and nonprofit community, he has spent his career in public service working with government, community leaders, and businesses to strengthen communities, uphold democratic values, and ensure government works for the people it serves. Brennan is running for governor to provide accountable leadership and to ensure Wisconsin families have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. For more information, visit www.BrennanforWI.com.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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