Economic catalysts
Habitat homes providing needed lift
Milwaukee resident Theodore Miles has moved three times in the past six years, as he struggled to bring home enough money to pay his rent.
However, come Thursday, Miles and his two children won’t have to worry about that anymore.
Miles will own his own home in Milwaukee’s Washington Park neighborhood, with the help of Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity has been making strides to create more affordable housing in Milwaukee, with a recent focus on Washington Park.
This year, the organization will launch a new initiative that will make roofing and other external repairs to additional homes.
Brian Sonderman, executive director of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, said the organization plans to perform 15 to 20 repair projects this year, in addition to the organization’s core mission of building homes for families.
Habitat for Humanity has brought more than 200 homeowners to the Washington Park neighborhood in the past four to five years, Sonderman said.
Finding affordable housing remains a problem in Milwaukee. Almost a quarter of Milwaukee renters spend more than 70% of their income on housing, according to a report by Harvard University in 2016. The recommended level is 30%, according to the American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau.
In 2016, Habitat for Humanity helped to address the issue by moving 23 families into homes in Milwaukee. In exchange for their labor, those families are now homeowners living rent-free.
Miles spent hundreds of hours working on his house and neighbors’ homes to earn his property.
Seventeen-hour days were the norm for Miles. After putting in his hours for Habitat for Humanity, he went to his job at Cargill Meat Solutions, a food packaging plant in Butler.
“I had to sacrifice sleep and personal health to get this done,” Miles said. “The bigger picture is providing something for my kids.”
Sonderman said he has seen
extreme situations with families spending up to 90% of their incomes on housing.
“For a person making minimum wage, that’s just unaffordable,” Sonderman said, noting the costs for a child’s education, food and health care, not to mention saving for retirement.
“How do you pay medical bills, buy food and provide for your family when you’re spending 90% of your income on housing?” Sonderman asked.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t enough public housing for everyone,” said Timothy Smeeding, Lee Rainwater distinguished professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Milwaukee’s median household income is $35,851. The median is $47,425 for the 50 most populous cities in the U.S., according to the Milwaukee Area Renters Study conducted by Harvard University.
Homeowners on fixed incomes are greatly affected by home affordability, Sonderman said. He noted that the elderly population is in a great need of home repairs to be able to stay in their homes.
Habitat for Humanity already has begun to receive applications for its new home repair program. Many of the applications are for porch and roof repairs, some on homes more than 100 years old.
If the repairs are not addressed, the homeowners would either be forced to live in unsafe conditions or leave their homes, Sonderman said.
The roof repair projects each could cost up to $15,000, but that is still less expensive than building a home from the ground up.
“It’s a way we can serve more families for less dollars,” Sonderman said.
In addition to providing safe homes, the newly built and repaired properties are giving the city an economic boost, he said.
“Not only have the new developments helped with property values, but they’re helping bring more businesses to the city as well,” Sonderman said.
Town Bank plans to relocate a branch into the west side of Washington Park.
“After talking to leaders of Town Bank, one of the reasons they relocated their branch is because of work Habitat has been doing,” Sonderman said.
Sonderman said he believes affordable housing and homeownership are essential elements for a vibrant community.
“What we found is when you partner with a family, they are strengthened,” Sonderman said. “They become leaders in their neighborhoods.”