Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Applauds Shorewood Village Board of Trustees for Historic, Unanimous Vote to Invest $2.5 Million for Affordable and Equitable Housing

Last night, in a historic move, the Shorewood Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously to invest $2.5 million to increase affordable housing in area neighborhoods. The decision extends Tax Increment District #1 for an additional year to create a fund to support affordable housing.

“Milwaukee County’s vision is that by achieving racial equity we will be the healthiest county in Wisconsin. We can’t realize that vision alone, it’s going to take all us of working to together doing what we can to secure victories in equity, and in turn, secure victories for all us,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “I applaud the leadership of the Board of Trustees for their unanimous decision and I appreciate their commitment to collaborating with the Milwaukee County Office on African American Affairs to help advance our shared vision. I look forward to collaborating with the Village of Shorewood to make the most of this important investment in equity.” 

For decades, the Milwaukee metropolitan region has been ranked among the most segregated communities in the country. The composition of Milwaukee County neighborhoods is complex, but generations of historically racist systems and polices undermined wealth, living opportunities, and overall quality of life for residents of color. The negative consequences of prior policies persist alongside ongoing systemic racism compounding insecurities for residents of color.  

"We are excited to work with Shorewood and all Milwaukee County municipalities to provide support and tools to help advance policies that eliminate barriers to inclusion,” said Office on African American Affairs Director, Jeff Roman. “Providing residents and families access to affordable housing options across the county's footprint is a key way to make sure all residents can live and thrive where they choose to."

Improving the availability of high-quality, deed restricted, affordable housing is a critical tool to combat segregation and reducing impacts on rent-burdened families, paying more than 30 percent 
of their income towards housing costs. 

According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum, over 50 percent of Milwaukee County households are rent-burdened, and Black households are burdened at twice the rate of white households. 

“I commend the Shorewood Village Board and the community as a whole for taking this significant step forward to dismantle the barriers to diverse and inclusive communities,” concluded Crowley. “I am hopeful that communities across Milwaukee County and all of Wisconsin follow in Shorewood’s footsteps.”