Senator Baldwin urges action to save $2M in housing grants

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin visited Northeast Wisconsin this week to promote the 21st 

Century ROAD to Housing Act, legislation aimed at helping residents afford and maintain housing.

Her visit comes amid an urgent housing crisis for more than 130 households statewide following the sudden closure of Newcap, a nonprofit housing organization.

The group received more than $2.1 million in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants, supporting 134 households across Wisconsin. In Brown County alone, $1.55 million of that funding went to 82 households.

With Newcap closing its doors, those families are now at risk of losing their homes if the grant money is not quickly reassigned to other agencies.

“I want to see HUD redirect these funds to the appropriate agencies and can assure that the families here not be uprooted, will not be displaced while other investigations continue,” Senator Baldwin said.

Housing advocates warn that if the $2 million in HUD grants goes unclaimed, the money could disappear from Wisconsin for good. Baldwin says she’s working with state leaders and federal officials to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — recently passed in the Senate — is being called one of the largest housing packages in decades. It is designed to increase the housing supply, lower costs for families, and curb corporate speculation in single-family homes.