MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has declared 2026 the “Year of Housing,” and one north side neighborhood could soon see nearly 100 new affordable homes built as part of that push.
The Amani Affordable Housing Initiative plans to construct 90 new homes across several blocks in the Amani neighborhood, using 400 to 500 city-owned vacant lots. Leaders say the effort is designed to increase homeownership in an area where 70% to 80% of properties are rentals.
Watch: How an initiative from the Community Development Alliance is giving some in Milwaukee's Amani neighborhood a chance to be homeowners for the very first time.
“When you have a neighborhood that’s over 70 to 80 percent rentals, we don’t have an opportunity for people to feel like they own the neighborhood they live in,” said Cordella Jones, resident collaborations director with the Community Development Alliance, one of the project’s conveners.
For early childhood educators (pre-K through third grade), newly constructed homes will cost $105,000 — well below Milwaukee’s current housing market.
“If you’re purchasing just an existing home right now, you’re looking anywhere from $140,000 to $200,000,” Jones said.
For Elizabeth Brown, homeownership has meant stability. She purchased her home last summer through Milwaukee Community Crossroads, a development partner in the initiative, with support from a youth job training construction program where 18- to 24-year-olds learn trade skills and are supervised throughout the process.
“I don’t have to worry about repairs not getting done, the landlord deciding they want to up the rent,” Brown said.
She said ownership also strengthens community ties.
“When you have ownership in your community, you tend to pay attention more, you tend to care more, you tend to help more,” Brown said.
Helen Reynolds, who bought her home through Habitat for Humanity 14 years ago, said affordability means more than just a price tag.
“When we think about affordability, we really need to dive deep on how that word is defined because it has changed,” Reynolds said. “Homeownership is not a feeling. We all should have access to safe, affordable homes. It shouldn’t be seen as a prize.”
Jones said expanding access to homeownership can have long-term effects.
“What we do today in Milwaukee really sets up generational well-being,” she said.
Reynolds added that when someone’s basic needs, like housing, are not met, they cannot show up with their full potential for their families, at work, for their own community and in society. She hopes Monday’s meeting will spark conversations and direct solutions.
Project leaders will meet with neighbors at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Black Historical Museum to discuss funding, eligibility requirements and how they plan to maintain affordability long term. Additional price points and qualification details will also be shared.
Construction is expected to begin before summer 2028.
For site maps and alternative layout options, click here. To see similar projects for context, click here.
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