Emerging developers get funding to build homes in Milwaukee

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By Jimmy Nesbitt

Special to The Daily Reporter

Two builders have each received $15,000 grants to expand the supply of affordable housing in Milwaukee.

The Launchpad grants awarded to Adrienne Hunter and Keith Turner are part of a three-year, $650,000 initiative to support emerging and under-represented developers.

The program was launched last September and is managed by the 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corp. in partnership with the Northwest Side Community Development Corp. and the Community Development Alliance.

The homes are located in the Amani and Metcalfe Park neighborhoods in north and northwest Milwaukee.

“The work that Adrienne and Keith are doing is changing lives and making the American Dream of homeownership possible,” said Cheryl Blue, executive director of The Corridor and administrator of the program. “These funds are critical to helping builders complete their first few projects, setting them up for long-term success and addressing the critical need for quality, affordable homes in Milwaukee.”

Hunter is using the grant money — along with a zero-interest $40,000 loan that she recently received — to convert a large home on West Lloyd Street into a duplex. The planned renovations include adding new appliances and a fence along the property.

“It really was the icing on the cake,” she said of the Launchpad grant.

Hunter is co-owner of Top Tier Development, a company she started with her husband. She has a background in helping vulnerable youth, and today she also finds meaning in creating housing that Milwaukee families can afford.

“I just love the story behind the brick and mortar,” Hunter said. “I love seeing the beauty come out of the ashes.”

In total, Top Tier has been awarded nine properties to rehab through the city of Milwaukee’s Homes MKE Program, which is expected to end later this year. The development company has already rehabilitated three single-family homes and one duplex in the Borchert Field, Franklin Heights and Amani neighborhoods.

‘A difficult business’

In addition to the Launchpad grant, Turner’s company, Turner Community Partners, also received a zero-interest $50,000 loan to construct four two-story, single-family homes in Metcalfe Park.

He expects construction on the 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom homes to be completed in late June or early July.

“The Emerging Developers Funds mean a lot for the success of this project,” Turner said. “This is a difficult business and it’s hard to put the money together from lenders when you’re starting out — even when everyone recognizes the value of the project. They (The Corridor) made the process simple.”

While national conversation around affordable housing has intensified in recent years, Hunter believes part of the challenge is access to knowledge and resources.

“Sometimes it’s not that it’s hard — it’s that we don’t have the road map,” she said.

Milwaukee, she added, still presents strong opportunities for redevelopment, particularly by transforming long-neglected properties.

“We take them from blight to beauty,” she said.

An affordability crisis

Milwaukee has one of the competitive rental markets in the country, ranking fifth behind Manhattan, according to the city’s 2025 Housing Affordability Report. “Low rental vacancies and a stagnated development market means there is more demand for existing rental units, making it difficult to find affordable and secure housing,” the report concluded.

There are around 90,000 single-family homes in the city, and 79% are owner-occupied. The median assessed value for a single-family home was about $197,000 in 2025, up by 14% from 2024, according to the report.

Milwaukee has about 34,200 duplex properties — 46% of which are owner-occupied. The median assessed value for a duplex in 2025 was $178,500, an increase of 18% compared to 2024.

“Although current homeowners are able to take advantage of an increase in housing value, the impact of the steep increase in assessed value means that homeownership continually becomes unattainable for people making under $50,300,” the report state.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson has declared 2026 the “Year of Housing” in Milwaukee, focusing on expanding affordable options, boosting, development and improving neighborhood stability.

In a statement, the mayor said the city is continuing to partner with Habitat for Humanity to build homes and revive vacant city lots.

“We have accelerated the pace of new construction through faster housing permitting,” Johnson said. “We have improved the safety of homes through lead abatement. We have built a citywide approach to prioritize housing affordability for everyone, and I am proud of our efforts to date.

“But it has not been enough. The cost of housing remains too high for our residents and we will need to overcome challenging economic headwinds in the coming years.”

While the emerging developers initiative is off to a strong start, Blue said her goal is to “expand the program by securing additional funding from financial institutions, philanthropic organizations and corporations dedicated to enhancing housing options within the City of Milwaukee.”