Milwaukee, WI – The Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods (RON) Coalition and Data You Can Use have released the 2024 Housing Conditions Report, exposing widespread disrepair in Milwaukee’s housing stock and the urgent need for investment. The report reveals that nearly one in four properties require major repairs, with investor-owned homes disproportionately in poor condition and contributing to tax delinquency.
The report, based on a survey of the exterior conditions of 35,094 properties across 17 Milwaukee neighborhoods, is the only comprehensive study of its kind. By combining exterior housing data with city records on ownership and tax delinquency, it provides critical insights into Milwaukee’s housing challenges and the need for targeted reinvestment. The full report and summary are available at www.datayoucanuse.org/RON.
Key Findings from the 2024 Housing Conditions Report:
- Widespread Disrepair: 22.3% of all residential and mixed-use properties require at least one major exterior repair, with some neighborhoods seeing up to 47.5% of homes in need of critical repairs.
- Investor-Owned Homes in Worse Condition: Investor-owned properties are nearly twice as likely to need multiple major repairs (19.7% vs. 10.3%) compared to owner-occupied homes.
- Tax Delinquency Tied to Investor Owners: Investors own 47.7% of homes in RON neighborhoods but account for 58.6% of tax-delinquent properties, owing the City of Milwaukee $6.5 million in unpaid taxes.
- Massive Investments Needed for Repairs: At least $35 million is needed to restore owner-occupied homes, and over $100 million for all surveyed properties.
- Development Potential: 2,659 vacant lots (7.5% of surveyed properties) present opportunities for new housing development.
- Lead Paint Risks: 14% of homes surveyed have deteriorating paint and were built before 1979, posing a high risk of lead contamination to families.
A Call for Action
The report’s findings underscore the urgent need for policy changes, financial investment, and community-driven solutions to improve housing conditions. RON calls on city officials, investors, and stakeholders to:
- Hold landlords accountable for property maintenance.
- Prioritize homeownership as a strategy for stability and neighborhood investment.
- Increase funding for repairs to help homeowners maintain safe housing.
- Expand reinvestment efforts in neighborhoods hit hardest by disrepair and neglect.
About Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods (RON)
Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods is a coalition of neighborhood organizations, public agencies, nonprofits, and philanthropic partners working to improve Milwaukee’s housing through data-driven, resident-led strategies. The report was prepared by Data You Can Use, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit that helps people access and use data to improve community conditions.
RON Partner Agencies
The survey was conducted by the following RON partner agencies:
- Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative
- Dominican Center/Amani United
- Milwaukee Christian Center
- Near West Side Partners
- Riverworks Development Corporation
- Rooted and Rising Washington Park
- Sherman Park Community Association
- Southside Organizing Committee
- VIA Community Development Corporation
- Walnut Way Conservation Corps
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About Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods Milwaukee
Reclaiming Our Neighborhoods (RON) is a highly effective alliance of neighborhood organizations, supported by a coalition of public, nonprofit, and philanthropic partners with the mission to improve the quality of housing in Milwaukee through data-informed, resident-engaged strategies and actions. RON was formed in 2013 when the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council regranted settlement funds to remediate redlining by financial institutions. Based on a housing survey strategy in Sherman Park, RON now includes 11 agencies serving 17 Milwaukee Neighborhoods. Neighborhoods included in the survey data include Amani, Harambee, Lindsay Heights, Clarke Square, Muskego Way, Walker’s Point, Historic Mitchell Street, Silver City, Layton Park and Burnham Park, Avenues West, Cold Spring Park, Concordia, Martin Drive, Merrill Park and Miller Valley. RON is supported by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, LISC Milwaukee, Metro Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, Northwestern Mutual, and the Zilber Family Foundation,
About Data You Can Use
Data You Can Use (DYCU) is an independent nonprofit created in 2016 to serve Milwaukee nonprofits and local funders in using data to address community problems and build community solutions. Our mission: Advancing community access to data and the skills needed to drive informed and equitable decision-making in Milwaukee and beyond. Our vision: Our neighbors and partners have the data, tools, skills, and experience they need to create equitable and healthy communities. As one of the thirty-one sites for the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership under the umbrella of the Urban Institute, DYCU has put Milwaukee on the map as a leader in making data understandable and usable in the context of improving neighborhood and community conditions. We are unique in that we place equal emphasis on 1) data and 2) resident expertise to inform solutions to community challenges.
For more information on this report or RON contact:
Dawn Hutchison-Weiss, RON Facilitator/Consultant, (c) 608-215-3262 [email protected]
Amy Rohan, Data You Can Use, [email protected]