Housing

Need for Housing in Whitewater

The City of Whitewater engaged with Tracy Cross and Associated to see what the need for housing is in Whitewater. Tracy Cross and Associates conducted a 2023 Residential Market Study and a 2024 Rental Market Study. According to the 2023 Residential Market Study Whitewater needs 400 Housing unit annually from 2023 to 2028 to keep up with population growth and replacement needs. According to the 2024 Rental Market Study Whitewater needs 175 new rental units annually to keep up with current demand. 

Housing Presentations:

In spring of 2025 a number of housing related speakers have come to give presentations to the Common Council. Below are these presentations that highlight the need for housing and what local agencies are doing about the housing need in Whitewater. 

Deb Reinbold, the executive director of Jefferson County Economic Development Consortium, spoke about the housing needs in Jefferson County. You can find Deb's presentation here. If you prefer to watch the presentation, you can do so here. 

Derek D'Auria, the executive director of Walworth County Economic Development Association, spoke about the housing needs in Walworth County. You can find Derek's presentation here. If you prefer to watch the presentation, you can do so here.

Kurt Paulsen, a Professor at UW- Madison, spoke about the cost of construction in Whitewater, cost of housing in Whitewater and the high demand for housing in Whitewater. You can find Professor Paulsen's presentation here. If you prefer to watch the presentation, you can do se here.

Brian Doudna, Executive Director of Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation, spoke about building a public/private housing partnership that includes significant investment from six locally based, family-owned companies and managing the development process internally. This partnership supports the Live Work Housing Program, with a goal of providing  adequate workforce housing for long- term growth in Sheboygan County. You can find the presentation here . If you prefer to watch the presentation, you can do so here.

 Josh Shoemann, Washington County Executive, spoke about how the Next Generation Housing Initiative addresses not only the housing gap in Washington County, but also contributes to workforce retention, building community, and providing opportunities for the next generation. You can find the presentation here . If you prefer to watch the presentation, you can do so here.

Affordable Housing 

The City of Whitewater is Proud to say that the Affordable Housing Policy was passed. A copy of the Policy can be found here! This policy is designed to help allocate approximately $1.9 million dollars that the City has available to fund single‐family housing projects that promote housing affordability and down payment assistance to purchasers of single‐family homes who qualify based on income in comparison to the median for the County in which the dwelling resides. The main purpose of the policy as designed is to create new, affordable single-family housing and then provide some assistance for qualifying homebuyers to purchase and live in those dwellings.

All financial institutions within the City of Whitewater have a copy of our Down Payment Assistance Policy and should be able to assist you. Our goal is to ensure that someone knowledgeable about this program is available at your home bank. However, please note that this policy can be used with any financial vendor of your choice.

Please feel free to contact the Economic Development Director, Mason Becker, at mbecker@whitewater‐wi.gov or 262‐473‐0148 with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Affordable Housing Fund Policy- Revised 2/15/2024

Walworth County Housing Authority

Walworth County Housing Authority provides rental assistance through Section 8 Tenant Based Rental Assistance funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, own and/or manage 4 apartment complexes, special project to provide permanent housing for disabled homeless persons, Rental Rehabilitation program for eligible landlords to remodel existing rental property, provide landlord/tenant information and counseling, provide special program assistance to homeless persons. Section 8 Rental Assistance is not an emergency program. Applicants will be placed on a waiting list on the first-come first-serve basis with waiting list time about 12 to 15 months.

Community Action Inc.

Community Action Inc. of Rock and Walworth Counties is a multi-faceted, private non-profit organization founded in 1965. Community Action Agencies exist throughout the United States and were established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America's War on Poverty.