Best of 2025: Milwaukee Community Land Trust

The average price of a home in Milwaukee County rose about 8-percent since last year. Even with a stable job, buying a home feels out of reach for many. But why is housing so expensive and what can be done about it? WUWM’s series Seeking Solutions: Keys to Homeownership digs into systemic housing problems in Milwaukee and sheds light on solutions. One emerging solution is the Milwaukee Community Land Trust, which offers homes under 100 thousand dollars and a fixed appreciation rate to keep that home affordable long term. The organization is new and has just nine homes in its portfolio as of this summer. As Lake Effect’s Sam Woods explains, the model isn’t a perfect solution to solve housing affordability. But it is built on decades of nationwide experience, proven to keep individual homes affordable forever, and reveals truths about why homes are so expensive in the first place.