Migrant farm worker housing in Barron County
Housing for migrant farm worker families is very difficult to find, and what is available is often substandard and high priced. This problem came to our attention through an informal group of ministers in Cumberland, Wisconsin. Using the name, “Migrant Ministers”, they started to advocate for farm worker families who would come to northern Wisconsin in the early summer and often stay through September. Migrants work on farms, dairy operations, with fruit and vegetable growers, and in other agricultural jobs. While researching how to provide housing for this population, we found United Migrant Opportunity Services or “UMOS” which operates both housing projects and day care services for migrant families. We started working together two years ago, and now have an application for financial assistance submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build farm worker housing in Barron.

Many entry-level jobs are now available on an annual basis, some in agriculture and some in food processing. There are more of these jobs than the local labor supply can fill. We have discovered that the Somali population from Minneapolis, as well as the Laotian and Mexican populations, are now expanding to Barron County to take these jobs. The ethnic composition of our region is changing dramatically with very little service or housing support. In response, the community of Barron has formed the Diversity Center with an office in Barron. They provide translation and advocacy services to the newly arrived families, but they are having a difficult time finding satisfactory housing. To the extent that Somalis are able to qualify as farm workers, they will be eligible for the U.S.D.A. housing program. Much more work is needed in organizing the local ethnic communities and helping them apply for housing programs that are designed for their unique cultural needs, such as a community center and common kitchen.

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Community development, cooperative housing for low-income seniors
Hammond Development Corporation, Hammond, Wisconsin
The village of Hammond, has asked our help in developing housing for low-income seniors who want to remain in St. Croix County, which is the fastest growing county in Wisconsin. We are providing consulting services and helping them raise funds. This project is local, grassroots, and designed not only to provide needed housing but also in a broader sense, to save a small but valuable town that is able to provide a very high quality of life.

Low income housing tax credits for working families in the City of St. Croix Falls
At the request of a private commercial developer in the City of St. Croix Falls, West CAP applied for and has receive an allocation of the low-incme housing tax credit program. We have also receive HOME funds from the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration, and an Affordable Housing Program grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. The city has almost no housing that is affordable to lower income working families, while the number of entry level jobs is expanding dramatically. We were approached by the developers of a new Holiday Inn and Embers restaurant, which adjoins a new Market Place Foods and an expanding Wal-Mart. These businesses are becoming a shopping magnet for the St. Croix Valley and Polk County. West CAP has a purchase agreement on a very adequate site that the City has zoned for medium density housing. The city’s Strategic Smart Growth Plan calls for affordable housing, but the city does not have the capacity to actually develop housing. The community does not have a non-profit development company, so it is an excellent opportunity for West CAP to provide a development service.

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Low-income student housing adjoining the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC) and University of Wisconsin Barron County (UWBC) campuses. Rice Lake, WI
For 25 years the two campuses, WITC and UWBC, have expressed interest in providing housing close to campus in order to increase student enrollment. The City of Rice Lake has a nearly zero vacancy rate and private developers have been reluctant to build new apartments for students. For these reasons, many students find that they cannot attend college because housing at any price is not available. Some students have been out of high school for a few years and have children, making financial demands even more difficult to meet. If they are recent high school graduates, many do not have high-paying jobs. Without affordable housing, these individuals cannot go to college to improve their skills.

After meeting with the staff of both educational institutions for many months, the City of Rice Lake recently approved rezoning and a certified survey map for the project. We are currently working on the final version of a development plan with the city. We have purchased one existing building close to the campuses and using some extra land in that purchase in addition to land from the city to create a high-quality development site within reasonable walking distance of the campuses. The city is very supportive of this effort because it will also allow for the development of a technology park and open streets for new commercial development. We are truly engaged in a community planning project, using student housing and the educational institutions as the anchor. To date, the work has been supported by the foundations affiliated with each campus.

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General Contracting Services

HomeWorks has served as a general contractor in building 86 units of housing worth more than $12 million. We are able to provide all the general contracting services:

Our projects are completed on time and within budget.

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