Current Regional Housing Plan Update/Draft Chapters

About the Update
 

SEWRPC is preparing an updated housing plan for the seven-county Southeastern Wisconsin Region. An earlier housing study conducted by SEWRPC, documented in SEWRPC Planning Report No. 20, A Regional Housing Plan for Southeastern Wisconsin, was published in 1975. The 1975 effort and the resulting plan represented a comprehensive study of housing problems in Southeastern Wisconsin and a recommended plan to abate those problems. SEWRPC also undertook a continuing regional housing program between 1969 and 1981. That program delivered an ongoing housing outreach program and a continuing housing planning effort. SEWRPC was not able to undertake the work necessary to revise and extend the regional housing plan or continue the housing outreach program because of the elimination of Federal housing planning funds administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the early 1980’s.

In response to several requests, and with the permission of Federal and State of Wisconsin Departments of Transportation to use part of the Federal and State funds used by SEWRPC for land use and transportation planning, SEWRPC is undertaking a new effort to identify housing needs in the Region and develop an updated regional housing plan.
The housing planning work includes:

• Inventories and analyses of existing housing
• A vision for housing in the Region, expressed in terms of housing objectives and standards
• Housing recommendations intended to achieve those objectives and standards

Preliminary plan recommendations address a number of issues, including:

• Affordable, market-based housing
• The Region's subsidized housing stock
• Housing discrimination
• Accessable housing units for persons with disabilities

Advisory Committee

Preparation of the regional housing plan is being conducted by SEWRPC staff under the guidance of a 29-member Regional Housing Plan Advisory Committee. The Committee consists of individuals appointed by SEWRPC from groups representing housing advocacy organizations; local, county, State, and Federal government agencies; housing production professionals; and research and policy organizations and institutions. The Advisory Committee serves as a direct liaison between SEWRPC and the government agencies and housing advocacy groups directly responsible for implementing the recommendations of the plan, in addition to providing oversight to the planning process. Meeting materials may be found here.

SEWRPC is also working with the Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF) to obtain input on the housing plan. The EJTF is an advisory body formed by SEWRPC to enhance the consideration and integration of environmental justice in all regional plans. Towards this end, the EJTF is being given an opportunity to review and comment on materials as they are produced throughout the duration of the planning process. Any comments, suggestions, and recommendations that the EJTF may have are regularly reported to the Advisory Committee for their consideration.

Public Informational Meetings and Newsletters

Public informational meetings will be held in at least three intervals during the housing planning process. The first series of public meetings was held in May and June 2009, and provided the basis for briefing residents of the Region on the regional housing plan scope of work, thereby providing an opportunity for early comment on the planning process. A second series of public informational meetings was held in late 2011, to enable discussion on initial data and findings and solicit suggestions for potential recommendations. A third series will be held in 2012 to review preliminary plan recommendations.

Newsletters and brochures produced to date are listed under "Study Materials" on the right-hand side of this page. 

Draft Regional Housing Plan Chapters

Draft regional housing plan chapters are posted here as they become available. A draft plan is expected to be completed in early 2012.

• Chapter I: Introduction
• Chapter II: Housing Objectives, Principles, and Standards
• Chapter III: Plans and Programs Related to Housing in the Region
• Chapter IV: Existing Housing
  • Appendix A
• Chapter V: New Housing Development
  • Appendix B
  • Appendix C
  • Appendix D
  • Appendix E
• Chapter VI: Housing Discrimination and Fair Housing Practices
  • Appendix F
  • Appendix G
  • Appendix H
• Chapter VII: Demographic and Economic Characteristics
  • Appendix I
• Chapter VIII: Job/Housing Balance
• Chapter IX: Accessible Housing
• Chapter X: Subsidized and Tax Credit Housing
• Chapter XI: Best Housing Practices
• Chapter XII: Recommended Housing Plan for the Region (Parts 1,2,and 3)
• Chapter XIII: Summary

Socio-Economic Impact Analysis of the Preliminary Regional Housing Plan

SEWRPC’s Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF) requested that a socio-economic impact analysis be conducted for all regional plans prepared by SEWRPC.  One of the purposes of the EJTF is to help identify the potential benefits and adverse impacts of regional plans with respect to minority and low-income populations and persons with disabilities (environmental justice populations), and to help assess whether such populations may be expected to receive a proportionate share of any plan benefits and/or a disproportionate share of any plan negative impacts.  The socio-economic impact analysis is considered one method to address this purpose.  A draft scope of work for the socio-economic impact analysis is currently being reviewed by the Commission, the EJTF, and the Regional Housing Plan Advisory Committee.

Preliminary Draft Scope of Work for the Socio-Economic Impact Analysis
Attachment A
Attachment B
Attachment C

Related Materials

The following publications and information have been collected and/or compiled as part of the Regional Housing Plan update. The information is organized by the report chapter in which it is included or referenced, or under "General Information and Links" if related to multiple chapters.

• Chapter IV: Existing Housing
  • Foreclosures in the Southeastern Wisconsin Region by Census Tract - Source: UW Extension Center for Community and Economic Development
  • Foreclosures in Milwaukee: Progress and Challenges - prepared by the City of Milwaukee
• Chapter VI: Housing Discrimination and Fair Housing Practices
  • HUD Report, Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities: Barriers at Every Step:
    http://www.huduser.org/portal/publications/hsgspec/dds.html
  • HUD Report, Discrimination in Metropolitan Housing Markets:
    http://www.huduser.org/portal/publications/hsgfin/hds.html
  • HUD Report, Fair Housing Planning Guide:
    http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/images/fhpg.pdf
  • U.S. Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act):
    http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/title8.php
• Chapter VII: Demographic and Economic Characteristics
  • HUD Report - Worst Case Housing Needs 2009
  •  HUD Report - 2009 Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities
• Chapter IX: Accessible Housing
  • Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS)
  •  ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG)
• Chapter X: Subsidized and Tax Credit Housing
  • Summary Table - Subsidized Housing Units by County
  • List of Public Housing Authorities (PHA's)
  • Number of Section 8 Vouchers by County
  • Public Housing Managed by Public Housing Authorities
  • HUD Assisted Multi-Family Housing
  • USDA-Rural Development Housing
  • Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Units in Service
  • LIHTC Awards 2006-2011
  • History of HUD: http://mysite.verizon.net/hudhistory/hud_history.pdf
• General Information and Links
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD
  • Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA): http://www.wheda.com/root/
  • Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies: http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/