Breaking Ground: Walworth County & WCEDA Host Housing Summit

Summit Focused on Finding Meaningful Solutions to the County’s Housing Shortage

(ELKHORN, WI): Walworth County and the Walworth County Economic Development Alliance (WCEDA) will host the Breaking Ground: Walworth County Housing Summit to find solutions to the shortage of middle-income housing. The summit will bring together local municipal and business leaders, educators, state and local housing and community development experts, funding and resource partners, builders and contractors, non-profit organizations, and residents to explore the state of housing in the county, solutions, and incentives. 

“Right now, the American dream of owning a home is not attainable for most in Walworth County,” says Walworth County Economic Development Alliance Executive Director Derek D’Auria. “The lack of workforce housing is impacting the health of our communities, our local economy, and our school systems. Our goal is to bring together leaders from across sectors to work side-by-side on solutions to meet the housing needs of our residents.” 

The Breaking Ground: Walworth County Housing Summit will take place on Monday, September 25, 2023, from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Abbey Resort, 269 Fontana Blvd., Fontana. An optional lunch will be served. This event is open to the public. Registration is required; please register at https://bit.ly/WalCoHousingSummit. Questions may be directed to WCEDA at 262-564-3212.

A 2023 housing study conducted by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) on behalf of Walworth County found that demand for housing in the County will grow over the next several decades. A few takeaways from the study illustrate the County’s housing challenges:

• The County is expected to add 16,500 households by the year 2050, creating a long-term demand for about 17,000 additional housing units. 
• In the near term, there could be a demand for over 5,600 additional housing units in the County by 2030. When compared to the number of housing units developed in the County over the last 10 years—about 3,700—it shows that there is much work to be done.
• The median annual household income in Walworth County is about $69,400. According to the Wisconsin Realtor’s Association, the median sales price of a home in Walworth County was $316,250 in 2022. A household would need to have an income of at least $90,000 a year to afford the home. 

To view the full study, visit Housing for a Healthy Walworth County.