Editor’s note: Post From Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
By Pam Kassner
Nonprofit Acts Housing applauds Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic’s efforts to preserve 2026 budget funding for the City of Milwaukee Down Payment Assistance Program (DPA) and commends the Finance and Personnel Committee’s recent passage of her proposed amendment, which included strong support from Alderwoman Sharlen Moore and Alderman Peter Burgelis. The full Common Council will vote on Friday, Nov. 7 to approve the amended budget, which includes $1.4 million for the DPA.
“The DPA is vital resource that the vast majority of Acts Housing first-time homebuyers rely upon to help make homeownership possible,” said Michael Gosman, President & CEO, Acts Housing, which helps aspiring homebuyers with income, credit, language, and other barriers. “With the number of families unable to afford homes remaining at record levels, the need for Milwaukee’s Down Payment Assistance Program has never been more critical.”
More than 430 Acts families, all with low to moderate incomes, have received DPA funding from the City of Milwaukee since the Program started in 2021. All are Milwaukee residents and were first-time homebuyers purchasing homes within city limits. Already this year, 61 families have relied on the DPA Program to buy homes and Acts anticipates another 15 may close with DPA prior to year-end.
“We are grateful to Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic’s efforts to preserve DPA funding and are hopeful the Common Council will pass the proposed budget as amended by the Finance and Personnel Committee,” Gosman said. “DPA provides affordable, sustainable homeownership opportunities to Milwaukee residents. This allows families to become first time homeowners, stabilize their neighborhoods, build family wealth, and keep property ownership local, all of which benefit Milwaukee as a whole.”
About Acts Housing
Act Housing provides homebuyer and financial education and counseling, lending and real estate services, and home rehab coaching. Since its founding in 1995, more than 4,000 families have purchased homes with the nonprofit’s support. Further, foreclosures are 45% lower among Acts families in Milwaukee than in the same neighborhoods overall. Acts families have also reclaimed and rehabbed nearly 1,000 foreclosed properties, investing nearly $400 million in their new homes and communities. Total equity for Acts families who still own their homes exceeds $143 million, creating generational wealth and needed stability to our community.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
