The Community Land Trust Model Brings Affordable Housing to Milwaukee
More than half of Americans who don’t own homes think homeownership will never be possible for them, according to a 2025 Northwestern Mutual study. The financial services company and Milwaukee Community Land Trust are working to change that in Wisconsin’s largest city. In spite of rising costs of living, stagnant wages, and skyrocketing home prices, they are putting homes in reach for more people.
Milwaukee Community Land Trust buys run-down houses and properties in the city, fixes the homes or builds new ones, and then sells them to residents with lower incomes at fair prices. Building affordable housing can change lives for individuals and families, but it also goes further, helping revitalize a city and turn vacant spaces into thriving neighborhoods. In 2023, Northwestern Mutual invested $2.5 million in the trust to support its affordable housing work.