ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY BY PROVIDING A QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HOME FOR EVERY MILWAUKEEAN
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!
Para obtener más información sobre el Panel de Riesgo de Desplazamiento, vea la sesión previa a la conferencia aquí.
With nearly 200 residents, neighborhood and community organizations, businesses, elected officials, and affordable housing advocates in attendance, the CDA 2026 annual conference brought together a diverse group committed to strengthening housing stability and addressing displacement. Participants shared questions, ideas, and insights about the Displacement Risk Dashboard to better understand the trends impacting affordable housing (click here for summary of participant feedback). The event also featured powerful stories of landlord accountability and generational homeownership, highlighting the resilience and leadership within our communities. We celebrated our residents, community leaders, and elected officials whose work continues to shape stronger, more equitable neighborhoods.
Haga clic aquí para ver un resumen de los comentarios de los participantes.
OVERVIEW
The focus of this year’s conference is Thriving in Place: Advancing Homebuyer Support for Stronger Neighborhoods.
In the last four years, Allies have supported thousands of new homeowners, particularly in Milwaukee’s vulnerable neighborhoods.
Strategies of allies have included creating (1) Landlord Accountability Systems to combat wealth extraction and abandonment of homes, (2) New Construction Systems that create inventory for existing and returning residents, and (3) Homebuyer Support Systems to make homeownership more achievable. There is always room for improvement, so it’s time to reflect on the evolution of these systems and answer important questions about our future work.
Please join us as we work to make affordable, quality homeownership available for all Milwaukeeans!
CONFERENCE BACKGROUND
Displacement has been elevated by residents as posing a risk to the quality of life of past, present and future generations in Milwaukee’s vulnerable neighborhoods. Recent data shows that a major force behind displacement is Displacement by Abandonment—the practice of predatory investors buying single family homes and duplexes, extracting rent without maintaining the property, and eventually abandoning the property—causing displacement of the last family to occupy the home and the loss of opportunities for future generations. Although Displacement by Abandonment appears to be the largest driver of displacement, it is important to also to understand other displacement including divestment and gentrification. At the conference CDA and DYCU will preview the Anti-Displacement Dashboard for feedback and direction from allies.
It is our hope that by understanding the different forms of displacement, we can create even better strategy to develop without displacement. For example, allies have developed powerful tools to combat Displacement by Abandonment in at least three ways:
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Landlord Accountability Systems such as the Reclaiming Our Neighborhood's (RON) Property Condition Survey and the City Attorney’s recent lawsuits against predatory investors have had an impact. New federal legislation for the first time has limited future acquisitions by the largest predatory investors. However, questions remain about how these new rules will be enforced and how we prepare for future inevitable abandonment by large predatory investors.
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New Construction Systems have expanded from 20 homes per year to over 80 homes per year, with the goal of providing opportunities for existing and returning residents. Hundreds of new homeowners have been supported with anti-displacement efforts such as affordable pricing, affordable deed restrictions, and resident priority. Yet questions remain on how we can balance the needs of existing residents, with the needs of other Black & Latino residents that are interested in returning to or relocating to neighborhoods where development is occurring.
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Home Buyer Support Systems such as homebuyer counseling and down payment assistance (DPA) have both grown in number, and in depth of service. These systems have grown from serving about 700 new homeowners per year, to almost 1,000 per year. Yet questions remain on how these systems can reach even deeper into the homebuyer pipeline to serve the needs of existing residents, many of whom are making $20K to $30K annually.
CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
Residents, Neighborhood Organizations, Advocacy Organizations, Implementors, Philanthropy, Investors, and other allies from the public and private sector, are invited to:
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Understanding how to use the Anti-Displacement Dashboard. CDA and DYCU have been working with allies and residents to understand the elements of displacement and how they can be measured. Participants will review the data collected in the areas of divestment (e.g. # of loans), abandonment (e.g. # of homes), displacement (e.g. # of families by race and income), and gentrification (e.g. # change in property values). A draft dashboard will be provided for feedback and direction from allies.
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Provide direction on Systems. Allies will be presented with the evolution of the following Systems (1) Landlord Accountability, (2) New Construction, and (3) Homebuyer Support. Participants will discuss potential improvements to these systems with an emphasis on how to better serve existing families in vulnerable neighborhoods who often are at incomes of $20,000 - $30,000/year.
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