Acts Housing Blog
Equipped with Knowledge: How Berdina Howard Overcame Obstacles and Became a Homeowner
Meet Berdina Howard, a proud alumna of Acts Housing’s Power Pack, whose journey to homeownership is nothing short of inspiring. Berdina faced significant challenges along the way, from bankruptcy and a low credit score to the difficulty of budgeting effectively. But what sets her story apart is how she turned those obstacles into stepping stones,…
Empowerment Through Homeownership: Embracing the Journey
Homeownership is often seen as a final destination, but it’s truly a journey filled with growth, learning, and empowerment. This homeownership ‘journey’ we often talk about is complex. Budgeting, research, emotional ups and downs – for many families giving up is a viable option. For Daron and Nahona Moore, there were moments when their process…
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Staying Committed to the Homeownership Journey Despite Life Getting in the Way
The First Step to Forever For Maria, the path to homeownership seemed daunting, as she and her partner struggled to save enough money amidst rising expenses. They had tried to save before but found it difficult to maintain consistent progress. “The dream has always been there,” Maria shared. “But with so many expenses, it was…
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Building a Foundation: The Mathews’ Path to Homeownership with Acts Housing
Meet April & Jorge Mathews, a Milwaukee couple who transformed their dream of homeownership into reality with the help of Acts Housing. Rising Rents Push Milwaukee Couple to Buy Home In August of 2022, April and Jorge were renting on the south side of Milwaukee. Facing rising rent prices, they knew they needed a more…
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Breaking Down the Barriers: The Harris Family’s Journey to Homeownership
The American Dream Deferred: Challenges in Traditional Lending The American Dream of homeownership often seems just out of reach for many families. For the Harris family, this was a harsh reality. Burdened by debt, low credit, and a bankruptcy on their record, the traditional path to homeownership felt like a distant, unattainable goal. Repeated setbacks…
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Juneteenth: A day for celebration and reflection
Happy Juneteenth! Today honors the day in 1865 when the last remaining slaves were notified of the end of America’s Civil War and learned that they were free. This was two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation officially ending the war. On Juneteenth, we celebrate a significant turning point for freedom and equality…
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How Generational Knowledge Paves the Path to Homeownership
Knowledge is power, yet very few people have ever been taught about the homebuying process. Navigating the intricacies of the housing market can be a challenge, particularly for first-time buyers. Building credit, eliminating debt, the pre-approval process, and down payments can be daunting topics to explore. Drawing on past generations’ wisdom can unlock unique advantages…
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Perseverance Pays Off: Mom of Six Secures Her Family’s Future
“Homeownership means new memories and a sense of pride that I worked so hard to get to this point. And a foundation for your children – they follow what they see. They saw I did it as a single mom of six kids and they can do it too.” Kimberly Weathers, a single mother of…
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Renter to Rehabber: Lisa Brooks Finds Her Dream Home with Acts Housing
Lisa Brooks had long harbored the dream of owning a home. “My credit just wasn’t good enough” she admits. Despite years of diligent research into homeownership, credit challenges had continually thwarted her aspirations. In 2022, a significant rent increase became her turning point. She knew something had to change when these increases continued, and the…
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Building Dreams, Brick by Brick: How Acts Housing Fosters Empowerment In Women-Led Households
For years, the American dream of homeownership was elusive for many women. Legal and social barriers prevented them from owning property, making financial decisions, and building wealth without a male co-signer. Legally, banks could refuse mortgage loans to unmarried women until 1974! Today, women are not only homeowners but also driving forces in the housing…
Xavier Shands: Homeownership and Neighborhood Stability
Xavier Shands has been the go-to guy for all of Gorman and Company’s maintenance needs on rental properties for over 6 years. Picture this: a man who has dedicated his career to tending to other people’s living spaces now embarks on a journey to transform his very own “piece of America”. Xavier has repaired and…
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Honoring Black History month by closing the black homeownership gap
Unequitable access to housing In a study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, the racial homeownership gap is most striking for Black households. At 41.7 percent, Black households have the lowest homeownership rate nationally—30.0 percentage points lower than white households. Historically, Milwaukee’s Black neighborhoods have struggled to gain access to homeownership.…
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A Sense of Pride: The Journey to Housing Stability Through Homeownership
Demetrious’s beautiful home is situated in the heart of Beloit’ city center district, positioned north of downtown and just east of Rock River. Her neighborhood consists of single-family homes and smaller apartment buildings. Her home, a two-story cobalt-blue house with crisp white trim, stands proudly amid a spacious yard, complemented by a welcoming front porch.…
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Melody’s Story: A Testament to the Incredible Strength That Lies Within Our Community
At Acts, we’re not just talking about determination; we’re celebrating it. It’s that unwavering commitment to achieving goals, even in the face of challenges that defines the families that work with Acts Housing. Take the remarkable Melody Jones, a member of the Acts family and a first-time homebuyer. Armed with determination that could move mountains,…
Finding the Right Home With the Acts Homebuying Team Behind You
Potential homeowners often start their search for their dream home with a list – non negotiables that their dream home must have; two bedrooms with a garage, duplex and a fenced yard, a safe neighborhood and good schools. Eric Wells’ list included a home that was safe and easy to access for his wife. Eric’s…
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Renting to Owning: 12 years in Metcalfe Park
Charlicia, or Char, Brown lived in the Metcalfe Park neighborhood with her three boys for 12 years. Char rented her home since 2011, until she realized, through a unique partnership between the City of Milwaukee, WHEDA, Urban league, Gorman Properties and Acts Housing she had the opportunity to buy the home she raised her children in.…
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Renting to Home Rehab: Idella Samuels Journey
Milwaukee, like many communities across the country, is experiencing a shortage of affordable housing. Out of state predatory investors are taking over entire neighborhoods of Milwaukee. They are buying up large swaths of single-family homes and turning them into permanent rentals. Families of low-to-moderate income (LMI) are increasingly rent burdened and forced to make impossible…
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Sustainable Homeownership: Is the Acts model really working?
Since 1995, over 3,500 families have successfully become homeowners after using some or all of Acts Housing’s programs and services. According to a 2023 study* of property record data, Acts families have found long-term sustainability in homeownership. Lower Foreclosure Rates Foreclosures are 45% lower among Acts families in Milwaukee than in the same neighborhoods overall.…
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A Journey Home: From Section 8 to Building Generational Wealth Through Homeownership
Cassandra Torres’s leaves renting behind, and becomes the first homeowner in her family. Cassandra Torres, and her family were renters on Milwaukee’s North and South side for 17 years. “I lived in section 8 housing from age 5 to 22, then I went to college and started renting on my own.” She knows first hand…
Kayra’s Homeownership Journey: From Dominican Republic to Beloit, Wisconsin.
Kayra Jimenez is a great example of how stable housing has an immensely positive impact on individuals and families. Everyone deserves safe, stable, and affordable housing As a young adult Kayra Jimenez left her home country of the Dominican Republic to live in the United States. She hoped to find more opportunity for advancement and…
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A Promise Kept
Sean and Veronica Chisholm’s unwavering commitment to achieving homeownership. In 1998, Sean Chisholm and his wife Veronica moved from Chicago, IL to Beloit, WI. Tired of the hustle and bustle of a large city, they sought out a fresh start for their family of six. When they made the move to Beloit, Sean made a…
Passing the Torch
How Vanessa Guster led her family towards homeownership in the Rufus King neighborhood. pass the torch (idiom): to hand over a responsibility, duty or knowledge to a successor When Vanessa first started her home buying journey she sought out the advisory of Acts Housing. Acts introduced her to a City of Milwaukee program that offered…
Teachers! We want YOU to become a homeowner!
A Community Development Alliance (CDA) project intended to provide opportunities for early childhood educators to become homeowners has everyone here at Acts excited! In partnership with LISC Milwaukee, the CDA project aims to build 50 new, affordable homes in close proximity to five early education providers. Learn more about the initiative here! One of the…
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Anthony Stewart: Building a Legacy Through Homeownership
When we asked Acts alumni, Anthony Stewart, what homeownership meant to him, he responded with one word: Legacy. Generational Wealth Is Built Through Homeownership Homeownership remains the biggest way individuals can build generational wealth. And in the United States whether your parents are homeowners influences whether you’ll be a homeowner. “A child’s likelihood of being…
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Is Affordable Homeownership Even Possible?
The Acts team prides itself on making families our top priority and with that, ensuring that homeownership is not only possible but sustainable. Affordability is always the bottom line when families are securing a loan and purchasing their homes. The Hill recently published an article titled, “Housing Affordability Hits Historic Low” which highlights not only…
Homeownership Educators & Advocates
If you’ve ever met Dee Kemp, Acts’ VP of Programming, you’ve heard her say things like, “We’re here to help you cross homeownership off your to-do list!”
We were born for this: Acts Homeownership Acquisition Fund
Acts Housing has launched a new social enterprise to outcompete predatory investors and increase housing inventory for owner occupancy. Milwaukee is losing 1,000 homeowners of Color every year, a pace that has persisted over the past decade. Families of low-to-moderate income (LMI) are increasingly rent-burdened and forced to make impossible tradeoffs that limit their ability…
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Is A Market-Based Affordable Housing Solution Possible?
Thanks to an invitation from CivicCon and the Pensacola News Journal, Acts’ President & CEO Michael Gosman recently had the opportunity to share Acts Housing’s secret recipe with citizens, policy-makers, and community-builders in Florida. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD7z5Hc2GOw To watch the full presentation, click the link below, and skip ahead 15 minutes: (Skip ahead approximately 15 minutes into…
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The Johnson Family: North of North Avenue
Sleepovers; it’s probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking about homeownership, but it’s one of the things that Rae Johnson and their son are most excited about in their new home. Growing up on Milwaukee’s Northside, but attending school in Menomonee Falls, Rae realized that school friends never came over…
Giving First Day
Do you love the rush of clicking that ‘Add To Cart’ button online? Anxiously awaiting your brown box packages to be delivered to your house. Showing off your new flat screen tv with the cool new feature you’ll stop caring about in 2 months because, to be honest, you spend most of your free time…
The Acts Impact – What does your gift do?
Vision so big it makes your stomach hurt Our financial goal for the Longest Neighborhood Table – Impact Edition is to raise $450,000 – our largest target yet. Acts Homebuyer Program Manager Dee often says, “there’s so much vision on this team it makes my stomach hurt!” We think that’s a good thing, and hope…
Making the Impossible Possible
The Hernandez Family Story At the core of everything Acts does are the families we serve. Each family’s story is different, and all month long as we celebrate Longest Neighborhood Table 2021, we’re sharing some of our biggest family success stories. https://youtu.be/1vGXrzWQezM The Bait and Switch Maria and Angel Hernandez spent 8 years trying to…
Required Listening: By Every Measure (Housing Episode)
By Every Measure Last year, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee launched the fantastic, award-winning podcast series, By Every Measure. Co-hosted by data expert & research journalist Reggie Jackson and Radio Milwaukee’s Director of Digital Strategy & Innovation Tarik Moody, each episode focuses on systemic racism in a different sector of Milwaukee (health, education, etc.), using data to…
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Leading by Example: The Alexander Family
What Happens When The Home You Rent Goes Into Foreclosure? At the core of everything Acts does are the families we serve. Each family’s story is different, and all month long as we celebrate Longest Neighborhood Table 2021, we’re sharing some inspiring, true stories of homeownership! Allow us to introduce you to the 2020 Acts…
Homeownership is Music to Our Ears!
The Homeownership Journey in Song Our goal for Longest Neighborhood Table – Impact Edition was to tell the Acts story as many ways as possible, to connect with as many people as possible. For those who connect to the world through music…today is your day. Over the last year the Acts team has gone digital.…
Building Family Wealth Through Homeownership
Generational Wealth Did you know? The average homeowner has 40 times the household wealth of a renter. Wealth created by homeownership is the single biggest contributor to an increase in net worth across all income groups. And let’s be clear: When we say “wealth,” we aren’t talking about making millionaires or billionaires. We’re simply talking…
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Reviving Milwaukee’s Near West Side
Reclaiming Neighborhoods One House at a Time At the core of the work are the families we serve. Each family’s story is different, and all month long as we celebrate Longest Neighborhood Table 2021, we’re sharing stories of strong, resilient, empowered families. How do you reclaim a property that’s become a burden for an entire…
The Trinidad Family’s Pre-Christmas Miracle
Building Their Own Space https://youtu.be/2Z8Gzfz7O_M At the core of the work are the families we serve. Each family’s story is different, and all month long as we celebrate Longest Neighborhood Table 2021, we’re sharing stories of strong, resilient, empowered families. For many new homeowners, any work that’s done to restore or update their home is…
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