Milwaukee Homeowners: 2022 Programs and Grants

Various home repair grants are available in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to help struggling homeowners and not all of them are easy to find. Emmett Gross, the homeownership preservation manager for Housing Resources Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps residents purchase homes, said that even housing experts can struggle to navigate the city’s resources. That is why we created Milwaukee Homeowners: 2022 Programs and Grants. So, do your research and apply for the help you need.

Wisconsin Help for Homeowners (WHH) is a new statewide program that can assist with past-due bills such as mortgage payments, property taxes, and utility bills, among other things. Individuals and families who live in Wisconsin and have overdue housing-related payments, both with and without a mortgage, meet income and other qualifying standards, and have experienced a qualified economic hardship since January 21, 2020, are eligible to participate in the program. For unpaid housing costs, up to $40,000.00 per home may be available. Fill out and submit an online application via the Neighborly application portal. Call 1-855-2-HOME-WI to get additional information or find out how to apply in person.

Find out if you qualify for these programs here

The Neighborhood Improvement Project (NIP) is in place to provide eligible homeowners located in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) area with home repairs based on building code violations, lead reduction, or health and safety concerns. This is a great option for low-income households in need of larger-scale repairs. The minimum scope of work to qualify is $5,000.00 with a maximum cap of $24,500.00 per home. Funds can be used for exterior fixes like gutter and window maintenance, lead paint remediation, exterior home painting, and masonry repair, as well as emergency interior fixes.

Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council can help homeowners protect themselves from mortgage and foreclosure prevention scams as well as from predatory home loans. In addition to its Milwaukee headquarters, the organization includes two satellite offices, the Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison (FHCGM) and the Fair Housing Center of Northeast Wisconsin (FHCNW). For more information, call 414-278-1240.

Housing Resources Inc. can provide counseling to homeowners and has programs to help people avoid foreclosure. Housing Resources Inc. continues to offer its free homebuyer program, which assists residents in preparing for and completing a home purchase. The program assists individuals in locating resources and providing information on house maintenance. The organization also gives mortgage assistance payments to homeowners who are enduring financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. The purpose of the Milwaukee County Mortgage Assistance Program is to aid in foreclosure prevention by providing emergency assistance in the form of a grant on behalf of Milwaukee County homeowners who are delinquent in their mortgage payments due to job loss or reduced work hours and wages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Housing Resources, Inc. is accepting applications for Milwaukee County Mortgage Assistance through June 17, 2022. Depending on eligibility and date of income interruption, direct one-time assistance on behalf of the homeowner(s) may be provided for up to six months.  For more information, contact their Mortgage Help Line at 414-369-6914 or email mortgagehelp@hri-wi.org. 

For more information on getting a grant and also learning about refinance programs, access our database & search engine here.

Acts Housing provides counseling and real estate agent representation to help low-income families transition from renting to home buying. Acts Lending will lend up to $50,000.00 to qualified homebuyers who are completing a purchase/rehab project. This organization assists families in the rehabilitation of damaged homes by establishing a detailed scope of work, advising families in determining which renovations they can perform themselves, and assisting families in supervising contractors’ work. For more information, call (414) 933-2215 or email acts@actshousing.org. 

Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee: The Housing Authority’s Section 32 program offers guidance through the home buying process and sells rehabilitated homes to low-income residents. The agency offers some grants and subsidies for down-payment assistance and forgivable second mortgages for current Housing Authority homeowners. HACM offers rehabbed homes for sale in two categories: Section 32 Properties that are available to participants in the Section 32 Homeownership Program or the 8 Homeownership Program and Market Properties that are available to any buyer.  For more information, call  414-286-5405.

Bronzeville Resident Homeownership Initiative: The Bronzeville Homebuyer Assistance Program provides forgivable loans of up to $25,000.00 and technical assistance to help with property renovation for residents buying city-owned foreclosed homes in the Bronzeville Initiative area. The Bronzeville Resident Down Payment Grant Program also provides down payment assistance to current Bronzeville residents who are buying a home for homeownership in the Bronzeville Initiative area. The program provides a forgivable grant of up to $5,000.00 to help with down payment costs associated with purchasing a home. For more information, 414-286-5608 or visit their official site.

Find out if you qualify for these programs here

Common Ground-Milwaukee Rising: Milwaukee Rising rehabilitates and sells foreclosed properties in the Sherman Park neighborhood. Matching grants of up to $5,000.00 are available for homeowners wanting to make repairs and improvements. Contact Bob Connolly at bconnolly@jamescompany.com for more information.

The Home Rehabilitation-TIN Loan Program offers forgivable, low-interest, and deferred payment rehab loans to income-qualified owner-occupants in a TIN. Homeowners are eligible for up to a $15,000.00 forgivable loan provided it is matched at least 1 for 1 with payback or deferred payment loan provided through the TIN loan program.  The $15,000.00 forgivable loan turns into a grant (i.e. is forgiven) after 5 years. These funds can be used for exterior repairs such as roofing, siding, porch repairs, lead paint abatement including replacement windows, energy conservation, plumbing, electrical, heating, kitchen, bath, and other rehab projects.