BRIDGE BUILDERS INITIATIVE

Reclaim. Renovate. Re-invest.

Since 2005, the city holdings of suburban Milwaukee landlords have grown 70%. Out-of-state landlords own more than $580 million of residential housing.

In what the Journal-Sentinel calls a “massive wealth transfer” those dollars leave our neighborhoods, never to return.

%

Half of Milwaukee homes are owned by non-residents

Milwaukee has the highest segregation rate of any U.S. city

%

Only 7% of homes in metro Milwaukee are owned by African-Americans

Imagine more

What if more neighborhoods had local stewardship? What if more homes were reclaimed for Milwaukee residents?

  • More homeowners will build equity and generational wealth
  • More dollars will stay local
  • More neighbors will connect with each other
  • Long term stability of our blocks will be put back into the hands of the community

Absentee landlords destabilize our community. With our neighbors we have successfuly gotten drug dealers and traffickers evicted from the block, only to see them return in another absentee-owned property.

Help us raise $1.9 million to purchase and remodel 20 homes in our target area.

Together we can steward reclaimed properties to create safe, affordable housing and work with residents to increase home ownership.

Adopt a Home

Your church or organization can
purchase a home in our target area

$50k

Match for Purchase

You can partner with another group
to pay for part of a home purchase

$25k

Total Renovation

Sponsor the renovation of an
entire home – from roof to basement

$25k

Sponsor a Roof

Sponsor a complete roof teardown
and rebuild

$7k

Sponsor a Kitchen

From cabinets to appliances, help
provide a new kitchen for one family

$7k

Sponsor a Bathroom

Sponsor the cost of labor and
materials for a new bathroom

$6k

Siding

Replace the siding on
one home

$5k

Electrical

Upgrade the electrical
for one family

$5k

HVAC

Provide a new furnace and
central air for one family

$4k

Flooring

Whole house flooring,
carpet, tile & refinishing

$4k

Landscaping

Curb appeal and backyard
for one family

$3k

New Fencing

Sponsor a new fence
for the property

$2k

Lighting

New light fixtures
for one home

$1k

Any Project

Have an idea for a project?
Sponsor any amount

$??

Monopoly board
Targeted transformation, direct action

The more properties we can acquire in close proximity, the more we can help our residents control their own neighborhood.

Your donations of time, money, materials and other resources directly contributes to reclaiming our blocks from generations of systemic inequities.

How many houses have we reclaimed?

Reclaim the Block house 1

House 1, 2021

SOLD

Reclaim the Block, House 2

House 2, 2022

SOLD
House 3

House 3, 2022

COMPLETE

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House 4, 2022

SOLD

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House 5, 2023

FOR SALE
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House 6, 2023

Remodel in Progress

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House 7, 2023

FOR SALE
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House 8, 2023

Remodel in Progress

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House 9, 2023

Remodel in Progress

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House 10

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House 11

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House 12

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House 13

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House 14

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House 15

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House 16

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House 17

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House 18

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House 19

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House 20