GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A new nonprofit organization is focusing on creating more affordable housing for working people in the Green Bay area.
The Gateway Collective is the organization, formed by St. John’s Ministries, and will focus on “socially inclusive housing.”
“It is combining the affordability that a family truly needs to live and survive with intentional onsite community and support,” says Gateway Collective Executive Director Alexia Wood. “It’s bringing the benefits of community and combining it with affordability.”
There will be access to childcare, transportation, financial planning and employment training.
Wood says she saw a need for more affordable housing in the Green Bay community. She says this will target young professionals, aging adults and hard working families.
This will be brand new apartment style housing around the Green Bay area, with no set location just yet.
“The vision over time is that this is a model that could serve various neighborhoods in our community,” says Wood. “This is multi-family housing, and it’s looking at bringing workers to where the jobs are.”
Chris Mokler of the Wisconsin Apartment Association says he sees people struggling to pay rent across the state.
“For a typical apartment, like a two bedroom apartment, we are seeing things between $600 and $1,200, depending on municipalities, type of apartment, size of apartment and amenities,” says Mokler.
He says inflation is a cause.
“Now it’s costing a landlord more to perform their business. On a national average, a landlord only makes about nine cents out of every dollar of rent collected, assuming that all the rent is collected,” says Mokler.
He also says that landlords expenses are also higher.
“It’s costing landlords more to buy a window or to buy a part to fix a toilet,” says Mokler.
The prices of the units are not yet determined but will be specific to the income of the individuals.
The organization hopes the rent payments will allow residents to save with the resident investment program.
“The resident investment program will take a portion of what each tenant pays in rent, and it will set it aside in a financial savings account for their future financial goals,” says Wood.
She says it aims to eventually have multiple units around the community.
The Gateway collective is currently looking for investors and donations, but, eventually, the organization is hoping to be self sustaining.
The organization did not offer a timeline for when any facilities would open.
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