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VIA CDC
3524 W National Ave. 
Milwaukee, WI 53215

Dear Neighbor,

For more than 30 years, VIA Community Development Corporation has been investing in the people, places, and possibilities that make Milwaukee’s neighborhoods stronger.

Over 18 of those years, that work has included creating pathways to affordable homeownership and I’m incredibly proud of how that work continues to grow.

During the foreclosure crisis, VIA developed the Turnkey Renovation Program to transform vacant and foreclosed properties into affordable homes for Milwaukee families. Through this work, we invested more than $5 million to renovate and sell 33 homes to income-qualified buyers, including four homes that became the first properties sold through the Milwaukee Community Land Trust. 

But Milwaukee’s housing needs have changed. So VIA has changed with them.

As it has become increasingly difficult for working families and first-time buyers to find affordable homes they can purchase, thousands of vacant lots sit empty across Milwaukee. This land represents both a challenge and an opportunity for our neighborhoods. 

VIA saw a way to bring those two needs together.

In 2023, we expanded from rehabilitating existing homes to building new, quality homes on City-owned land. Transforming empty lots into homes while also creating a path to homeownership for families who have too often been priced out of the market.

That evolution led to the Early Childhood Educator Homeownership Initiative. As one of four developers selected for LISC Milwaukee’s citywide initiative, VIA designed, developed, and built 20 new single-family homes across 9 neighborhoods. 

Priced at $105,000, these homes gave families the chance to become homeowners and begin building equity and generational wealth.

Today, all 20 homes have been sold.

And now, we’re taking what we’ve learned and building for what comes next.

This fall, VIA broke ground on the first phase of our Affordable Townhome Initiative, creating a new model for affordable homeownership. 

The first phase will bring 10 three-bedroom townhomes to Milwaukee’s Near South Side. But the vision is much bigger than this first development. 

VIA is building on our experience, partnerships, and capacity to make affordable townhome development a repeatable part of our housing work. Our goal is to bring this model to more neighborhoods across Milwaukee, creating more pathways to homeownership while transforming underutilized land into quality homes.

Because we believe homeownership should be within reach for all Milwaukee families. 

It means building equity instead of paying rent. 

It means creating stability for families and children.

It means giving people the opportunity to invest in their future and build wealth that can benefit generations to come. 

And it means strengthening the neighborhoods we call home. 

That is what your support makes possible.

At VIA, we believe strong neighborhoods are built from the ground up, with neighbors at the center. Whether we’re creating affordable homes, supporting local businesses, investing in critical home repairs, developing grassroots leaders, or bringing neighbors together, our work is about creating the conditions for people and communities to thrive.

Will you make a gift to VIA today?

Your investment helps us turn community vision into action. Our current townhome development represents a $3.23 million investment in affordable homeownership and an important step toward expanding this work throughout Milwaukee. 

But we aren’t just building houses.

We’re building stability.

We’re building equity.

We’re building opportunity.

We’re building stronger neighborhoods.

And we’re building a Milwaukee where all of us have the chance to thrive.

Thank you for building with us.

With gratitude,

JoAnna Bautch, Neighbor & Executive Director

TRIBUTE GIFTS

Honor a birthday, holiday, or someone you love with a gift to their neighborhood. Give in someone’s name, or ask friends to give to VIA for your next celebration. If you’d like us to let the honoree know, include their contact information with your gift and tell us whether to share your name.

VIA will not sell, trade, or share a donor’s or customer’s personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations unless the donor has given VIA specific permission to do so. Outgoing staff will not take any customer’s, donor’s, or partner’s personal information with them.

VIA Community Development Corporation (VIA CDC) is a 501(c)(3) organization. Our legal name is Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, Inc, dba VIA CDC. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. In order to ensure continued organizational transparency feel free to view our most recent financial audit and 990.