MADISON — Forty-one organizations around Wisconsin will share $1 million in grants from the WHEDA Foundation as they work to provide emergency shelter, transitional residences and extremely low-income housing.

Administered by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, the WHEDA Foundation grants improve housing for community members with complex challenges such as developmental disabilities, domestic abuse, incomes at or below 30% of the area median income, youth homelessness and chronic mental illness.

WHEDA received a total of 85 applications requesting nearly $2.7 million for the 2019 funding cycle, up from 62 applications totaling $1.3 million in 2018. During the previous cycle, WHEDA awarded $513,824 housing grants to 29 providers. 

The annual Housing Grant Program competition is funded entirely by WHEDA reserves and uses no state tax dollars. Organizations receiving the grants include nonprofit agencies, local governments and tribal authorities serving low-income or disadvantaged populations including homeless people, runaways, youth in out-of-home placement, people with alcohol or drug dependencies, people in need of protective services, frail elderly residents and people living with HIV disease, among others.

Since 1985, the WHEDA Foundation has issued 1,157 awards totaling over $24,968,000 to housing providers across the state. Established by WHEDA in 1983, the foundation is responsible for receiving and administering housing grant funds on behalf of WHEDA. Grants are awarded in one of two categories: emergency/transitional housing or permanent housing.