About Us

We are a statewide coalition of neighbors and nonprofits advancing practical housing solutions and updated land use policies to support strong, sustainable communities across Wisconsin.

Community Development Alliance hosted a NextGen Bus Tour that took advocates around Milwaukee to see the types of housing being built.

If you want affordable cities, you have to allow homes to be built.

Our Mission

What We Do

Expand Housing Options
Statewide Policy Reform
Connect Housing Leaders
Evidence-Based Solutions
Public Education Programs
Build Civic Engagement
Highlight Real Stories

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Ken Smith and Tehila Cohen visit the Wisconsin State Capitol with Dream.Org staff to meet with legislators on important housing topics.

Neighbors with children visiting on front porch of house, child with bike stands in front of staircase. Represents vision for community-oriented housing.

Our Vision

Our team works statewide to advance policies and partnerships that support more homes, more choices, and stronger communities.

Our Mission

We collaborate with local leaders, advocates, and residents to tackle housing challenges through smart growth, zoning reform, affordability strategies, and community-driven solutions.

Housing is the foundation from which people build stable lives.

Missing Middle Housing on an Urban Street in America

Get to Know Us

The Team Working for
Better Housing

Interested in the topic of state-level preemption and statewide policy reform? Connect with us!

Housing Policy Director

Ken Smith

(he/him) Ken brings a unique mix to Wisconsin's housing conversation as a historian and former city planner. From local government planning to housing finance and preservation, his work is rooted in building stronger, more connected communities across the state. He brings a pragmatic, optimistic approach to fostering collaboration and driving lasting change in the housing movement.

Bio

Housing Field Organizer

Tehila Cohen

(she/her) Tehila offers two decades of community organizing and urban sustainability leadership to Wisconsin’s housing movement. Drawing on grassroots advocacy in Jerusalem, her work centers on connecting people, strengthening communities, and expanding housing opportunities for all. She brings vibrant energy and a deep passion for building connection and understanding.

Bio

Communications & Digital Manager

Ali Hoffman

(she/her) Ali brings digital marketing experience to Wisconsin’s housing movement. Drawing on a background in television and advertising, she translates complex policy into accessible storytelling while building campaigns that strengthen communities and advance housing solutions. She brings a creative, boundary-pushing approach to her work, always looking for new ways to engage and inspire.

Bio

Support Our Work

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Our Mission

How We Work

We aren’t reinventing the wheel — the advocates, planners, developers, and community leaders doing this work already exist.

What's been missing is alignment. We bring the right people to the same table, pointed in the same direction, moving at the same time.

We coordinate: we bring parallel efforts together into a unified push to move housing reform from conversation to policy, and from policy to actual homes built.

Join Us

Tehila Cohen, Trevor Roark, and Ken Smith pose in front of Independence First building in Milwaukee. Here they will host their first Community Housing Academy this fall 2026.

Showing community academy participants evaluting and discussing zoning maps as part of classroom learning, with the facilitaor (Chris McCahill) overseeing the group.

Community Housing Academy

Join our statewide learning and leadership program!

Designed to equip local leaders, advocates, and community members with the tools to address housing challenges in their communities.

Workshops, peer learning, and expert guidance
Topics include housing policy, zoning, affordability, financing, and community engagement
Builds local capacity for housing advocacy
Supports collaborative, community-driven housing solutions
Expands housing opportunities across Wisconsin

Learn More

"Housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing."

-Matthew Desmond

More Housing, More Choices

Housing Onward Wisconsin is working to put together a policy agenda for the next legislative session.

What will it include? To address the housing shortage, we need the freedom to build quickly and efficiently. That means fewer restrictions and more housing type options – especially "Missing Middle" and attainable workforce housing.

Policy Agenda