Venn diagram with three circles illustrating finance, government, and community sectors, including icons of a government building, hands with a heart, people, a house, growth chart, paperwork, coins, handshake, and teamwork.

Our Coordinated Approach to Housing in the Fox Cities

Build Fox Cities Housing Alliance (formerly the Fox Cities Housing Alliance) is a regional initiative bringing together local governments, developers, nonprofits, employers and funders to align policy, financing and community action in order to help deliver more attainable housing that meets the needs of today's residents.

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Vision & Mission

Our vision is for a Fox Cities where everyone can find a home that supports their wellbeing and reflects their personal choices. We unite stakeholders to ignite change, shape policy and accelerate housing solutions tailored to our region.

Build Fox Cities was formed in 2022 to respond to growing housing challenges in the region. In 2025, the initiative evolved into a more structured, action-oriented effort with dedicated leadership and coordinated teams. The challenge is both local and national.

100K+

INCOME NEEDED TO AFFORD MEDIAN-PRICED HOME

A typical buyer now needs to earn over $100,000 to afford a median-priced home in the Fox Cities.

3.7M

NATIONAL HOUSING UNIT SHORTAGE

The country faces a housing shortage of approximately 3.7 million homes. Some estimates place the gap at 4 million or more.

72%

STARTER HOME PRICE INCREASE SINCE 2019

This puts pressure on first-time buyers and older adults looking to right-size, creating bottlenecks across the entire housing system.

4x

HIGHER NET WEALTH— HOMEOWNERS VS. RENTERS

Homeownership is a leading driver of generational wealth and educational outcomes for children.

OUR INITIATIVES

Build Fox Cities focuses on the areas that have the greatest impact on housing supply, affordability and community support — where change is possible and coordinated action makes the biggest difference.

Improving the Regulatory Environment

PRIORITY 01

We work with municipalities to identify opportunities in zoning, land use and development processes to create a more predictable and efficient path to build housing.

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Expanding Financing and Investment

PRIORITY 02

We explore tools that can unlock new opportunities, including shared equity models and impact investment, so that more housing projects can move forward.

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Strengthening Community Understanding

PRIORITY 03

We provide clear information and support community conversations to build understanding, trust and support for housing solutions in our area.

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Leadership & Structure

Build Fox Cities is supported by a cross-sector structure designed to move work forward and maintain accountability.

Our committee includes leaders from government, development, finance, healthcare and nonprofit sectors who provide overall direction and oversight.

The Steering Committee is supported by a coordinated network of partners, action teams and advisors who work together to align efforts, advance solutions, inform decisions and build momentum for housing across the Fox Cities.

OUR ALLIES

STEERING COMMITTEE

Jonathan Probst, Co-Chair

Chief Lending Officer
Capital Credit Union

John Weyenberg, Co-Chair

President & CEO
Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity

Kara Homan, Co-Chair

Director
Community Development, City of Appleton

Lisa Strandberg

Executive Director
Pillars, Inc.

Kevin Englebert

Development and Land Services Director Outagamie County

Terry Bomier

Commercial Real Estate Broker
Bomier Properties, Inc.

John Nygaard

SVP Commercial Lending,
Community First Credit Union

Montgomery (Monk) Elmer

Associate Chief Medical Officer of Primary Care Economic Justice Work Group
First Congregational UCC Appleton

Tom Rooney

President
Mark Winter Homes

Noel Halvorsen

President & CEO
NeighborWorks Green Bay

Hope Graff

Realtor, Real Estate MODE
Keller Williams Fox Cities

ACTION TEAM

Action Teams are where the work gets done. These cross-sector groups develop strategies, test ideas and determine how to put solutions into practice.

Build Fox Cities Housing Alliance has three Action Teams, each focused on a key bottleneck in our housing system: Community Education and Engagement builds support for new and denser housing; Improving Regulation shares effective zoning and building-code practices across Fox Cities jurisdictions; and New Financing Tools develops financing that helps producers build and moderate-income households buy.

Tom Rooney
Mark Winter Homes,
President
Tom McHugh
McHugh Homes & Score Realty Group,
President
Stefanie Holt
Winnebago County Board Supervisor,
Planning & Zoning Committee
Dan Steiner
City of Neenah, City Council,
Plan Commission Chair
Mike Patza
Town of Grand Chute,
Community Development Director
Brad Schmidt
City of Neenah,
Deputy Director of Community Development
Kristi Heim
City of Menasha,
Associate Planner
Lindsey Smith
City of Appleton,
Principal Planner, Department of Community Development
Joe Stephenson
East Central Wisconsin Regional,
Planning Commission,
Principal Planner – Economic Development
Abby Manslaka
Project Engineer III,
Martenson Eisele
Jessica Titel
Village of Little Chute,
Community Development Director
Terry Bomier
Commercial Real Estate Broker,
Bomier Properties, Inc.

Jennifer Sunstrom
REALTORS Association of NE WI,
Director of Public Relations and Government Affairs
Jack Herkowski
Fox Valley Chamber,
Manager, Economic Development
Monk Elmer
Associate Chief Medical Officer of Primary Care, ThedaCare Economic Justice Work Group, First Congregational UCC Appleton
Susan Garcia Franz
Winnebago County Public Health, Community Health Strategist
Stacy Doran
Fox Valley Technical College, Associate Vice President for Student Success
Vaya Lauren Jones
City of Appleton City Council, Rebuilding Together Fox Valley, Executive Director
Sheri Hartzheim
City of Appleton City Council,
Alderperson District 13
Kimberly Huddleston
People of Progression,
Lead Support Services Advocate
Lisa Strandberg
Pillars,
Executive Director
Katie Olson
ESTHER Fox Valley,
Lead Organizer

Noel Halvorsen
NeighborWorks Green Bay,
President & CEO
Jonathan Probst
Capital Credit Union,
Chief Lending Officer
Jackie Hagmann
Capital Credit Union,
VP Mortgage Lending
Kay Bader
Associated Bank,
Director of Fulfillment / Credit Manager / SVP
Lindsey Mueller
CoVantage Credit Union,
Director of Advocacy and Financial Education
Chelsea Gay
Nicolet National Bank,
CRA Program Coordinator
Lu Scheer
Winnebago County,
Housing Grant Specialist
Sadie Burda DiNatale
Outagamie County,
Development & Land Services Deputy Director
Olivia Galyon
City of Appleton,
Community Development Specialist
Lydia van Thiel
WHEDA,
Community and Economic Development Officer
Heidi Zich
Home Builders Association of the Fox Cities,
CEO
Bonnie Nussbaum
Empowerment & Purpose Coaching,
Generative Local Communities Inc.
Jason Schulist
Fox Valley Data Exchange,
Executive Director