Chippewa County board approves $2.63 million increase for Hope Village conversion of Indian Head Motel amid safety and funding concerns

Chippewa County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 18 approved a resolution to add up to $2,628,217 to grant contract HSG 24-07 to fund Hope Village’s conversion of the Indian Head Motel into 27 efficiency apartments.

The funding increase, presented as Resolution 1-25, will be added to the existing grant contract between the State of Wisconsin and Chippewa County to complete conversion work and meet code requirements. County officials said the county will act as grant administrator; the Housing Authority/Hope Village will own and operate the property if the sale and permits proceed.

Why it matters: The project aims to create small, low-cost rental units for people transitioning from homelessness or otherwise income‑limited households at a time when county presentations and speakers described declining affordable housing supply and rising demand. Neighbors and several supervisors asked whether the site — a former motel half a mile from Southfield Elementary School — is appropriate for the proposed tenant population and how the property will be managed and screened.

Public concerns and Hope Village response

Several members of the public spoke during the meeting’s public-comment period. Luke Deutschlander, identified himself as a Chippewa Falls resident, raised community-safety and fiscal concerns and said many nearby elderly residents were unable to attend on short notice: “Most of the elderly people in the neighborhood…said that the meeting was actually too sudden for…