Council moves money to new Milwaukee Home Buyers Fund, boosts eviction-prevention and library hours
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Summary
Council action adjusted funding for housing initiatives: it created a Milwaukee Home Buyers Fund (capital account), combined grant sources to increase down-payment assistance, and allocated funding to Eviction Free MKE and expanded Sunday library hours at selected branches.
A substitute amendment presented by Alderman Marina Dimitrijevich created a new Milwaukee Home Buyers Fund and shifted funding to increase down-payment assistance while reducing levy impact relative to an earlier omnibus version. "This will have the combined impact ... $1,400,000 for down payment assistance," Dimitrijevich said when describing the two-step compromise that formed part of the omnibus.
Council also allocated $100,000 to Eviction Free MKE, a program that funds legal services and other supports to prevent evictions; proponents noted the city—s funding would be matched by county contributions. The omnibus restored Sunday library hours at two branches and provided funding to expand Sunday hours at two additional locations mid-year.
Why it matters: Down-payment assistance and eviction-prevention funding are targeted tools to shape homeownership and housing stability in Milwaukee; library hours expand access to services and third-space programming.
Outcome: The council adopted the omnibus substitute package (1J) that included the Home Buyers Fund creation and related housing allocations; the omnibus adjustments were incorporated into the adopted 2026 budget.