Project Summary: Milwaukee Soldiers Home is the preservation of 101-unit apartments on the grounds of the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. Eighty of the development’s homes are in Old Main, which was constructed in 1867 as a place of recuperation for Civil War soldiers as they transitioned back into society as part of one of the last pieces of legislation signed by President Lincoln. Today, six historic buildings on the Milwaukee Soldiers Home grounds, including a National Historic Landmark, have been rehabilitated and returned to their original purpose, the service of veterans. The development also serves families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
Rents are affordable to households earning between 30-50 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) and all receive 30-year Project Based VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) rental subsidy vouchers from the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM).
Milwaukee Soldiers Home is one of the first developments in the nation and the first in Wisconsin financed with a hybrid structure using 4% and 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).
All residents of the Milwaukee Soldiers Home have access to a range of supportive services, provided on-site by the Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Medical Center HUDVASH program. Services include care coordination, job training and employment assistance, help with benefits coordination and peer-to-peer counseling.
The property’s extensive rehabilitation was spearheaded by The Alexander Company. NEF invested nearly $15 million of LIHTC equity into the development.