For over twenty years, Habitat for Humanity in Walworth County built only one or two homes per year. In 2026, the organization’s board approved an expansion of its homebuilding efforts to address the worldwide housing crisis.
“In the world today we have two crises,” said John Dawson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Walworth County. “We’ve got a crisis on food, and housing is right up there. Because when you fix housing, a lot of things go away.”
Part of this plan includes building two twin homes on a vacant lot at 216 Main St. in Whitewater. This project represents a step toward advancing Habitat for Humanity’s mission, addressing the community’s housing needs and offering long-term stability for future homeowning families.
After proposing the project in November 2025, Habitat for Humanity purchased the land from the city of Whitewater for $1, well below the property’s market value. Through various efforts, the city has emphasized the need for additional housing. That emphasis has appeared in the early stages of the latest Comprehensive Plan, where residents are calling for more affordable housing and the city is aiding Stonehaven Development’s plan to build single-family homes. Recognizing that need, the city sold the land for a reduced price.
“The city is saying, ‘We want workforce-housing here. We’re willing to give up the value of the property if someone’s willing to come in and create the property,’” Dawson said.
For the families that qualify for these homes, it is an open pathway into homeownership. But it is also a path toward the future. Housing is a “domino,” as Dawson described. Children can have a consistent space while families can connect with friends and neighbors and hold a sense of pride. Dawson described how after living in an apartment for many years, a home changed the life of a woman and her three children.
“They never had friends over because they were kind of embarrassed or just didn’t feel that friends should come to the apartment,” Dawson said. “Once they got in the house, it was like Grand Central Station. There were kids coming in and out of that house constantly while we were trying to finish it.”
Receiving a Habitat for Humanity home does not mean a family will be receiving a free home. Families interested in the homes are still expected to qualify for a mortgage. However, interested families can still expect lower-cost homes. Volunteer labor, discounted land and business partnerships allow families who previously did not qualify for a mortgage to have a path toward homeownership.
“It’s a ‘hand up, not a handout,’ as the Habitat folks like to say,” community engagement volunteer Megan Carmody said. “They have skin in the game. They have to be fiscally responsible and able to afford a mortgage. They also have to be able to put in 250 hours of sweat equity. That could be the applicant themselves or the applicant plus family and friends.”
Construction is set to begin in the upcoming weeks, with completion slated for late summer 2026. Volunteer groups will begin arriving in April, around the same time Habitat for Humanity will begin selecting families for the homes.
The twin homes, set to welcome four families, have sent a ripple through the community. Families will gain a fresh start, Habitat for Humanity will expand its reach and Whitewater grows a little stronger.
Habitat for Humanity welcomes individuals or organizations to volunteer their time, services and labor. If interested volunteers can sign up at habitatwalworth.org/volunteer.
