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For Abigail and Evan Newman, having a home to call their own is becoming a reality because of your generosity. The Newmans took part along with Door County Habitat for Humanity officials and volunteers on Tuesday in a groundbreaking ceremony held at the home’s future site on Cherry Court. Truth be told, the Newmans have not missed a chance to be the at build site since excavators first dug the hole a few weeks ago and volunteers started to pour the concrete footings shortly after that. It goes beyond the sweat equity hours required of Habitat partner families, but an act of appreciation for the opportunity according to the Newmans.

Door County Habitat for Humanity is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony on June 13th at 3 p.m. and your help is needed to make sure they can host a dedication ceremony later this fall. Executive Director Lori Allen says the start of every home build is exciting, but it needs its stable of volunteers to grow to keep the positive momentum going.

Door County housing leaders suggested additional state funding and incentives for affordable housing in a roundtable Tuesday with Gov. Tony Evers, who was in Sturgeon Bay to promote initiatives in his 2023-25 budget proposal.

Gov. Tony Evers visited Sturgeon Bay on Tuesday to highlight initiatives in his 2023-25 biennial budget proposal to promote local housing development and affordable housing.

When reporter Sam Watson landed a job at the Peninsula Pulse last summer, her plan was to sign a lease on an apartment, move from Madison to Door County, and settle down to start her career in journalism. She got stuck on step one. Before moving, she wasn’t familiar with Door County at all, and it wasn’t until she started looking for apartments in the area that she realized the county had a housing problem – and that its problem was now her problem.

Your support can help make Door County Habitat for Humanity’s 30th year one to remember with big goals on the horizon. Thursday marked the organization’s kickoff for its anniversary campaign as it hopes to raise $30,000 over the next 30 days. Two new homes, 50 home repair projects, 20 deconstruction projects, and expanding its campus are just some of the organization’s goals for 2023. Executive Director Lori Allen says she knows the goals are lofty, but so are the affordable housing needs in Door County.

If you cannot afford to make a big donation to some of your favorite non-profits this year, if at all, there is still a way you can support them with your time. According to the philanthropy website GreaterGiving.com, 26 percent of nonprofits anticipated that small gifts would be critical for their revenue, with almost 40 percent saying they would be very important. United Way of Door County Executive Director Amy Kohnle says small donations were critical to their organization, raising their second-highest amount of over $776,000. She added that while dollars are nice, some organizations could use your time.

The average gross weekly wage for the entire state came in at $1,097, which translates into a gross annual income of $57,044. By comparison, a Door County worker, at $792 gross earnings per week, has a gross annual income of $41,184, or $15,806 less than the state average. Another way to look at this is that a worker in Door County earns 72% of what workers in the rest of the state earn.

Addressing a significant concern for northern Door County, you could soon see more affordable housing options in Sister Bay. Earlier this year, the Door County Housing Partnership purchased eight lots in the Stony Ridge plat from the village at an investment of $10,000 each. Through its community land trust model, the purchase will help keep the future homes built on the lots affordable for income-qualified purchasers for years to come. In an area where housing is crucial for attracting year-round residents to work in the community, Door County Housing Trust President Jim Honig says it is a game changer.

A committee of the Door County Board of Supervisors on Monday recommended awarding more than $263,000 in grants to 11 nonprofit organizations addressing the county’s health and human services needs and the negative economic effects of the pandemic. The organizations’ requests would be funded through a grant program the County Board approved in August, using a portion of the close to $5.4 million in Covid relief money the county is allocated under the American Rescue Plan, a 2021 federal law.