What Leaders Need to Know
Learning from People with A/I/DD to Create Better Housing Futures
My Housing Voice is a housing market analysis that will provide Northeast Wisconsin with a clear picture of current and future housing needs for adults with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities (A/I/DD).
This early stage of the project builds upon neuro-inclusive market analyses completed in other U.S. regions, while focusing on the specific conditions, systems, and opportunities in Brown, Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet counties.
Not a Typical Analysis
My Housing Voice is specifically tailored to people with A/I/DD in Northeast Wisconsin. It is not your typical analysis for several reasons.
Actionable housing data that is related to people with A/I/DD is not readily available from public sources like the U.S. Census Bureau. This project fills in this data gap.
This analysis considers community-based services tandem with the physical place someone might live.
This report puts local community members’ lived experiences at the heart of the recommendations.
This market analysis starts with community engagement through a series of My Housing Voice sessions. The session begins with an educational component that introduces people to different housing models and terminology. Then participants are asked to provide their input on a range of questions about their living needs and preferences. These sessions will be available both online and in-person at various locations in our region.
With this local input at its core, My Housing Voice will examine the broader housing system—rental, ownership, supportive housing, and family homes—alongside income, benefits, transportation and services. By combining lessons from national market analyses with local data and lived experience, this study will provide practical recommendations for leaders, planners and families across Northeast Wisconsin.
Check out example Housing Market Analyses completed by KeysWI’s partner organization, First Place Global.
My Housing Voice is specifically tailored to people with A/I/DD in Northeast Wisconsin. It is not your typical analysis for several reasons.
Timeline
April 7, 2026 Survey Launches
May 16, 2026 Last Day for Survey Responses
August 2026 Local Leaders Workshop
Fall 2026 Analysis and Report Writing
January 2027 Market Analysis Released
National Insights
A Snapshot of Housing Studies for People with A/I/DD
This snapshot offers a grounded forecast of housing need in Brown, Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago counties. It draws on comprehensive housing market analyses conducted across the U.S., including three regions with strong similarities to Northeast Wisconsin.
The purpose of the Northeast Wisconsin Housing Market Analysis and the My Housing Voice survey is to validate, refine, and deepen these forecasts using local data and the lived experience of residents with A/I/DD and their supporters.
The Scale of Need in Northeast Wisconsin
Using national prevalence patterns applied to our four‑county population of approximately 696,000 residents, it is reasonable to estimate that 15,000–21,000+ residents in Northeast Wisconsin fall under the A/I/DD umbrella. Depending on how broadly conditions are defined and identified, the number could be higher.
This is not a small or niche population. It represents thousands of individuals and families across every community in the region.
This is not a small or niche population.
Demographic Reality: Aging Caregivers
Across the country, approximately 75% of people with A/I/DD live with family, and roughly 25% of them live with a caregiver age 60 or older.
If that pattern holds locally, then 4,000–6,000 individuals with A/I/DD in our region may already be living with caregivers approaching retirement age or beyond.
Over the next 5–15 years, many of these households will face a housing transition due to aging, illness, or death of a primary caregiver.
This is not speculative growth. It is a predictable demographic shift.
Across the country,
75%
of people with A/I/DD live with family
25%
of them live with a caregiver age 60 or older
Why this Matters Now
Most adults with A/I/DD in Northeast Wisconsin are currently living with family. That means they are counted as “housed,” but family housing is often a temporary solution, not a long‑term plan.
Without proactive housing development, many transitions are likely to occur through:
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Emergency or crisis placements
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Institutional or out‑of‑region settings
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Provider‑controlled settings with limited choice
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Homelessness or unstable housing
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Increased Medicaid and public system costs
Crisis response is consistently more expensive—financially and socially—than planned, community‑based housing solutions.
The Policy Choice for Our Region
Additional information about the forecasted housing and support needs is available here.
The question for Northeast Wisconsin is not whether housing need will emerge.
It is whether the region will respond:
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Proactively, with inclusive, community‑based housing options designed before crisis occurs, or
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Reactively, through emergency placements that cost more and limit choice.
Planning now allows the region to move from crisis management to strategic development—protecting individuals, families, and public resources.
Housing Market Analyses from Other U.S. Regions
Housing Market Analyses conducted in mid-size regions such as Greater Cincinnati, Omaha and Rochester show consistent patterns that may also apply to Northeast Wisconsin.
Region
Why it is comparable to Northeast WI
Multi-county regional housing market similar to the Fox Cities + Green Bay corridor.
Similar scale regional hub with surrounding suburban and rural counties.
Regional city surrounded by smaller communities with established disability services.
Key Shared Characteristics
Mid-size metro, mix of urban/suburban communities, moderate housing costs, reliance on family caregivers, similar provider network structure.
Moderate housing costs, strong employment base, limited inclusive housing supply, reliance on family housing as default.
Aging caregiver population, moderate housing market pressures, strong nonprofit service infrastructure.
Learn more about our research partner, First Place Global, or see their report about neurodiverse housing models.