the one-bedroom apartments. All of the unit sizes have increased substantially.” And for the clients ECHO serves, this is often an insurmountable hurdle. In 2019, ECHO’s Supportive Housing Program began providing unhoused families and individuals with affordable rental homes through a partnership with the City of Janesville. Locher said the program participants work on short-term and long-term goals for their future and take part in weekly case management sessions. Graduates go on to receive a housing choice voucher through the City of Janesville as they secure more permanent housing. The program has been steadily growing and now has 19 units, including the recently acquired Jeffris Flats in downtown Janesville. “We are always looking to continue increasing the program because there’s not a lot of affordable housing with that type of supportive case management services,” Locher said. “Which is needed to help families remove those barriers to self-sufficiency and help them become self-sustaining and amazing community members.” And more expansion may be right around the corner for ECHO since the new zoning code will allow for the development of tiny homes in certain areas. Locher sees this as an opportunity to expand housing opportunities for unhoused individuals since tiny homes could offer more units as well as more on-site resources for tenants. She also sees the new code’s lot size reductions as a way to increase density while also reducing costs as ECHO continues to support housing needs in Janesville. “So we have big dreams,” Locher said. “We’re super excited for that opportunity.” SCWBA’s Student Build Program addresses another issue plaguing the housing market – a labor shortage. “Without labor and talent in the home building industry, we're never going to be able to meet that demand and the shortages,” Van Kirk said. “They're the key to the future of our local housing market.” With this in mind, the program partners with the Janesville School District to enroll high school students in the school’s advanced construction class. The class rarely takes place inside of a classroom, though. “Our build is their classroom,” Van Kirk said. By working on an actual build site, students quickly learn the ins and outs of the industry, Van Kirk said. They learn to do everything from reading the plans to finalizing the project. They also meet everyone from the general contractor to the realtor, many of whom are SCWBA members. And when the time comes to find employment, many of the students find their first job through this build. “They’ve just interviewed all year,” Van Kirk said. “And if they’re willing, our members will hire them.” And even though the housing market comes with no shortage of challenges these days, Van Kirk sees SCWBA’s work as a meaningful way to overcome them. “The American dream is getting harder and harder to reach,” she said. “And we want everyone to be able to achieve it.” 12 | FORWARD JANESVILLE Students learning real-world construction skills alongside industry mentors as part of SCWBA’s Student Build Program. Getting hands-on experience in skills like measuring, framing, and drywalling means that students are prepared to work on professional job sites. “Without labor and talent in the home building industry, we're never going to be able to meet that demand and the shortages.” “I’ve seen one-bedroom apartments that were available in the $400 to $500 range, and now we’re seeing them in the low thousands.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTEwNzI5