In 2016 and 2020, residents of Wood County Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Rapids, a city situated in southeastern Wood County, identified housing affordability and housing quality as major health needs. In the 2016 Wisconsin Rapids Housing Study and Needs Assessment and 2020 Wood County Community Health Assessment (CHA), more than 50% of Wisconsin Rapids residents identified access to affordable housing as a community priority and raised concerns about the quality of available rental housing units. This paper provides background on how housing impacts health and outlines several community interventions that the Wood County Health Department and the City of Wisconsin Rapids could implement to improve housing access, affordability, and quality. The authors provide detailed analyses of three interventions and their potential impacts on housing in Wisconsin Rapids: a voluntary rental registration program, a strategic rental inspection program, and tax increment financing. Finally, we provide brief overviews of several additional strategies the community may consider to meet its housing goals.
UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu