Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee living has become unaffordable for too many people | Opinion
In the first half of 20th Century, Socialists helped make Milwaukess an affordable, comfortable, well-governed place. Now, there’s been a fundamental change to the character of this city.
Milwaukee Greentree apartments defy stereotypes of public housing
The success of the “Wisconsin Anti-Poverty Model” at Greentree-Teutonia apartments is built on relationships with residents and the community.
Life in Milwaukee is unaffordable for too many people, and it’s getting worse. We’re a city that used to be an affordable, comfortable, well-governed place to live. Socialists helped make it that way in the first half of the 20th century through deep, sustainable investments in public infrastructure and public programs. Neoliberalism, though, has undone much of the strength of our world class city.
Now, after multiple recessions, decades of defunding infrastructure and services at the state, county and city levels, and now with an economy thrown into chaos by President Trump, Milwaukee has become one of the twenty most expensive cities in the country. By some estimates, a household now needs at least $134,000 in income to live comfortably here.
That’s a fundamental change to the character of this city, one that deeply worries me — as both a Milwaukeean and a legislator representing much of our city.
Change in city’s character hitting renters hard
This is hitting renters hard: between the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2024, Milwaukee’s median rent went up a staggering 28%. And this didn’t happen accidentally. We have a system that’s been made to work very well for landlords and real estate interests, who’ve made rent control and habitability inspections effectively impossible here. Unsurprisingly, that means rents are going up while housing quality goes down. It’s difficult to be a tenant in Wisconsin.
Housing isn’t like most other things we buy and budget for. People invest emotionally in the places they live and the people they live alongside. Homeowners build equity too while getting predictable housing costs, at least under most mortgages. But an East Side apartment that used to cost $1200/mo is not replaceable by a house in Oconomowoc that costs the same – very different people prefer one to the other, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise.
We must keep this top of mind while making housing policy. Most people don’t want to leave their neighborhoods, especially the close-knit ones in our district. They want to stay where they’ve already put down roots, whether as a homeowner or a renter. When a family leaves, it’s too often because they can no longer afford to live here. That’s a problem that can’t be solved by zoning changes alone – it’s not a bad thing if some communities want to allow more back cottages and even duplexes and triplexes, but that simply isn’t enough, and isn’t a viable solution for many neighborhoods.
We can do much more to keep Milwaukeeans in their homes.
A Right to Counsel — providing attorneys for people facing eviction – is a proven way to do that: I led the successful effort to make it law in Milwaukee County back in 2021, and it’s since kept thousands of people in their homes, given them extra time to seek rent assistance, and sealed misleading eviction records to help renters keep renting. Expanding Right to Counsel statewide is a core part of our tenant protection package, but securing permanent funding for the existing program here in Milwaukee is critical.
Since its creation, Milwaukee’s executive leadership has attempted to defund the program – which has thankfully been saved by votes by the Common Council and Milwaukee County Board. This is despite the clearly positive results for tenants and landlords alike, and despite every dollar spent on the program saving us $4.66 in other costs. A statewide, well-funded program can build on and sustain that legacy, ensuring that Milwaukee residents — and folks across the state — will benefit from the stability that Right to Counsel creates.
Ban discrimination against Section 8 voucher recipients
We’re also proposing to ban discrimination against Section 8 voucher recipients, to establish stronger protections for tenants organizing for better living conditions, to lift arbitrary restrictions on inspections for lead and for other profound habitability issues, and to enact other key protections that blunt the worst practices of small and big landlords alike.
These protections are urgent and necessary because real estate interests and landlords are aggressively fighting to make things harder for tenants. Just before the end of the session, they pushed AB 202, a bill that would undermine some of the very few protections for tenants in Wisconsin law. Very few of my colleagues who are landlords recused themselves – that’s an obvious conflict of interest, but it’s the norm in a legislature where tenants’ needs come last.
The underlying problem in our housing system is a deep dependence on capital, not democracy, to choose where and when we build new housing. When the federal government raises interest rates, it makes both private and public housing funding more expensive, so developers build less. When rent forecasts go down, developers build less — putting the lie to the notion that private housing builders and landlords are somehow at odds.
Our long term goal must be housing as a human right. That means social housing or public housing for people who want them, but also transparency and accountability for private landlords, an end to exploitative, uncapped rent extraction, and an effective ban on low quality housing. In the meantime, better protecting tenants will help all of us.
Rep. Ryan Clancy represents the 19th District in the Wisconsin Assembly. He is also a former Milwaukee County Supervisor.
Milwaukee, WI
Post From Community: Laughing Liberally Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
The Brewers drafted 20 players over the course of 20 rounds in the 2026 MLB Draft, including first-round shortstop Trey Ebel, second-round outfielder Sawyer Strosnider, Wilmot Union HS (Wisconsin) shortstop Chance Ruby, and CC Sabathia’s son, first baseman Carsten Sabathia III. The team now has until 4 p.m. CT on July 27 to sign each draft pick. We’ll keep track of the signees below.
Milwaukee’s total signing bonus pool is $8,042,900, which can be allocated as the team chooses (i.e., slot bonuses are not the guaranteed signing value). Rounds 11-20 automatically have $150,000 allocated to the slot — money given to these picks only counts toward the bonus pool if they exceed $150,000. Teams that exceed their bonus pool face financial penalties, with higher thresholds resulting in the loss of future picks.
Division-leading Brewers aim to avoid series sweep against Skenes and the Pirates
Having won two of their last three series, the Pittsburgh Pirates return home to PNC Park on Sunday afternoon for a matinee matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers in search of a third straight victory and their first series sweep since May in the final game before the All-Star Break. The Brewers are 23 games over .500 as the season hits the mid-Summer Classic, but are in danger of being swept for the first time since April during their season-longest six-game losing skid. Milwaukee will send left-hander Robert Gasser (2-3, 4.15 ERA) to the mound in search of his third win in his last four starts, while the Pirates will counter with three-time All-Star Paul Skenes, who is looking for just his second win since mid-May.
How to Watch Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates:
Date: July 12, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: MLB.TV – Pittsburgh Pirates
Location: PNC Park
Live Stream the Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates game on Fubo: Start watching now!
Skenes (7-8, 3.58 ERA), now in his third season in the majors, has struggled to replicate the success he had in his first two seasons, where he took home NL Rookie of the Year Award followed by the NL Cy Young Award the following year, having posted just one victory in his last 10 starts. The 24-year-old right-hander had his worst outing of the season on July 1 when he gave up seven earned runs, including a pair of home runs, in just four innings as part of a 10-6 loss to the Phillies.
Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers leads the team with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs this season, both marking career highs for the 30-year-old journeyman. Bauers broke into the majors in 2018 with Tampa Bay, but had bounced around the league playing in Cleveland, Seattle, and with the Yankees before landing the everyday job with Milwaukee in 2024, helping the Brewers make consecutive playoff appearances.
What time is Brewers vs Pirates?
Coverage of the Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates game starts Sunday, July 12, at 12:00 p.m ET. Tune in to see if the Brewers can avoid the series sweep or if Skenes can find his form and lead the Pirates to the home win.
What channel is the Brewers vs Pirates game on?
Looking to watch the game? Subscribers can tune to MLB.TV – Pittsburgh Pirates to catch the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this matchup at home or on the go with the Fubo TV app.
Watch the Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates game on Fubo: Start watching now!
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