Program Overview
The Rental Housing Development (RHD) Program provides funding to help eligible housing organizations create affordable rental housing across Wisconsin. Whether you're a nonprofit, a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO), or a for-profit developer partnering with one of these groups, you may qualify for support.
Funds may be used for acquisition, rehabilitation, and new construction activities. To qualify, projects must serve households at or below 60% of the County Median Income (CMI). Projects will be subject to rent and income limits for a set period.
This program is administered by the Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources within the Wisconsin Department of Administration, and is funded by HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program.
The map above identifies all RHD sites DEHCR has awarded funding to that are currently in their period of affordability.
Applicant Eligibility
Applications are accepted on the first Monday of each month, from February through November. All eligible housing organizations are welcome to apply. If you're applying as a CHDO, be sure to include full certification documentation with your submission.
All applicants must be located outside of HOME entitlement areas and must be in good standing with both the Department of Administration and DEHCR. Good standing means having no unresolved monitoring findings, no outstanding required reports, and no major audit findings.
HOME entitlement areas include the cities of Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine, as well as the counties of Dane, Jefferson, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Rock, Washington, and Waukesha.
In addition, all applicant agencies must be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and must not appear on the SAM debarred contractor list.
Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO)
A Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) is a special designation for nonprofit housing developers that meet criteria set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The CHDO designation may provide particular benefits to the organization as it develops and/or operates housing. An organization, which is designated as a CHDO can potentially qualify for special project funds, operating funds, and technical assistance associated with a project, and may be eligible to retain project proceeds.
To qualify as a CHDO, an organization must:
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Include in its charter, resolutions, or by-laws, a statement that among its purposes is the development of decent housing that is affordable to low- and moderate-income persons.
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Be community-based, with at least one-third of its board representing low-income residents.
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Be created by a public body provided the nonprofit is not controlled by the public body, therefore, no more than one-third of the board may be public officials.
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Meet requirements to maintain accountability to low-income community residents.
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Show a demonstrated history and capacity for carrying out housing development in the geographic area that the organization serves.
Interested in becoming a CHDO?
Submit documentation verifying your legal status, organizational structure, development capacity, and any relationships with for-profit entities when submitting your RHD application.
Program Resources
Application
2025 RHD Application +
Environmental Review Portion
Both online forms must be submitted via ACCESSgov for the application to be considered.
Manuals
RHD Program Guide 2025 (PDF)
RHD Application 2025 Reference Guide (PDF)
Forms and Reports
RHD Application Form 9 Rental Housing Spreadsheets (Excel)
RHD Activity Set-Up Report (Word)RHD Payment Requst (Word)
RHD Completion Report (Word)
Semi-Annual Data Report (MBE/WBE, Labor Standards Enforcement, and Section 3) (Excel)RHD Compliance ReportRHD In-Service Report
Build America, Buy America (BABA) Forms
RHD BABA Covered Materials List (Excel)
