ENC moves forward on community housing vision

MARSHFIELD — After searching for a suitable location for six years, ENC Inc. (“Everyone Needs a Community”) is moving forward with plans to build an affordable housing development designed to serve seniors, autistic adults and others while fostering community engagement.

“We’ve been on this site search for six years, and we’ve had a few that fell through for various reasons,” said Kathleen Meyer, president of the nonprofit. “Once this one came up, we knew this would work well.”

The organization recently purchased approximately 20 acres of land beyond the Marshfield High School tennis courts on North Hume Avenue.

Meyer said ENC secured a $350,000 loan to purchase the $500,000 property before another buyer could acquire it.

The proposed development would include 40 affordable rental units, with 10 reserved for autistic adults, along with a community center promoting healthy aging, volunteerism, and education about autism and neurodiversity.

“We’re working to build affordable rental housing with a community center around healthy living, healthy aging, and understanding autism and neurodiversity,” Meyer said.

The nonprofit says the project addresses several growing concerns, including the increasing number of homeless seniors in central Wisconsin.

“Our fastest growing homeless population in central Wisconsin is our people over 60,” Meyer wrote in follow-up materials.

She also noted that loneliness can be as damaging to health as “15 cigarettes a day.”

To combat isolation, the community would encourage neighbors to help one another through volunteer opportunities, transportation assistance, grocery shopping and other everyday acts of kindness.

“We make our best friendships working together and collaborating,” Meyer wrote. “People need to be needed and do meaningful things.”

The development also aims to provide housing for autistic adults who often struggle to find supportive living environments.

“Currently there is no suitable place where they would be understood and welcomed,” Meyer wrote.

Funding remains the project’s largest challenge.

ENC is partnering with Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp., which Meyer said would oversee much of the financing and development.

“It’s just a matter of when,” Meyer said.

She acknowledged the site may not score well for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits because of factors such as limited public transportation and distance from services.

However, she said alternative financing options are available if necessary.

“If we don’t score competitively for the low-income housing tax credits, we will make it happen,” Meyer said.

According to Meyer, the nonprofit expects Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp. to provide between $2 million and $3 million in financing while ENC launches a capital fundraising campaign.

“I still would anticipate it’s going to take us two or three years to raise three million,” she said.

For now, the organization is waiting for the developer to finalize project costs and determine the funding gap.

“The next milestone is information from the developer,” Meyer said. “They will define the budget, and then they will assign us a gap funding assignment.”

While planning continues, ENC is expanding public awareness through its online educational program — Spotlight on Autistic Minds — and recruiting volunteers to support the project.

Meyer also encouraged continued public education on affordable housing, aging and autism.

Although construction is still estimated to be two to three years away, Meyer remains confident the project will move forward.

“We are going to make this happen,” she said. “It’s just a matter of when.”