The lack of affordable housing in the Northwoods is a top issue. A recent Oneida County housing survey found the county needs more than 200 rental units and 1,000 owner-occupied units in the next 30 years.
That same study found that more than 40 percent of the survey respondents said they or someone they knew turned down a job offer in Oneida County because of housing issues.
Jaiden Thiel, 23, is a part of a demographic that local economic leaders say is critical to the area’s future: young adults who return home after school to work and live in the community.
Thiel grew up in Rhinelander, left to go to college, and returned to her hometown to take a job with the Rhinelander School District.
Like many young professionals in the region, finding an affordable place to live has been a struggle.
“I really didn’t think this was going to happen for me, because finding a home right now is just almost impossible,” said Thiel.
Habitat for Humanity of the Northwoods is helping make her dream of home ownership a reality.
Thiel and others gathered in Rhinelander Tuesday at the site of her future home for a ceremonial groundbreaking.
“It just makes me feel so blessed and excited,” Thiel said.
The crowd at the groundbreaking included a volunteer group from Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Hudson, Wisconsin. The group purchased the lumber, assembled the walls, and will spend the week framing the home.
The mission team, made up of volunteers ranging in age from 12 to 85, has helped build roughly 100 homes through Habitat over the years, including three with the Northwoods chapter.
“It's really rewarding for us to be a part of it,” said project coordinator Mark Arneson. “For everybody to kind of see what kind of progress can be made with the right organization and the right chapter that can kind of provide materials and the right leadership to get us here.”
Thiel’s house is one of four currently under construction by the Northwoods chapter, a first in the organization's local history, according to Executive Director Dave Havel.
“When we’re able to build one house at a time and keep that price down for a family, it makes a difference,” Havel said. “It’s huge for Habitat, it’s huge for the family, and of course, it’s great for our community too.”
Two of the homes are being built in Rhinelander and the others in Sayner and St. Germain in Vilas County. The home for Thiel will be the 28th completed by the Northwoods chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
