WELCOMING PHASE THREE. Hope Village's Welcome Home Capital Campaign had its official launch event on Wednesday, Oct. 5, announcing a generous collaboration between seven donors who will match up to $275,000 in donations. Pictured is Hope Village Executive Director
Mike Cohoon.

Chippewa Falls nonprofit organization Hope Village is moving into the third phase of its ambitious Welcome Home Capital Campaign project, a multi-million-dollar endeavor aiming to further its mission of ending homeless in the Chippewa Valley by guiding its temporary residents through free stable shelter, community mentoring, and education. 

The project is funding the construction of multi-bedroom tiny homes, handicapped-accessible units, on-site laundry, shower spaces, a playground, and more to create the Hope Village community. So far, they have raised $1,505,000 toward their final phase.

The Capital Campaign was aiming to provide about 30% of the funds needed while hoping to gain the additional 70% from grant funding. At the Welcome Home Campaign launch event on Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Heyde Center for the Arts, the organization announced funds raised from now through Nov. 6 will be matched by seven donors up to $275,000. More than 250 people attended the event while about 450 people tuned in via live streaming.

”A $275,000 donor challenge was announced from several major donors at the launch event. These donors are encouraging fellow community members and organizations who support the unsheltered cause to consider a tax-deductible gift or pledge that may be paid over four years,” the organization shared in a recent press release.

Last year, almost 3,000 individuals in Chippewa Falls sought housing services and in the Chippewa Falls school district, there were 48 unsheltered families. At the start of 2022, by March there were 142 families already on a 9-10 month waiting list for affordable housing. Hope Village shared in a recent Welcome Home Capital Campaign video statistics on the current Chippewa County Housing Authority’s waitlist, which revealed more than 70% of those on the list are headed by females; 23% are elders; nearly 40% are headed by someone with a disability, and more than 30% are families with children. 

Phase three of the Welcome Home project, where the $2.7 million would come into play, is the final of the campaign and will provide part of the funding for the creation of five duplexes and three six-plex affordable housing units to be built over the course of five years. Alongside the home construction will be supporting infrastructure additions such as sewer and electrical resources, parking spots, and the creation of a workshop, which will be utilized as a job training and leisure space.

“Housing those without shelter changes the trajectory of their lives,” Hope Village Director Mike Cohoon said. 

Learn more about Hope Village and its Welcome Home Capital Campaign on its website and keep up with them on Facebook (@hopevillagechippewafalls).