Built by Students, Backed by Purpose: Real Returns from Our First Impact Investment
Built by Students, Backed by Purpose: Real Returns from Our First Impact Investment
By Erika Ritchie
Public Relations & Communications Manager
June 26, 2025
A once-empty lot at 929 N. Broadway is now a brand-new home — built by local students, priced for working families, and supported by an innovative investment designed to kickstart a cycle of good.
Like many communities, Greater Green Bay is facing a growing gap between housing demand and affordability. Organizations like NeighborWorks Green Bay are addressing this challenge by transforming vacant lots into homes that remain within reach for middle-income families. When a longtime collaborator came looking to invest in Green Bay’s northwest side, NeighborWorks Green Bay President & CEO Noel Halvorsen had just the spot in mind.
“We knew the City had a lot available at Broadway and Augusta, so the location was perfect,” said Halvorsen. “But we needed it to be economically feasible for us as a developer, and for the family that would ultimately purchase it.”
To help bring this vision to life, the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation partnered with Forward Community Investments to provide low-interest financing through its first-ever Impact Investment, supporting the home’s construction. Unlike traditional grantmaking, these funds are repaid and reinvested into future community projects — creating a cycle of ongoing impact. With additional support from GLC Minerals and the City of Green Bay, construction began in fall 2024.
NeighborWorks welcomed 24 high school juniors and seniors from the Bridges Construction & Renovation Program — a partnership with Green Bay Area Public Schools — to help bring the home to life.
Guided by skilled contractors, the students learned to frame walls, tile, plaster, and pour concrete. Each task was a lesson in craftsmanship, collaboration, and community. Along the way, they earned college credits through Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and gained valuable industry credentials.
For students like Anika Juhrend, the program opened new doors.
“This class has fully convinced me to start a career in the trades,” said Juhrend. “I learned how to put drywall up, about the plastering process, and how important finishing jobs are to a house. I know what a real-life jobsite looks and feels like.”
The resulting three-bedroom, two-bath house is exactly the kind of meaningful return the Community Foundation envisioned when launching its Impact Investing initiative — one that supports both people and place.
“This class has fully convinced me to start a career in the trades. I know what a real-life jobsite looks and feels like.”
-Anika Juhrend, Bridges Construction & Renovation Program student
At a time when housing prices are increasingly out of reach, this build proves that through collaboration and strategic investment, it’s possible to achieve move-in-ready homes priced for real-world affordability.
“Our list price is significantly lower than the median list price of homes in this market,” said Halvorsen. “It’s priced $105,000 lower than the next lowest-priced new construction single-family home currently available.”
For the students who helped build it, it’s a source of pride and possibility.
For the family who will own it, it’s a new chapter rooted in stability.
And for our community, it’s a ripple of good that will continue to grow.
As the loan is repaid, those dollars will be reinvested in new projects that meet future needs as they evolve.
It’s proof that when we work together — with purpose and heart — we can build a brighter future.
