NEW GLARUS, Wis. – After years of planning, fundraising and construction, the Prairie Haus apartments in New Glarus are welcoming tenants.
The complex, which boasts 40 units, is designed to create affordable housing in the area, but also to offer a one of a kind living space for those with disabilities.
“Many adults with disabilities now live here,” said Susan Wallitsch, co-director of Home of Our Own. “Some in units that have special features to support their needs and some just in regular apartments.”
Wallitsch, along with fellow co-director Mary Anne Oemichen, created the concept for the complex after years of trying to find a way for their children with disabilities to gain independence.
“All of us knew we wouldn’t last forever,” she said. “We knew our loved ones would need a place, a good safe happy community to live in when we could no longer care for them.”
The organization was responsible for raising $500,000 dollars to help finance the $9 million project. In December of 2019, they broke ground in New Glarus. Today, they’re welcoming the very first full time tenants.
“When I first walked in the building, it didn’t hit me,” Oemichen said. “It took a little while for it to hit me, then look around and realize ‘Oh my gosh. We did out what we set to do, and it couldn’t be more beautiful and appropriate than it is’.”
The complex is based on five core principles- inclusivity, affordability, closeness to home, openness to accept all complexities of disabilities and replicability.
“This is truly a first,” Wallitsch said. “There are other places that have been created that are inclusive communities for adults with special needs, but there’s no place that accommodates the range of special needs that we’re embracing.”
The two directors say nearly all the units are spoken for. When it’s safe, they hope to create a tight knit community among residents.
“It’s wonderful,” Wallitsch said. “It’s what every young person wants I think, is independence. We’re seeing it happening. It’s happening in an even more exciting and spectacular way than we could have even imagined.”
“When we started this project in my mind, I had sort of a vision of dream tenants in the building,” Oemichen said. “I would say that watching the mix that’s coming in is really closely matching what I personally was hoping it would be.”
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