As someone who has struggled with affordable housing before the pandemic, this is some positive news.

The City of Green Bay has announced a partnership with CityWise Software. This is a searchable database of available rental units in the area at no cost to the taxpayer.

This is positive news because apartment hunting in the area is a nightmare.

It’s not the fault of city officials or even the normally suspect real estate lobby. It’s simply the design of the major websites. They steer you in the direction of preferred listings, whether you can afford them or not. And if you Google “Green Bay Apartments” this is all you get. A bunch of big name overprices apartment search engines.

Sadly, Craigslist, in its fossilized glory, gives you better leads. And that’s if you don’t get a dozen emails from landlords that sound like they want to conduct strange experiments on you when you’re sleeping.

There are no guarantees that CityWise will fix any of this. But if you follow the City of Green Bay, they take pride in their resident tools and community feedback. They won’t be content with something that will only frustrate potential renters who are fighting to stay off of the street.

I know. I’ve been there. A couple of bad breaks and I could be there again. There is just no telling what life has waiting for you.

What is also important is that we use the software. It’s a shame how many resources local governments will set up for residents only for them to get unused. That’s why this post exists.

Let’s hope this partnership is another positive step towards obtainable affordable housing in Green Bay.