Business
Housing, child care, and travel are top concerns of community leaders at La Crosse roundtable
The La Crosse area could use more affordable housing, and work on providing health care and child care to more people. Those were a couple of the topics discussed at a community roundtable on Tuesday, sponsored by the 7 Rivers Alliance.
Representatives of education, hospitals, and business groups were among the people brought together for the discussion, which focused primarily on economic development and community planning. Alliance chairman Chris Hardie says a lack of child care resources may be hindering a parent’s ability to get work.
“As much as a third of our parents are either working part-time or not working, because they can’t find child care,” said Hardie. “One of the ways that we can fill some of the existing workforce need is to try to create more capacity within the child care industry.” There was also a concern about training potential workers, so companies can attract and retain employees.
Hardie says housing concerns in the Coulee Region are one of the priorities that business and government are trying to meet.
Another area of discussion was transportation, specifically commercial flights through the La Crosse Airport. Jeff Tripp, the airport’s director, says the airport is “strong” and “vital,” and he says La Crosse will be represented at a meeting this month in Indianapolis, with airlines including American, Delta, and United. Delta ended regular service to La Crosse in the summer of 2023.
Community members who took part in Tuesday’s roundtable also discussed ways of attracting skilled workers to La Crosse employers, and keeping them in the area. The roundtables have been held in six area counties since late April, with an August meeting planned in Houston County.
nick
June 4, 2025 at 7:57 am
They need to look outside the box. They need to take a long look at what other areas are doing or trying to do to solve the problem.
There are as everyone knows significant challenges in LaCrosse.
Apartment are not going to solve the problem; not for families.
walden
June 4, 2025 at 8:56 am
The population is declining. What evidence is there that La Crosse “needs” additional affordable housing units. There are more housing units in La Crosse than there has ever been in the past.
Libertarian guy
June 7, 2025 at 8:36 pm
I have lived in lacrosse 36 years now. Bought my first home 36 years ago and moved into two homes since then. I’ve also worked with numerous persons with mental illness and have helped them find housing. There is no housing shortage in the cross, and, if there was, the free market would take care of it. We do not need government intervention. Affordable housing as liberals like to call. It is subsidize housing for people who cannot afford to pay market prices. Affordable housing brings low income people into the area of course that’s fine, but it crates a disproportionate amount of lower income people versus those with higher income. It’s not natural when government intervenes in this manner. I’ve been hearing the phrase, housing crisis a lot lately. Whenever a politician or liberal wants tax money put toward something, they call it a crisis. So now we have a housing crisis. Why, because they say so.
Proud Democrat
June 16, 2025 at 6:09 pm
Just like there is no housing crisis since you say so. But you are wrong.
There are hundreds of low income elderly in La Crosse who struggle to pay their rent every month as rents have risen sky high here.
And regardless of your experience with the mentally ill, many of them struggle to pay their rent as well since due to their illness they have a hard time making enough money to pay today’s high rents that the free market does not take care of.
You seem to be a proponent of the YOYO philosophy: You’re On Your Own.
This atheist wonders, What would Jesus do? We know what you would do.
But La Crosse has a housing problem for those whose eyes are open as well as their hearts.