When Shane Melby was in the process of buying a house in Adams County, he learned about a $2,500 homestead credit that he was eligible to apply for as he purchased his new home.
“That was a really nice surprise. I didn’t expect that $2,500, so that was nice to help recoup finances,” said Melby, 35. “If somebody is tight on funds, this grant money is great, because you could use that toward your first month’s mortgage. It’s a little bit of a safety net.”

The new Homestead Credit Incentive exists, in part, because of a partnership between Adams County and the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s UniverCity Alliance. According to Adams County Economic Development, the Homestead Credit Incentive, first offered in 2024, is designed to support the construction of new homes and encourage workers to establish residency in Adams County through the purchase of existing properties.
Daric Smith, executive director of Adams County Economic Development, said the county is experiencing a housing shortage and sees a large influx of people who work in the area but live in other counties. He’s hoping the credit will be one tool that could help.
“The employees want to be here. It’s just a matter of finding a place for them to live,” Smith said. “It does give (buyers) a little extra incentive, a little peace of mind.”
Adams County Economic Development allocated $10,000 for the program in 2024 and hopes to do the same in 2025. Two people received the credit this year, and three people have already been approved for 2025. Smith said he hopes the program is also a sign to the community that leaders are committed to investing in the county.
“The Adams County Homestead Credit also lets people know that the county is really being proactive in trying to get people to move in and trying to move things forward,” Smith said.
Attracting and retaining new residents, particularly young professionals, to Adams County was a focus area when the county partnered with UniverCity Alliance – a program at UW-Madison that connects local governments with university resources to address community-identified challenges – from 2019-22.
One of the reports included case studies from other counties across the country, and several of them have a housing credit program. Smith said the new credit in Adams County was inspired by the report.
Through UniverCity, Adams County completed 38 projects across the topics of economic development, education, and health in partnership with UW–Madison faculty, courses, and students.
“The way the partnership benefited us most was it gave us a ton of information that we normally wouldn’t have had access to, or we would have had to pay a ridiculous amount of money for it,” Smith said.
Smith also said the partnership was refreshing, bringing a new element to his day-to-day work, and created collaborations with a range of people with different perspectives to consider. This is one of the unique benefits of UniverCity’s model of connecting the university with Wisconsin communities: a two-way exchange of knowledge.
“When we can connect local experts in Wisconsin communities with students who are eager to learn and instructors who care about supporting answering real-world questions, everyone benefits,” UniverCity Alliance Managing Director Gavin Luter said.
For John O’Malley, the student who worked on the report that inspired the credit program, the partnership offered a practical internship experience that could demonstrate his research abilities to future employers.
O’Malley graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies. In 2023, he completed a master’s degree in international public affairs from the La Follette School of Public Affairs. O’Malley is now a federal investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor.
“It was nice to have a community partner view me as a real resource for them,” O’Malley said. “I’m very pleased they decided to take some action on the grant program, because that was my favorite proposal based off how other rural midwestern communities have successfully addressed population decline.”
Melby, who recently proposed to his girlfriend, is looking forward to their future in his Adams County home.
“I’ve lived in this area my entire life, and I do love Adams County,” Melby said. “There’s that hometown feel, and people seem to really care about their neighbors.”
–Abigail Becker