1000 Friends
Together for Homes Project
Together For Homes
HIGHLIGHTED PROJECT
Housing is too expensive—plain and simple. While many drivers of cost sit outside municipal control, cities do control zoning, land-use rules, and approval processes. Narvarte launched Together for Homes to focus squarely on what cities can change: removing barriers to more housing choice and availability.
Created to support Milwaukee’s Housing Element (fka Growing MKE) zoning reform effort, Together for Homes united practitioners and policy experts into a single, pro-housing coalition. Narvarte coordinated strategy, messaging, and execution—bridging technical policy analysis with clear, public-facing narratives that built momentum and political support.
Key Outcomes
Built and coordinated a broad pro-housing coalition across sectors
Framed housing affordability around municipal levers cities can control
Translated technical zoning reform into accessible public narratives
Briefed elected officials and stakeholders to reduce friction and confusion
Successfully supported passage of Milwaukee’s Housing Element
“The team at Narvarte has been remarkable to work with in developing & organizing effective housing initiatives in MKE. From the large networking and communications capacities to the strong relationships they already have with grassroots & grasstops leaders/stakeholders, they've been able to catalyze high-impact deliverables for positive change in MKE's housing shortage crisis. Beyond this acclaim, we've also been impressed by how well Narvarte can move through political and logistical challenges. All told, we're grateful for our relationship with Narvarte and we look forward to our continued collaborations.”
— Trevor Roark of 1000 Friends in Wisconsin
Outcome
The effort combined coalition-building with targeted education and advocacy, including public panels, a press conference, a dedicated website, webinars, video explainers, surveys, alderman briefings, and a content partnership with Urban Spaceship. The result was a disciplined, coordinated campaign that helped move complex housing policy from concept to adoption.
Reimagining 27th street
HIGHLIGHTED PROJECT
Narvarte led community engagement to reimagine the future of 27th Street as a Bus Rapid Transit–anchored corridor, with a clear premise: transit does not exist in a vacuum. Meaningful BRT investment inevitably intersects with land use, economic development, workforce access, and housing—and community voices must shape how those pieces come together.
Narvarte served as facilitator, not owner. We hosted hands-on workshops and listening sessions to surface priorities, test ideas, and align stakeholders, while ensuring the community retained ownership over the methods and means of advocating for itself. Alongside this engagement, Narvarte organized a grassroots advocacy group and translated shared vision into a practical Advocacy Action Playbook—designed for sustained, resident-led influence beyond the initial planning effort.
Key Outcomes
Facilitated workshops and listening sessions rooted in lived experience
Organized a grassroots advocacy coalition tied to BRT investment
Positioned transit as a catalyst for land use, housing, and economic development
Produced a community-owned advocacy action playbook
Shifted power from consultant-led process to resident-led action
