A new episode of our podcast, Together, We're Better! is out. In this episode, BOF sits down with Kristin Kappelman and Kevin Meagher, both Data Managers for backbone partnerships. This episode will give you insight into the intentionality required to share data effectively with others. At Building Our Future, we strive to use data as a flashlight and not a weapon. Data isn't just numbers; it's any information gathered. It's powerful to help us understand what's changed over time and in other communities, and it can be used to support policy change, especially when the community shares their lived experiences to help bring the data to life.

​We invite you to challenge yourselves by using and viewing data from an asset-based lens. Listen here on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! 

Key indicators show positives, concerns for Kenosha County economy, residents’ wellbeing

​Earlier this year, Kenosha Area Business Alliance - a key partner of Building Our Future - commissioned the Wisconsin Policy Forum (WPF) to research Kenosha County to increase understanding about our community's economic performance, how it stacks up with similar counties, and the extent to which its recent economic development successes have made an impact on our area.

WPF has released both a summary report and a more robust online interactive data tool that help gauge Kenosha County’s performance, and its residents’ wellbeing in several categories, including population and demographics; education, health, and safety; employment and financial stability; housing; economic activity; and property values and taxes. We invite you to learn more and dig in to the findings! 
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We’re excited to share our newest data dashboard on affordable housing in Kenosha. Many systemic factors contribute to the health, wellbeing, and success of youth in our community, but too often, we attribute their outcomes to the individuals alone. This is why we’re beginning to examine some of the systems level indicators in our community. With feedback from our Leadership Table and StriveTogether, we’ve chosen housing as the first sector to start measuring data on for Kenosha County. Here you’ll find data on housing from the Census and other sources that can be used as an informational tool and advocacy resource.