MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- April is Fair Housing Month, a month dedicated to recognizing the affordable housing crisis across our country, including right here in Milwaukee. 

Wednesday, local leaders joined together at UW-Milwaukee to talk about the housing crisis in our community and the steps we can take to turn the tide. 

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, and Milwaukee Community Land Trust were just a few of the organizations in attendance. 

They say the obstacles to affordable housing continue to be supply shortages and high costs. 

"We have a lot of folks here in Milwaukee that are struggling with the housing burden, meaning that they're paying more than 30% of their income just to live, just to stay in the place that they live in, so that's a real challenge," said Ian Bautista with the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. "So, we have to raise incomes at the same time that we're raising the supply so that it brings the relative cost down."

Attendees also got their first look at a new physical space for the Center for Equity Practice & Planning Justice, which will operate within the School of Architecture & Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. 

It's an initiative at UWM dedicated to understanding the housing crisis and providing solutions.