Most crewmembers aren't looking for permanent housing in domicile, and cost is definately a consideration.
I know of a very successful crashpad in Northern VA, about 4 miles from the Washington Dulles Airport.
This crashpad has 4 bedrooms in a townhouse (3 male bedrooms upstairs, one female bedroom downstairs in the walkout basement). Each male bedroom has two sets of bunkbeds (university twin size with high quality mattresses). The female room has 3 sets of beds. There are three full baths in the house.
The crashpad has 18 "residents", with each one assigned their own bunk. Each also has a designated closet space (which is big enough to keep 1-2 changes of clothes and an overnight bag). There are no dressers or other furniture other than the beds in the rooms. (keep in mind that in crashpads it is VERY uncommon to have more than about 1/4 of the "residents" there in one night since they are usually flying for work or at home).
The house additionally has Cable TV (satellite), wireless internet, and a computer workstation available for crew to use. Kitchen is stocked with basic supplies (pots, dishes, etc.), and a cleaning service cleans the house every other week, including bringing fresh linens.
The owner (also a crewmember) keeps the property as an investment (which has grown considerably given the market in DC) and only charges $150/per person/per month. Some crashpads also charge an additional "premium" if you are a reserve line holder (since you are more likely to be using utilities or spending nights).
The $2400 covers mortgage, utilities/cleaning, insurance, taxes, and leaves about $100/month for a maintenance/upgrade fund or profit.
Don't know if such a set up would work in MKE, given that it is a much smaller crewbase, but something for you to toss around in your head. Keep in mind that a typical crewmember isn't looking for permanent living arrangements, but instead a place to spend between 3-5 nights a month when their schedules don't permit them to fly home immediately after a trip (or require them to be in domicile the night before reporting to work). Amenities are nice and most crew members don't want "hot bunks" where you swap beds each stay, but cost is king for most situations. The cheaper the better... I know of another crashpad that had 26 residents for about $75/month and everybody was happy.
Last edited by FlyerJosh; 03-11-2006 at 10:02 AM.