Polk County Housing Trust Fund

Today we were pleased to join with numerous partners to host a workforce housing workshop in Altoona with communities from eastern Polk County as part of our Capital Crossroads (CXR) initiative Here We Grow. Thank you to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Iowa Finance Authority, and Michael Kiernan from Hatch Kiernan Galloway Development for presenting during today's session and to our colleagues and elected officials from Altoona, Bondurant, Mitchellville and Pleasant Hill who joined us to discuss your housing goals and opportunities.

Thanks for your help as we work on our goal to grow our LinkedIn community to 1500 supporters of housing opportunity in Greater Des Moines. It takes our whole community to reach this goal - please consider recommending us to a friend or colleague who should be part of the effort. #HousingForAll #DSMUSA

The Trust Fund is honored to have been named the 2024 nonprofit award recipient in the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce's 4th Annual DEI Workplace Excellence Awards!! We thank the Chamber and this program's sponsors for helping advance an inclusive community with opportunity for all people. We hope you will come celebrate with us on September 10!

Please join us in welcoming Johnny Alcivar, AICP to our team as Director of Planning, Research and Compliance this week! In his role, he is a resource for planning and zoning matters across our region and leads research initiatives related to affordable housing and community development. He also supports the compliance and regulatory oversight of the PCHTF’s Housing Allocation Plan funded projects and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funded projects. Johnny comes to PCHTF from Proteus, Inc. where he was the Director of Workforce Programs. Prior to that, he worked as a planner in the public sector for the City of Des Moines and the City of Cedar Rapids. He holds a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) from Iowa State University and an American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification provided by the American Planning Association. Johnny is an appointed member and current Chair of the Plan and Zoning Commission for the City of Des Moines.

July 15 storms including a confirmed tornado have resulted in (regrettably) another disaster proclamation for Polk County Iowa being issued this season by Governor Kim Reynolds. This makes state aid available. The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants up to $7,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level (for a family of 4, this is annual income of $62,400 or less). Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management website https://lnkd.in/gz8acQMf. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim. As of July 1, 2024, the award amount for the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program has increased from $5,000 to $7,000. This increase is not retroactive. The Disaster Case Advocacy Program addresses serious needs related to disaster-related hardship, injury, or adverse conditions. Disaster case advocates work with clients to create a disaster recovery plan and provide guidance, advice, and referrals to obtain a service or resource. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program; it closes 180 days from the date of the governor's proclamation. For information on the Disaster Case Advocacy Program, contact your local community action agency or visit iowacommunityaction.org. The Governor's proclamation also covers Des Moines, Dubuque, Mitchell, and Scott Counties for the severe storms on July 15. Thanks as always to the Iowa Finance Authority for distributing this information to Local Housing Trust Funds in the affected area. CC: City of Urbandale, City of Windsor Heights, Iowa, City of Des Moines, Connie Boesen, Bob Andeweg

The Trust Fund is in production today on Lighting the Way to Homeownership Opportunity, our video series in collaboration with Corinthian Baptist Church and numerous other partners, made possible by the Homeownership Incubator Pitch Competition presented by the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Association of REALTORS®. The purpose of the series is to help more aspiring homeowners connect to helpful local resources, especially community members historically excluded from homeownership by discriminatory practices. Thank you to Brian Hutzell from Community State Bank - Des Moines, IA for participating in today's interview. Community State bank has been one of our key partners on this series. The series is hosted by Robin Jenkins. We give a special shout-out to Cyntechy Boduo who is interning with PCHTF this summer who directed today's shoot.

The Trust Fund congratulates Ntontan RE and Newbury Living on your award of federal housing tax credits awarded today by the Iowa Finance Authority. The Townhall project is a multifaceted $12.3 million development planned for the 6th Avenue Corridor in Des Moines with an anticipated completion date in late 2026. This project includes two adjacent buildings with 29 units. One building will involve the new construction of a three-story building containing affordable apartment units plus a first-floor food hall. The second building will involve the rehabilitation of the historic North Des Moines City Hall building, listed on the National Historic Register, to include additional affordable apartment units plus a first-floor coffee shop. Altogether, the project's primary objectives include the creation of much-needed affordable housing, economic empowerment through the innovative Food Hall concept, and the enhancement of community engagement in the River Bend neighborhood. This project was the winner of the Iowa Finance Authority’s first-ever innovation competition at IFA's HousingIowa Conference in Cedar Rapids in 2023. Project innovations include sustainable design, a vibrant community space, equitable partnerships, and a resident rewards program. CC: Kuuku Saah, CFA, Frank Levy, Debbie Fisher

Wow, it's been a super busy season at the Trust Fund! Catch up on recent community investment and housing development grants-and much more in the latest issue of our LinkedIn exclusive newsletter! 💰 Discover how we're planning to allocate housing resources in the year ahead. 📽 Find out how to watch recorded speaker videos from Housing Matters Symposium in April. Together, we can take needed actions to increase housing supply. 🥂 Learn how we're celebrating milestones with valued community partners like THE DIRECTORS COUNCIL, Community Housing Initiatives, Neighborhood Finance Corporation (NFC) and more. #HousingForAll #DSMUSA

Thank you to our 800 followers on LinkedIn! We've set a goal to grow our community to 1,500 local supporters of housing opportunity - and we're over half way there. PCHTF serves as a bridge in the community between people in the community and housing opportunity they need. Our programs support thousands of local people each year. Thanks to everyone who invests to support our programs, shares our research with a friend or colleague, or attends an event. #HousingOpportunity #HousingForAll #DSMUSA

The Trust Fund extends our concern to Iowans and others affected by recent record flooding in Northwest Iowa and surrounding states. If you are interested in contributing to relief efforts, the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines has informed us that disaster relief funds have been established in many impacted Iowa Counties. You may contribute to a local fund and be assured your support is reaching people in need. https://lnkd.in/gJdaFaP4 For affordable housing providers, the Iowa Finance Authority has granted special clearance that Low Income Housing Tax Credit properties, including in Polk County, may temporarily suspend some qualification rules to rapidly house flood-displaced people. IFA has issued regulatory guidance on its compliance website under the heading “Housing for displaced individuals.” https://lnkd.in/gDRy-BMA