HOUSING TRUST FUNDS
Iowa’s Councils of Governments (COGs) have played an active role in establishing and managing the work of Housing Trust Funds. Created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003, the $11 million in state funding provided to local housing trust funds this year will be matched by an additional $3.2 million in local investments. Since its inception, the State Housing Trust Fund has provided $112.2 million in affordable housing assistance to benefit more than 35,200 Iowa families, leveraging more than $175 million in other funding resources.
Value of Housing Trust Funds supported by COGS
for 2023:
$5,436,192
Southwest Iowa Planning Council
SWIPCO administers the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund. The 2023 funding for the trust fund was $551,000, mostly from IFA, but also local support and the Iowa West Foundation.
The Iowa Finance Authority announced a grant award in late 2022 of $402,427 from the State Housing Trust Fund to the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund (SWIHTF). The SWIHTF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the housing options for low to moderate income individuals in the Southwest Iowa counties of Harrison, Shelby, Cass, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont, and Page.
Over the past 5 years the trust fund has rehabilitated over 120 homes, assisted more than 100 homebuyers secure $8 million in home mortgages, and demolished 18 dilapidated houses that were beyond repair. The SWIHTF is administered by the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) in Atlantic. The grant is funded primarily from revenue to the State from the real estate transfer tax. In the SWIHTF region the funds will be used for owner occupied housing rehabilitation and down payment assistance. Demolition of houses beyond economical repair is also carried out by the SWIHTF with local funds.
“This grant is important for our region because it helps maintain the housing stock through much needed repairs and gives opportunities for people to purchase their first home,” said John McCurdy, Executive Director at SWIPCO. “These funds also benefit our communities at large since improved housing stock increases the value of all of the homes in the community over time.” Individuals in need of housing repair assistance or down payment assistance as well as communities interested in grant funds to help demolish dilapidated housing should contact the Southwest Iowa Planning Council at 712-243-4196.
Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council
SIMPCO’s Housing Trust Fund Support funding is $380,233 and covers the counties of Cherokee, Ida, Monona, Plymouth and Woodbury. The Housing Trust Fund was critical in addressing a serious housing safety concern. SIMPCO was contacted by the Siouxland District Health Department regarding a lead poisoning case. In talking with the child’s family, they discovered that the child spent a large amount of time at their grandma’s home. Upon inspection it was found that the house was covered in lead-based paint. The family did not have the financial resources to pay for the necessary repairs, so they were referred to a rehabilitation program supported by the Housing Trust Fund. In August of 2022, construction began on this home to eliminate lead-based paint hazards. The improvements to the home included installing new vinyl siding, metal wrapping of all windows and door trims, installing aluminum soffit and fascia wrap, demolition of the existing porch and installation of a new front porch.
Region XII COG
Region XII administers the housing trust fund for Council of Governments Housing, Inc. They received funding in the amount of $457,949 in FY2023.
Council of Governments Housing, Inc. (COGH) is staffed by Region XII Council of Governments, Inc. and serves Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Guthrie, and Sac Counties. The majority of COGH funds are used for home rehabilitation and development of affordable housing.
Council of Governments Housing provided $100,000 in grant funds to assist in the development of two duplexes in the City of Glidden. The duplexes provide affordable housing to elderly (62+) and/or disabled individuals that meet the income requirements. Each unit is 1,100 sq. ft. with two bedrooms, one bath, and an attached garage. Each unit also provides zero entry, handicap accessibility. The City of Glidden and multiple funding partnerships were an important piece to make this project successful.
Council of Governments Housing, Inc.’s primary emphasis with Housing Trust Fund dollars continues to be providing housing rehabilitation to low-to-moderate income households. The need for these dollars has grown significantly with the reduction of available programs for this type of assistance. Over the past two years, the Housing Trust Fund has assisted 37 households with home rehabilitation throughout our service area, which is a $227,141.14 investment into preserving the existing housing stock.
Iowa Northland Regional COG
The Iowa Northland Regional Council of Governments (INRCOG) manages two trust funds, the Iowa Northland Regional Housing Council (INRHC) and the Waterloo Housing Trust Fund (WHTF). INRCOG serves the counties of Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw and Grundy.The INRHC has a budget for 2023 of $517,942. In 2020, the INRHC completed it’s first Homes for Iowa house in Grundy Center. The program is a partnership with Iowa Prison Industries and the homes are manufactured at the Newton Correctional Facility. The Trust Fund also provides a lot of support to the USDA rental housing locations throughout their six-county region assisting with much needed repairs to those aging facilities.
The WHTF has a budget for 2023 of $262,201. The Trust Fund is comprised with members from very diverse backgrounds, each coming to the table with their own unique perspectives focusing their attention on the cities aging housing stock, the homeless population, and upgrades for people with disabilities.
Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission
The Northeast Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund serves the counties of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek. Their mission is to ensure that residents in their five-county region have access to well maintained, safe and affordable housing; to improve the housing stock by providing much needed funds for home rehabilitation for those who may otherwise be unable to secure funds from traditional sources; and to improve the quality and accessibility of home ownership for the region's residents, aid young families and perhaps allow seniors to remain longer in their homes. The total award for 2023 funds is $392,163. There are 13 projects in contract and 15 completed to date.
North Iowa Area Council of Governments
In 2012, the North Iowa Area Council of Governments (NIACOG) Housing Trust Fund was formed to assist low-income homeowners in North Central Iowa with making home repairs. On January 1, 2023, NIACOG’s Housing Trust Fund expanded to cover all eight counties in the NIACOG region. These counties include Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago, and Worth. The 2023 Housing Trust Fund amount is $466,434.To be eligible for these funds a family must own their home (no mobile homes), have a gross income under 60% of the area median income, have homeowner’s insurance, have under $25,000 in liquid or spendable assets, and have eligible repair needs. Households who have someone who is over 62, disabled, or a Veteran receive priority for the assistance. Examples of eligible repairs include roofing, siding, windows/doors, electrical/plumbing, furnaces/water heaters, ceiling/wall repairs, water line/sewer repairs, and accessibility alterations.
Metropolitan Area Planning Agency
MAPA administers the Pottawattamie County Housing Trust Fund, which serves all of Council Bluffs and greater Pottawattamie County.
For 2023, the trust fund awarded 10 grants to nine sub-recipients totaling $359,015. The investments will help finance homeowner acquisition and rehabilitation, emergency home repairs, handicap accessibility, new construction, home finance education, rental assistance and eviction diversion, and shelter rehabilitation for vulnerable clientele. These activities are very typical of what the organization funds on an annual basis.
Organizations which received 2023 awards include Connections Area Agency on Aging, Family Housing Advisory Services, Habitat for Humanity, Heartland Family Services, Iowa Legal Aid, Interfaith Response, MICAH House, New Visions Homeless Services, and Pottawattamie County General Assistance.
East Central Intergovernmental Association
Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Corporation Housing Trust Fund (EIRHC HTF) serves Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson. Funding for 2023 is - $623,322
The EIRHC HTF supported Lawrence Investments, LLC with their vision of purchasing the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church Rectory in Petersburg, Iowa to repurpose the historic building into a 55-plus senior housing residence. They converted the building into 4 – 800 square feet, one-bedroom apartments. The building will also have a common area with kitchenette for tenant gatherings. Petersburg, Iowa is a small village community in Delaware County, so this project gives an option for retirees within the community to downsize and remain in the area that they have lived their entire life.
East Central Iowa Council of Governments
The East Central Iowa Housing Trust Fund (ECIHTF) serves the counties of Benton, Jones. Iowa and Washington. 2023 funding is $401,325. In the last six months the ECIHTF Board approved a $200,000 combination grant/loan award to a private landlord to make energy-efficient and accessibility improvements to 24 different apartments in two cities in Benton County. The Board also approved a down payment assistance grant award to the City of Kalona for its student build project. The student build project is a collaborative effort with local high schools, Kirkwood Community College, the City of Kalona, Iowa City Area Home Builders Association, and ECICOG. ECIHTF will provide down payment assistance to the buyers of two homes once they are completed.
The Housing Fund for Linn County (HFfLC) is also supported by ECICOG and has $575,867 in funding. The Housing Fund for Linn County awarded $450,000 in grants and loans to nine different housing initiatives this spring. One of the awards was to a developer of proposed senior apartments in Mount Vernon. The developer applied for low-income housing tax credits and requested a low-interest loan from the HFfLC to help cover the costs and to make the project feasible. The project will create 30 new senior apartment units.
Southern Iowa Council of Governments
The mission for the Southern Iowa COG Housing Trust Fund, Inc. is to plan for and assist with the current and projected housing need of the Southern Iowa COG region, resulting in addressing our primary concern – affordable housing. Through planned activities and leveraged resources, the Southern Iowa COG Housing Trust Fund will provide opportunities for affordable housing to the residents within the region which includes Adair, Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Madison, Ringgold, Taylor and Union Counties in south-central Iowa.
Southern Iowa Council of Governments out of Creston administers the program for the Trust Fund. The Iowa Finance Authority issued $370,860 in grant funds which were matched by $77,881 in local dollars for 2023. Within the last year the Trust Fund loaned money for a senior affordable living complex in Winterset, gave grant money for a Habitat for Humanity home in Creston, approved a grant for some roof repairs for an affordable housing complex in Lenox, assisted the City of Murray for infrastructure for additional low to moderate income assisted housing, along with a handful of other program assistance. Applications are being considered for the next round of funding on a quarterly basis.