More than $6.4 million awarded to housing trust funds

The Iowa Finance Authority recently announced the award of more than $6.4 million in grants to 27 local housing trust funds to support local affordable housing initiatives. The grant awards are made available through the Local Housing Trust Fund program and are expected to assist more than 2,500 families. 

“Local Housing Trust Funds serve all 99 counties and are a critical vehicle to ensuring leaders can make local housing priorities a reality,” said Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Debi Durham. “Not only do Local Housing Trust Funds make a very real difference in the lives of thousands of Iowa families, but they also leverage millions in other contributions, showcasing the shared commitment to advancing affordable housing throughout our state.” 

The grant funds will be used for initiatives such as preserving aging housing stock, subsidizing local rental and down payment assistance programs, providing low-interest loans or grants to assist Iowans with home rehabilitation, financing construction of new single-family housing for low-income Iowans, and supporting housing for persons with disabilities and homeless assistance programs.” 

One of the recipients of the funds is the East Central Iowa Housing Trust Fund, which serves Jones, Benton, Iowa, and Washington counties. East Central was awarded $230,534. 

The State Housing Trust Fund was created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003. The awards announced will leverage an additional $2.7 million in other financing of 42 cents for every dollar of Local Housing Trust Fund program funding. Since it’s inception, the program has provided $77.2 million in affordable housing assistance to benefit more than 26,200 Iowa families. 

The State Housing Trust Fund helps ensure decent, safe and affordable housing for Iowans through two programs. The Local Housing Trust Fund Program receives at least 60 percent of the SHTF allocation to provide grants for organizations certified by the Iowa Finance Authority as a Local Housing Trust Fund. The remaining funding goes to the Project-Based Housing Program, which aids in the development of affordable single-family and multi-family housing. The Iowa Finance Authority administers both programs and provides technical assistance to housing-related organizations. 

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