Iowa Finance Authority Awards More Than $6.4 Million to 27 Local Housing Trust Funds

State Housing Trust Fund Grants to Spur Affordable Housing

DES MOINES, IA – 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.

The State Housing Trust Fund was created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003. The awards announced today will leverage an additional $2.7 million in other financing or $.42 for every dollar of Local Housing Trust Fund program funding. Since its 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 multifamily housing. The Iowa Finance Authority administers both programs and provides technical assistance to housing-related organizations.

The Iowa Legislature created the Iowa Finance Authority in 1975 to undertake programs to assist in the attainment of housing for low-and moderate-income Iowans. Since then, the Iowa Finance Authority’s role has grown to include a wide range of affordable housing, water quality and beginning farmer programs.