About the Polk County Housing Trust Fund
We are the comprehensive, planning, advocacy, and funding organization for affordable housing in Polk County, Iowa.
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund propels Greater Des Moines' effort to ensure everybody has equitable housing access. We allocate community funds to increase and improve the inventory of affordable places to live. Alongside that, we fund support services to help people find and keep their home.
Our mission
To provide strategic leadership, expertise, and resources to strengthen communities by expanding affordable housing choices in Polk County.
Our vision
Everyone has equal opportunity for safe, stable, affordable homes within the communities where they choose to live, work, play and learn.
The Trust Fund is a qualified Local Housing Trust Fund defined in Iowa law. PCHTF allocates over two million dollars annually to build, preserve, and maintain affordable housing.
Polk County's government is the largest funder of the Trust Fund. The Board of Supervisors determined that the best use of tax revenue for housing was through an independent organization managed by community volunteers familiar with housing needs. The Supervisors originally formed and funded the Trust Fund in 1995, and their support funds 100% of our operating costs.
The State of Iowa funds affordable housing through its allocation to the State Housing Trust Fund which are granted to local funds like PCHTF. Due to the large population it serves, Polk County Housing Trust Fund is the largest recipient. State law restricts the use of these funds to costs of new construction and rehabilitation of existing affordable housing units.
The Trust Fund's strategic plan
Learn what the Trust Fund plans to do to advance housing choice and opportunity in Greater Des Moines by reviewing our strategic plan.
Stable Steady Strong
In addition to helping build housing the community needs, we help fund programs and services that get people housed and keep them housed. Each year, local companies, organizations and individuals make this possible by investing in Stable Steady Strong.
What sets us apart?
Dozens of local housing leaders guide our work.
PCHTF’s standing committees carefully evaluate proposals from for-profit and nonprofit organizations that seek to address local needs and then recommend funding for those that demonstrate the greatest impact. Diverse membership on our board and committees helps ensure a wide range of community perspectives are considered in our process.
Our flexible funding follows the need.
The Trust Fund is rarely the sole funder of a project or program, and it is often the most flexible. Leveraging the organization’s resources with other funding streams is a high priority for our board of directors. By offering maximum flexibility to the developer or provider, we help with creative solutions that might not be fundable elsewhere.
We stay grounded in the data.
We rely on close analysis of data from a variety of sources to keep up to date with the housing market and community needs. We make sure projects we fund align with both.