- PCHTF
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund is pleased to announce the Work that Impacts Housing Program (WTIHP), a transformative program that bridges two urgent needs – workforce development and housing preservation.
Applications are now open for the program’s new building trades pre-apprenticeship track that helps adults gain useful career skills. Adults age 18+ who have obtained a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent experience are eligible to join a paid pre-apprenticeship program lasting a total of about 4 months. The program includes two phases providing first-hand experience in both residential and commercial construction settings.
“The Work That Impacts Housing Program is intended to positively transform low-to moderate-income homeowners’ homes to be healthier and safer, while positioning Polk County adults eager for a sustainable career,” said Julian Neely, director of advancement and community investment at the Polk County Housing Trust Fund. “This is a beautiful partnership and collaboration between regional entities generating feasible solutions for housing preservation and workforce development efforts.”
First, in partnership with the City of Des Moines, pre-apprentices will take part in paid educational and on-site training for five weeks. During this time, they will complete the TradesFutures Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) instructed by Forest Avenue Outreach. They will also gain on-site residential construction experience assisting the City of Des Moines’ Improving Our Neighborhoods (ION) program by assisting with interior single-family home repairs for low- and moderate-income Des Moines homeowners alongside licensed City contractors.
After five weeks in this phase, pre-apprentices will transition to a three month commercial phase on either an electrical or carpentry track, in partnership with the Local 106 Carpentry Union or I.B.E.W. Local 347. During this phase, they will be hired as pre-apprentices and obtain job experience with contractors like Tri-City Electric and Baker Electric.
The Work that Impacts Housing Program will provide a wealth of experience, from earning the MC3 certification to gaining skills and knowledge toward obtaining a national recognized building inspection license or obtaining an in-demand career in the building trades.
“This opportunity benefits everyone involved,” City of Des Moines property improvement administrator Dan Grauerholz said. “Residents receive needed repairs that would typically fall outside the scope of our work, contractors gain additional support with materials, and pre-apprentices get valuable hands-on experience in a field they are working to enter.”
Applications are now open through this opportunity at https://dsm.city/wtihp and are being accepted until May 19 at 4:00 p.m. Six pre-apprentices will be selected for the initial program. Additional program information can also be found at https://pchtf.org/work or by contacting PCHTF’s director of advancement and community investment, Julian Neely, at jneely@pchtf.org.
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund is proud to provide the funding and resources to compensate for pre-apprentices and necessary home repairs for LMI homeowners in our community. Thank you to the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, the Principal Foundation, Nationwide, and Bank of America for making this program possible.
- PCHTF
- May 1
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Housing Matters Symposium was held April 30, 2026 at the Iowa Events Center. Thank you to all who attended and to our presenting sponsors AARP Iowa and the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
Listen to Housing Matters Symposium as a podcast
Thanks to the generocity of our speakers, you can listen to audio from Housing Matters Symposium as a podcast. We will be uploading each session as an episode soon, so be sure to subscribe on your favorite service so you don't miss anything!
Listen online at pchtf.org/podcast or through Spotify, YouTube, or (coming soon) Apple Podcasts.
Keynote speaker Charles Marohn
Talk of a “housing crisis” pervades North American cities—be it about off-the-charts rents in coastal cities or hyper-vacancy in the Rust Belt. Charles Marohn discussed the deeper dysfunctions beneath these symptoms. He called for building a more antifragile housing ecosystem in which the bar to entry is low and every neighborhood can undergo incremental change over time.
Presented by Charles Marohn, founder of Strong Towns.
View slides from this presentation
Housing Sites of Opportunity
PCHTF teamed up with local planning firm Confluence to investigate underutilized types of land available for redevelopment of housing, then to visualize Missing Middle Housing developments that could be built there. Housing Sites of Opportunity exist across our metro, and this project lifts up strategies and partnerships to help take advantage.
Presented by Abbey Eckberg and Jane Reasoner, Confluence; introduced by Johnny Alcivar, PCHTF. This session is presented in partnership with Capital Crossroads.
Our new report is available now at https://pchtf.org/missingmiddle
View slides from this presentation
Develop the Developer Launchpad
Building small scale projects in established neighborhoods is a challenge, especially for emerging developers. Last December, PCHTF graduated its first cohort of developers through a multifamily housing boot camp. Now, select graduates from that program will embark on a multi-month development fellowship with DEV Partners. We shared what’s next for the fellows and future opportunities to participate in this program.
Meet the fellows in our recent blog post or learn more about Develop the Developer Launchpad at https://pchtf.org/dtdl
This session was presented by Julian D. Neely, PCHTF and Danny Heggen, DEV Partners.
View slides from this presentation
Incremental Development Showcase
We introduced developers working on innovative infill projects that are bringing new housing options to local neighborhoods. Their presentations highlighted the benefits of neighborhood-scale incremental development and the challenges that come along the way.
Moderated by Toby O’Berry, PCHTF, with Mike Stuart, Tiny Homes of Iowa; Carrie Woerdeman, Central Iowa Community Land Trust/HOME, Inc.; Scott Cutler, Cutler Development; Dan Drendel, Slingshot Architecture.
View slides from this presentation
View video related to this presentation
HOME Inc. shared a new video highlighting the first homes made available through the Central Iowa Community land Trust.
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund (PCHTF) has announced the next phase of its Develop the Developer Launchpad, presented by Wells Fargo, a new program to support emerging multifamily developers.
In December, the program graduated its first cohort of developers through a two-week intensive boot camp. The experience provided exposure to a variety of key development skills, the opportunity to build relationships with local leaders, and platform to apply new skills through a group project.
Now, through an extensive application process, three graduates of the boot camp have been selected for an intensive co-development fellowship with local firm DEV Partners while simultaneously working toward their own housing development proposal.
“Develop the Developer Launchpad has become a transformative opportunity for emerging multifamily developers, which was the intention,” said Julian Neely, PCHTF’s director of advancement and community investment. “We are delivering not only educational opportunities but in addition, a unique point of pride for us about this program is the direct opportunity for joint venture development projects with capital attached. This investment is possible thanks to the generosity of our program funders.”
The following individuals have been selected for the program’s inaugural co-development fellowship:
• Jasmine Brooks (Brooks Homes) is a real estate developer and the founder of Brooks Homes, LLC., a residential development company serving the state of Iowa. With over a decade of experience spanning roles as a licensed realtor, property owner, and builder, Jasmine brings a uniquely comprehensive perspective to every project she undertakes.
• Elizabeth (Liz) Schelling (HBU Development) is a real estate professional and developer based in Polk City, Iowa. She has over a decade of experience in commercial development, site strategy, financial modeling, and cross-functional leadership. She is the co owner of HBU Development, where she sources, negotiates, and delivers commercial projects across the Midwest, specializing in quick service restaurants and convenience stores.
• Chris Wilson (C3 Equity Partners) is a husband, father, and entrepreneur with wide-ranging experience spanning the restaurant industry, transportation, insurance and business development. Chris is an active real estate investor who approaches opportunities with intention and a long-term mindset. He is passionate about using real estate as a tool for stability, access, and community impact.
As part of the project, the fellows will participate in the development of a 12-unit housing project with local firm DEV Partners in the Drake Neighborhood of Des Moines with an anticipated opening in September 2027.
“We wanted to take them through the entire process from beginning to end, and we hope the relationships developed between the fellows and our community partners stretch far into the future,” said Danny Heggen, CFO of DEV Partners who has helped steward the developer launchpad program since its creation and was selected to lead the co-development opportunity. PCHTF’s investment in the project will include equity investments as loans in the name of each of the fellows supported by Wells Fargo.
A second session of the two-week developer boot camp is planned for September. For ongoing updates about the program and to sign up to stay informed, visit PCHTF.org/DTDL.