- PCHTF
- May 1
- 2 min read
Updated: May 5
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.
Updated: Apr 1
In just a month, housing advocates from Central Iowa and beyond will gather in the Iowa Event Center's junior ballroom for the Polk County Housing Trust Fund's annual Housing Matters Symposium.
We've been so excited by the community response to our keynote speaker Charles Marohn, author and founder of Strong Towns. Now, we can't wait to share with you the rest of the line-up for this half day session, made possible by presenting sponsors AARP Iowa and the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
The event is filling up fast - be sure to reserve your spot now! Register online at https://hms26.eventbrite.com.
Housing Sites of Opportunity
Throughout our neighborhoods and communities, there are numerous, non-traditional opportunity sites for housing development to explore. To help investigate the characteristics of these sites of opportunity, PCHTF teamed with Confluence to complete an analysis of underutilized, underperforming, or vacant land in Polk County that would be suitable for Missing Middle housing development. Our team identified ten site typologies and created 3-D development graphics to illustrate different scenarios. Cost estimates were produced to serve as a springboard to further conversations about how Central Iowa can develop housing to serve residents at all income levels through all phases of life. The analysis was made possible with support from Wells Fargo. This session is presented by Capital Crossroads.
With Johnny Alcivar, PCHTF; Abbey Eckberg, Confluence; and Jane Reasoner, Confluence
Develop the Developer Launchpad
Expanding housing is a priority, but small-scale projects in established neighborhoods are challenging for emerging developers to build. In December, the Polk County Housing Trust Fund graduated its first Develop the Developer Launchpad cohort after a rigorous two-week bootcamp using Freddie Mac’s national multifamily curriculum. A small group of those graduates will next take part in a multifamily, multi-month fellowship involving a joint venture with DEV Partners and equity investment, while simultaneously working toward their own missing middle development. Learn what’s next for these fellows and how to get involved in a future round of this exciting new program.
With Julian Neely, PCHTF, and Danny Heggen, DEV Partners
Incremental Development Showcase
Housing developers are using a range of innovative strategies to deliver new homes that complement the character of existing neighborhoods. This showcase brings together local leaders behind new infill projects to share insights on both the challenges and opportunities of this approach. We’ll explore how these efforts are addressing rising housing costs while preserving the qualities that make neighborhoods vibrant and livable.
Hosted by Toby O’Berry, PCHTF with
Scott Cutler, Cutler Development
Dan Drendel, Slingshot Architecture
Mike Stuart, Tiny Homes of Iowa
Carrie Woerdeman, Central Iowa Community Land Trust/HOME, Inc.
- PCHTF
- Apr 14, 2025
- 2 min read
Dr. Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Executive Director of Children’s HealthWatch, will headline the Housing Matters Symposium on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the Des Moines Heritage Center, 120 E. 5th Street. Presented by the Polk County Housing Trust Fund, the annual half-day event explores how housing opportunity improves lives—and this year focuses on housing as a critical foundation for health and well-being.
Dr. Ettinger de Cuba is a nationally recognized health policy expert whose research has helped define the evidence linking housing stability to improved health outcomes. Her keynote will highlight how safe, affordable housing acts as a form of preventive health care—and what communities can do to close the gap between housing and better health for all.
After our keynote, a panel of local experts share an inspiring call to action for making the connection between health and housing in Greater Des Moines.
The event comes as Iowa faces rising housing costs and a growing need for coordinated solutions to prevent homelessness and reduce health system strain. The recent Community Health Needs Assessment conducted by major regional health partners highlighted the increasing financial precarity, housing insecurity, and food insecurity facing the community.
The symposium will also preview major efforts underway across the state and region, including supportive housing initiatives that serve people with complex health needs or who are experiencing homelessness, the major new regional homelessness strategic plan that will be unveiled soon, and the launch of a Central Iowa Community Land Trust.
Event Program Highlights
Keynote: “Making the Connection Between Housing and Health Outcomes”Dr. Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Children’s HealthWatch (Boston, MA)
Panel: Local Perspectives on the Housing and Health ConnectionModerated by Nathan Simpson, Primary Health Care; with panelistsCorey Dion Lewis, Broadlawns Medical Center;Juliann Van Liew, Polk County Health Department; andDr. Nancy Williams, Iowa Healthcare
Update on the Central Iowa Community Land TrustCarrie Woerdeman, HOME, Inc.
Creating Opportunities through Supportive HousingAmy Stetzel, Corporation for Supportive Housing
Spotlight on Monarch Apartments, the newest supportive housing community serving Central IowaMargo Miller, Anawim Housing
Preview of Greater Des Moines’ Homelessness Strategic PlanAngie Arthur, Homeward
The Housing Matters Symposium is free and open to the public, but advance registration is strongly encouraged. Complete information and registration can be found at https://hms25.eventbrite.com.
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund (PCHTF) is the comprehensive planning, funding, and advocacy organization for affordable housing in Polk County, Iowa. Learn more about our work at www.pchtf.org.