Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity has over 35 years of experience addressing the lack of decent and affordable housing for qualified low-income families.
The organization addresses community needs through programs that assist low-income households utilizing a self-help approach. Habitat transforms neighborhoods and helps families build wealth through homeownership. It provides families stability by supporting owner-occupied repair and supports financial self-sufficiency through one-on-one counseling and education.
Recent major accomplishments for Greater Des Moines Habitat include the organization’s 10-house ‘blitz build’ on Watson Avenue in 2017 and the 23-house Birdland Pocket Neighborhood in 2019, the first of its kind in Iowa. Both projects helped revitalize the Union Park neighborhood, which had been devastated by flooding.
Over the course of its service to the community, Habitat has helped over 400 individuals and families become homeowners in Greater Des Moines. The organization evaluates its programs carefully to ensure its programs are as accessible as possible to BIPOC households and beginning to build in areas of opportunity which would have been inaccessible to low-income households of color in the past.
Habitat’s housing counseling and financial education programs help even more families prepare for homeownership. It’s Rock the Block home repair program completed almost 300 repairs in 2022 that helped make homes safer and more livable for local families. These are just some examples of the robust and well-rounded services Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity provides to lift up stability and opportunity for local families.
You can learn more about Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity at www.gdmhabitat.org.
This week, the Polk County Housing Trust Fund is sharing stories about some of our provider partners working to ensure housing opportunity for all. Make sure you sign up for e-mail updates to stay in touch when we share more stories like these.