Thousands of Polk County residents are struggling to afford the place they live.
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund works to change that through planning, advocacy, and funding. We explain how in our new annual report.
What's the problem? The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates there are just 23 homes that are both affordable and available for every 100 extremely low income households in Polk County.
Many people in this situation are working service and retail jobs, or child or elder care roles. Others are seniors and people with disabilities.
One recent study found that 41,000 people in our 5-county metro area-most in Polk County-cannot afford to live on their own, even when earning in the 90th percentile for their occupation.
The greatest hardship is among people with annual incomes under $20-25,000/year, but pain is creeping up the income scale as costs rise.
How do we help? The Polk County Housing Trust Fund allocated over $2.5 million last year to help these people and families find and keep their housing.
Our funding last year will create or protect over 1,000 affordable homes.
We funded programs and services to helped 2,099 households find housing and develop skills for self-sufficiency.
We can’t solve the problem alone, so we collaborate and advocate for solutions in the community to achieve even more.
Each day this week, we will be sharing additional information about people and organizations working to help. Sign up to stay informed about our work.