Preservation of federally-backed housing in Central Iowa
Elsie Mason Manor
Downtown Des Moines
Developed by a local church with HUD funds; opened in 1981.
Renovated with Low Income Housing Tax Credits in 2014.
Offers 150 rent-assisted apartments for seniors age 62+ today.
Every housing development has its own unique story.
An important housing resource
The federal government has invested in affordable housing for more than six decades. Housing programs are complex and have frequently changed. But what has stayed the same is the need for these properties and the importance that they be well maintained to provide safe, stable homes our community can depend on.
Helping those most in need of stable homes
This housing is a critical resource to serve the most vulnerable, especially because many federally-backed properties offer or are compatible with additional forms of rental assistance.
Public benefits, private ownership
The vast majority of housing in our report is privately owned by for-profit or non-profit entities. Understanding those owners' needs and plans is important for maintaining regional supply.
A future in our hands
Affordability restrictions at most of these properties expire after a period of time. Unless we act, the supply of this much needed housing will shrink.
Housing programs in this project
We used records from the National Housing Preservation Database and other government and private sources to build a local database of federally-backed housing in Central Iowa (Polk, Dallas, and Warren Counties).
We started by adding four types of housing and plan on adding more over time.
What is not included in our report at this time?
-
These properties are not a comprehensive view of all federally backed affordable housing, such as projects funded only by the HOME program or the National Housing Trust Fund, CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief) and others.
-
Properties that have local affordability agreements, but not funding from the main federal sources we included.
-
Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH), which is housing affordable to low- and moderate-income renters that is not part of any government program.
Learn about federally-backed housing in our region
Read our report on federally backed housing serving Central Iowa
Available August 21
View an interactive map of local properties
Available August 21
Strategies for Supporting Preservation
Continued affordable housing development with local support is more important than ever.
Demand continues to outpace supply and current deregulation environment threatens to impact affordable housing development. Local entities must continue to use all available financing tools to incentivize development.
Collaborate to prevent loss of existing affordable units.
The preservation database should lead to action and preventive strategies by local stakeholders to extend affordability timelines and avoid project depreciation or exit.
Build upon, expand scope and reach of this preservation database.
This project is a starting point focusing on four major sources of federal assistance. In the future we will incorporate additional affordability programs and details about each property in a regional housing dashboard.
Focus on finding, creating, and advocating for funding streams.
Solutions require additional funding and financing mechanisms. Existing mechanisms are limited. Stakeholders advocate for the creation of new funding streams and also the expansion of existing sources.
Learn more about these strategies in the full report, available August 21.
About this project
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund's local preservation database is based on Central Iowa records from the National Housing Preservation Database, a project of the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. View the national database at preservationdatabase.org.
More information about housing programs in the database
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
-
Program information from the Iowa Finance Authority
HUD Multifamily Housing
-
HUD's interactive map of multifamily housing projects (also can show public housing locations)
-
Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) information
USDA Rural Development
Public Housing
-
Des Moines Municipal Housing Authority
-
Central Iowa Regional Housing Authority
-
Warren County Regional Housing Authority