Iowa Finance Authority Awards more than $900,000 in Grants for Homelessness Services in Iowa

Organizations in fifteen communities receive funding to assist homeless services

Des Moines – January 10, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors today awarded $900,776 in grants to twenty-seven organizations to assist homeless and domestic violence shelters with costs associated with providing essential services, emergency shelter operations and homelessness prevention services. The funding is made available through the Shelter Assistance Fund program.

Shelter Assistance Fund applications are accepted on an annual basis and are judged through a competitive process. The Iowa Finance Authority received 39 eligible applications for the 2013 round requesting more than $1.3 million in funding. The program is funded with proceeds from the Real Estate Transfer Tax, of which $900,776 is available for the 2013 Shelter Assistance program.

“The Iowa Finance Authority is proud to provide our partner organizations with funds that are vital to their continued work in serving some of Iowa’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison. “Through the grants announced today it is our goal that many Iowans and their families can be prevented from becoming homeless or quickly regain affordable housing.”
The Iowa Council on Homelessness reports that 17,900 homeless Iowans were served by service providers throughout the state in 2011, which is a decline from 18,212 in 2010. Iowa’s homelessness assistance and prevention programs throughout the state assisted an unduplicated total of more than 44,607 Iowans in 2011. State-wide and county-level trends are available at: IowaHomelessness.com

The Iowa Legislature created The Iowa Finance Authority, the state’s housing finance agency, in 1975 to undertake programs to assist in the attainment of housing for low- and moderate-income Iowans. Since then, the Iowa Finance Authority’s role has grown to include nearly 50 affordable housing and water quality programs. The Iowa Finance Authority is a self-supporting public agency whose mission is to finance, administer, advance and preserve affordable housing and to promote community and economic development for Iowans.

Projects awarded Shelter Assistance Funds awards:
Cedar Rapids
Foundation 2
Award: $50,500
Contact: Audrey Meyer, 319-362-1170

Willis Dady Emergency Shelter
Award: $20,000
Contact: Tim Wilson: 319-804-1566

Area Substance Abuse Council
Award: $75,000
Contact: Jon Garringer, 319-390-4611

Clinton
Pathway Living Center
Award: $60,000
Contact: Melissa Peterson, 563-242-3687

Information, Referral & Assistance Services
Award: $30,000
Contact: Regan Michaelsen, 563-243-5818

Creston
Rural Iowa Crisis Center
Award: $19,697
Contact: Vickie Hodge, 641-782-2706

Des Moines Central Iowa Shelter & Services
Award: $75,000 Contact: Tony Timm, 515-280-2987
Youth Emergency Services & Shelter
Award: $27,755
Contact: Katie Gallo, 515-243-7825

Des Moines Area Religious Council
Award: $30,000
Contact: Kristine Frakes, 515-277-6969

Cottage Grove Avenue Presbyterian Church
Award: $25,000
Contact: Dr. Roberta Victor, 515-279-8877

Beacon of Life
Award: $30,000
Contact: Keshia Meissner, 515-244-4713

Family Promise of Greater Des Moines
Award: $16,000
Contact: Jim Cain, 515-277-7051

Dubuque
Opening Doors
Award: $30,000
Contact: Michelle Brown, 563-582-7480

Dubuque Community YWCA Domestic Violence Program
Award: $30,000
Contact: Sr. Charla Bulko, 563-588-0048

Fort Dodge
Fort Dodge Housing Agency
Award: $30,000
Contact: Barbara Michaels, 515-573-7751

Grundy Center
Seeds of Hope
Award: $26,824
Contact: Terry Helinski, 319-272-1400

Hiawatha
Hawkeye Area Community Action Program
Award: $75,000
Contact: Heather Harney: 319-393-7811

Mason City
NIAD Center for Human Development/Crisis Intervention Service
Award: $30,000
Contact: Mary Ingham, 641-424-9071

Northern Lights Alliance for the Homeless
Award: $30,000
Contact: Maria Anderson, 641-420-9188

Muscatine
Muscatine Center for Social Action
Award: $20,000
Contact: Maggie Curry, 563-264-3278

Ottumwa
Crisis Center and Women’s Shelter
Award: $30,000
Contact: Cheryl Brown, 641-683-1750

Sioux City
Center for Siouxland
Award: $30,000
Contact: Jonette Spurlock, 712-252-1861

Council on Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence
Award: $30,000
Contact: Margaret Sanders, 712-277-0131

Shesler Hall
Award: $20,000
Contact: Margaret Armstrong, 712-258-8059

Sioux Center
Family Crisis Centers of Northwest Iowa
Award: $20,000
Contact: Shari Kastein, 712-722-4483

Spencer
Centers Against Abuse & Sexual Assault
Award: $17,000
Contact: Julie Schulenberg, 712-262-4612

Waverly
Cedar Valley Friends of the Family
Award: $23,000
Contact: Ben Brustkern: 319-352-1108

Contact:
Ashley Jared 515.725.4934