Community Housing Initiatives Receives $25,000 Grant from NeighborWorks America to Aid in Flood Disaster Response in Spencer, Iowa

Spencer, IA — [October 2, 2024] — Community Housing Initiatives (CHI) is proud to announce receiving a $25,000 grant from NeighborWorks America. These critical funds play a vital role in supporting ongoing disaster recovery efforts following the severe flooding that hit Spencer, Iowa in June. The floods caused widespread damage, affecting hundreds of residents and severely impacting housing and public infrastructure. It's estimated that 65% of the city's rental properties were affected.

The flooding also led to the loss of 17 affordable housing units at CHI Spencer, adding to the challenges faced by the community. CHI is currently seeking additional funding and collaborating with the city to help Spencer build back better.

In response to the grant, Deletta Dean, Regional Vice President of NeighborWorks America’s Midwest Region, stated, "We are pleased to provide Community Housing Initiatives with this $25,000 grant to support their critical disaster response and flood recovery efforts in Spencer, Iowa. NeighborWorks America recognizes the tremendous impact that severe flooding has had on the Spencer community, and we are honored to support CHI. We are grateful for CHI's resilience and commitment to maintaining community health, and we are proud to stand alongside them in this endeavor. Together, we will continue to strengthen communities across the Midwest Region, even in the face of adversity."

CHI has been actively working with local and national partners to assist the community in the aftermath of the flood, which displaced over 400 Spencer residents. Collaborative efforts with the City of Spencer, FEMA, The Red Cross, the National Guard, the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA), and the Clay County Housing and Crisis Teams have been crucial in providing emergency relief, temporary housing, and essential services.

About Community Housing Initiatives

Community Housing Initiatives, (CHI) is Iowa’s largest non-profit housing provider. Since 1993, CHI has worked closely with communities ranging in population from 800 to 200,000 serving the sole charitable purpose of creating housing solutions that meet community needs and provide comprehensive services for residents.

As one of the most successful developers and managers of affordable rental housing in Iowa, CHI has generated or preserved over 1,600 affordable housing units offered at below market rates. CHI has also worked with state and local governments, civic groups, and non-profit organizations to promote the development of safe, affordable, and accessible rental housing.

CHI has invested over $270 million in Iowa communities. For 30 years, CHI has re-invested all income from development and rental properties directly back into Iowa communities.

About NeighborWorks America

NeighborWorks America is a congressionally chartered nonprofit that supports community development and affordable housing efforts across the United States. Their grant programs provide critical resources to help communities recover from disasters and strengthen housing resilience.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Savannah Minnick
Director of Marketing and Communications
515-350-8164 | [email protected]

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We want to work together, as a team, as more information becomes available to us. Please read this information and share with your family. 

In the meantime, simple steps can be taken to make sure we are doing our best to stop the spread of germs. Here are a few other things you can do (teach your children to do the same!) to keep your family healthy and help prevent the spread of viruses:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Stay away from others who are sick and stay home if you are ill
• Cough and sneeze into a tissue (make sure to throw it away after each use!) or cough and sneeze into your arm or elbow, not your hands
• Clean and disinfect household objects and surfaces in your home, and please take a little extra effort to help your community by disinfecting common areas, railings, door knobs, etc.
• Avoid touching your face

If you or a family member has a fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath, please see your doctor immediately. This is very important. Also, if you are sick, we ask that you hold basic work orders until you have been cleared from illness.

We also ask that you let your regional manager know if you test positive for the coronavirus (contact info is below). Your information will be kept private and will only be used to help us continue education to our family of residents.

Central Regional Manager’s Name: MONICA GREER
Tel: 515-223-0029  Email: [email protected]

Northwest Regional Manager’s Name: ALICIA ROOS
Tel: 712-262-5965  Email: [email protected]

Sioux City Regional Manager’s Name: JULIE SCOTT
Tel: 712-224-2233  Email: [email protected]

Eastern Regional Manager’s Name: PAULA GOURLEY
Tel: 319-362-1020  Email: [email protected]

Clinton Regional Manager’s Name: BEVERLY PETERSEN
Tel: 563-242-0045  Email: [email protected]

We are here to help answer any questions you have.

Thank you,
CHI Resident Services
 

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It’s back to school season with families around Iowa checking school supply lists by day and kids playing outside at night on their last free evenings before they go back to their academic routines.

At Community Housing Initiatives, we think everything about being a kid is easier when you have a quality place to live.  Succeeding in school is no different.  In fact, the apartments we rent around Iowa are related to educational success for kids in many ways, according to a recent report by the Center for Housing Policy.

Some of the connections are easier to see.  When families have access to quality places to live they can afford, more of the family budget can be spent on school supplies, books, and other family necessities.  Families that don’t have to struggle as hard to make ends meet have more time and energy to focus on learning at home.

We work hard to keep our apartments well maintained because we know that quality homes and apartments people can afford are cleaner and safer, with fewer health hazards and less crowding.  Those things help kids too.

Researchers studying education among young people also look at more complicated issues like how often families have to move and the role moving plays in how kids do in school. Why families move is critically important.  When families lose their home because of financial or other problems, kids go through a lot of upheaval and can be set back in school.  An affordable apartment or house can be an important stabilizing force for a whole family.

One recent Urban Institute report sheds more light on the complicated relationship between where kids live and how they do in school.  More than just housing is part of this picture–crime rates, the job market, access to parks, transportation quality and more are influential on how our community’s kids do in school.

There is evidence to suggest programs like Housing Choice Vouchers and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit can help families access better schools, and ultimately do better in school.  Still, the best way to give more families access to good education opportunities through housing is still hotly debated by policy experts. While we continue to learn about how kids’ living situation affects how they do in school, we know that planning and building our apartment communities with care — and maintaining them well — are critically important for the kids we serve.  And in that way, we are happy to help send our youngest residents back to school with the best start we can.

School bus photograph by H. Michael Miley via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons BY-SA license.

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