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This summer, Stacie Phillips has been hard at work bringing something back in the Capitol Park neighborhood on Des Moines’ East Side. At the immediate level, she’s been working bring back a porch that historically would have been on the front of a home on East 13th Street. Or getting those bathroom walls adjusted so…
A glimpse inside our communities
Aug
09
2017
This year, a group of residents planned a celebration for National Night Out at our Lundby Townhomes in Cedar Rapids, held August 1. Close to 50 residents turned out to take part, enjoying a potluck dinner, bounce house for the kids, and visits from several Cedar Rapids police and fire officials including Sgt. Cristy Hamblin…
Aug
08
2017
Splashing around in the pool, sleeping in late and taking a break from math and science are the joys of summer for many children. However, long evenings chasing fireflies and no homework don’t last forever; those days will come to an end as students prepare to head back to school. Before the classroom doors open,…
Jul
17
2017
Special insulated panels sped construction at Southern Pointe Apartments while providing a more comfortable energy efficient final property. Southern Pointe Apartments is our latest new apartment community, offering 3 and 4 bedroom apartments in Spencer, Iowa. The building offers larger apartments that are badly needed in Clay County and the Iowa Great Lakes Region generally,…
Jul
10
2017
If you’ve passed a 1905 two-story house on Cleveland Street near E. 13th Street lately, you’ve probably noticed something striking about the place: A new mural by Joseph “Sentrock” Perez was installed at the end of June. It depicts a masked figure nearly 15 feet tall speaking the words “We learned to fly without wings.” …
Jun
23
2017
Serving communities statewide, CHI remains committed to Northwest Iowa Staff assembled little free libraries which will be placed at CHI apartment communities to allow anyone who wishes to take or leave a book. It is part family reunion, part training seminar, and part service event as 33 staff of Community Housing Initiatives converge on Spencer…
Jun
15
2017
New $500,000 award will support range of housing, public art and infrastructure work Community Housing Initiatives, CHI, has announced receipt of a new $500,000 grant award to support the Viva East Bank neighborhood revitalization initiative focused on Des Moines’ Capitol East, Martin Luther King Jr. Park, and Capitol Park neighborhoods. The funds will support numerous…
Jun
08
2017
Roosevelt School Apartments in Clinton, formerly the Clinton Community School District’s administration building, has been recognized as Iowa’s top historic adaptive use restoration for 2017 by Preservation Iowa, a statewide nonprofit advocate for historic preservation. Roosevelt School Apartments received the “Preservation at Its Best” award June 8 at the 2017 Preserve Iowa Summit, in Fort…
May
26
2017
Event offers opportunity to learn about plans for artist apartments, share memories of historic school Community Housing Initiatives, the nonprofit responsible for converting West Des Moines historic Phenix Elementary to mixed-income artist apartments, has announced an open house at the property Monday, June 12, from 4 to 7 pm. “With this event, we are also…
Jan
12
2017
Picture it: Community leaders and neighbors gather at Phenix Elementary in West Des Moines to hail the public-private partnership that saved a historic school. A community takes pride in the fact that one of its landmark buildings is protected for another generation, and hundreds of area residents pack the building for a first look inside.…