Iowa
Over 200 people showed up to this Iowa City public input meeting
More than 200 people show up for public input meeting
IOWA CITY — More than 200 people showed up for a public input meeting this week on affordable housing and how Iowa City should use its federal housing funds.
The Wednesday evening meeting at St. Patrick Church in east Iowa City was arranged by Escucha Mi Voz, a service organization that assists immigrant workers with housing, health services, legal aid and community organizing.
City staff, county officials and Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague were on hand for the session where members of Escucha Mi Voz provided personal testimonies about their renting experiences in Iowa City.
The stories included details of poor treatment from landlords, lack of access to affordable units, crowded apartments and inability to qualify for existing city rental support programs.
Escucha Mi Voz also offered formal recommendations on how to improve affordable housing access in the city. Among the ideas:
- Prioritize rezoning with a focus on high density multifamily developments and allocate funds for affordable housing outside of the voucher system.
- Work with organizations with a demonstrated need (like Escucha Mi Voz) on housing projects outside of the voucher system.
- Negotiate a 20 percent donation from developers to support affordable housing projects in the area.
- Update the city’s definition of homelessness to include those living in households with double occupancy or more, which educational institutions are using.
- Assume immigrant workers and families are low to moderate income and to accept self certification for city housing assistance programs.
The money, the plan
Iowa City receives more than $1 million a year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of its Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Program.
The funds are expected to be used to improve the living conditions of those with low to moderate incomes, people with special needs and people experiencing homelessness.
The city is updating its City Steps 2030 planning process to cover fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
The plan is expected to be ready sometime in March or April 2025. The city will send the plan to HUD in May 2025 and, if approved, it will be put into action at the start of the fiscal year on July 1, 2025.
This week, the city held two other public input at the Ridge Neighborhood Center and at the Broadway Neighborhood Center. City residents also can fill out an online survey on how the housing funds should be used.
Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com