(DES MOINES) – The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors recently approved more than $2.3 million in homeless assistance grants to assist 32 agencies with homelessness prevention and assistance initiatives during the 2017 calendar year. Among them, in western Iowa, is: Heartland Family Services; The Crisis Intervention and Advocacy Center; area Family Crisis Centers; and Micah House.

The funding is made available through the federal Emergency Solutions Grant program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and by the Iowa Finance Authority in Iowa. The purpose of the Emergency Solutions Grant program is to help Iowans and their families quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness and to the help persons experiencing homelessness to quickly move back into stable long-term housing.

Types of assistance can include emergency shelter, street outreach, homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing. Examples of eligible initiatives include funds for shelter operations and essential services, short-term rental or utility assistance, case management and housing relocation and stabilization services.

The following is a breakdown of the Providers, areas served and amount of assistance awarded:

• Heartland Family Service – serving Pottawattamie County; Homelessness Prevention & Rapid Rehousing: $80,000.
• Crisis Intervention & Advocacy Center = serving Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Dallas, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Madison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby, Taylor, Union and Decatur Counties; Rapid Rehousing: $72,000.
• Family Crisis Centers – serving 17 counties (Including Sac, Crawford and Carroll); Shelter & Rapid Rehousing: $105,000.
• Micah House – serving Adair, Cass, Crawford, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pott. & Shelby Counties; Shelter: $49,000.