Atlantic, Iowa – Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund (SWIHTF), a nonprofit fund administered by Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO), recently completed the rehabilitation of twelve homes in the southwest Iowa region with a $100,000 grant from Iowa West Foundation awarded in March 2022.

The homes with Iowa West funds were in the cities of Harlan (4 homes), Atlantic (3 homes), Henderson, Clarinda, Shenandoah, Elliott, and Griswold. The total rehabilitation cost for the twelve homes was $203,394 and the Iowa West Foundation funds leveraged $103,394 of other grants from the Iowa Finance Authority and the United States Department of Agriculture. Types of repairs included replacement windows and doors, roof repairs, upgraded insulation, foundation repair, and health hazard abatement. In total over the last year SWIPCO has rehabilitated 48 homes across multiple programs.

“I am super appreciative of the grant that was used to be able to get the work done on my house. I love my house,” stated Whitney Vanderpool, a homeowner assisted in Atlantic. “It has been helpful to have a fourth bedroom in the basement with an egress window. There is no longer any leaking in my basement as the wall was fixed so there is no longer water in my basement. It was a huge blessing to have that fixed as well as the sewer, as the basement can now be fixed up, if necessary for another area of living space. It is wonderful and such a blessing to us that such a program was out there to assist us as it did.”

All twelve homes met income eligibility requirements to qualify. Seven of the homes are owned by disabled individuals, five of the homes are owned by elderly individuals, and one home included children under the age of six living in the residence.

“Rehabilitation is a great way for low to moderate income homeowners to not only improve the health, safety, and energy efficiency of their dwellings, but to build value in their existing homes,” said Erin Hudson, SWIPCO Community Development Director.

SWIPCO routinely provides grant writing and administration services to its member communities in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby Counties and has brought over $129 million in grants to the region in the last year alone.

The Iowa West Foundation is committed to make southwest Iowa a place where families love to live. It has distributed more than $500 million to nonprofits and governmental agencies through southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska since the inception of its grant program. Funding for the grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contractual fees from casino operators, Ameristar, and Harrah’s. IWRA is the license sponsor for Ameristar and Harrah’s and the license holder for Horseshoe-Bluffs Run. The Foundation targets resources into programs and projects that focus on housing, financial stability, educational opportunities, belonging and well-being.