Iowa City wants to hear from the public on affordable housing

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Iowa City is requesting feedback from the general public regarding the needs for affordable housing and community development.

In order to help low- to moderate-income households, the city is holding a number of public forums with the goal of discussing how to spend funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

”This is unaffordable, for everybody, not even for Section 8 or affordable housing,” said Hanadi Elshazali is a family support worker in Iowa City.

During her tenure in Iowa City, she claimed, a lot has changed in the housing market.

”When I moved to Iowa City, that was back like 2001, two bedrooms was like $500 or $480 or something decent,” Elshazali said.

According to her, those costs have almost tripled.

As a component of its City Steps 2030 plan, Iowa City is creating a combined plan for the following five years.

People can fill out a list of preferences at the meetings, and the city is also collecting input online through an online survey.

”It’s really to get input from the community and from stakeholders in the community on changing housing and community development needs, merging needs within the community,” said Bill Wasielewski, a consultant working with Iowa City.

Iowa City was awarded a grant of $3.7 million by the Department of Housing and Urban Development last month.

Although several attendees at the meeting believed the money would aid in the provision of affordable housing, nobody believed it would be the magic bullet.

”I know it will help, for sure it would help. We’re still thankful for the portion they gained, but we want more because the people are in a bad need,” said Elshazali.

As a support worker, Elshazali stated that one of the main issues she has encountered is that many people lack options since Section 8 vouchers are either insufficient for decent housing or landlords are refusing to accept them.

“We want the landlord to really work with us. So people can find homes and… feel home.”

In the meanwhile, Iowa City meets with support groups, nonprofits, and other groups involved in affordable housing projects.