ADVOCATE

All Iowans deserve to have a safe, decent, and affordable place to call home. Unfortunately, more than 1 in 10 Iowa households spend half or more of their income on housing. That means they face tough choices between housing and healthcare, nutritious food, education, transportation, and more.

Greater Des Moines Habitat believes that affordable homeownership is key to building stronger families, neighborhoods, and communities in central Iowa.  We welcome your voice as Habitat brings together constituents, partner families, and volunteers to guide community leaders and legislators to make informed decisions about policies affecting affordable homeownership.

Read more about Habitat’s 2022 State Advocacy Agenda. Habitat Iowa introduced a homeownership omnibus bill (SF2211)  during the 2022 legislative session to create new pathways to affordable homeownership for Iowans.  One of the divisions, the Housing Renewal Program, was included in the economic development appropriations bill and passed by the Iowa House.

Land banks – SF 590 – This legislation creates land banks for Iowa.  Land banks are beneficial to communities as they return vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties to productive use and help facilitate neighborhood revitalization and home affordability.

Veterans Homeownership – SF 2264. This bill proposes increasing the standing $2 million appropriation to the Iowa Finance Authority for the veteran homeownership program by adding an additional $2 million. This program is very popular in Iowa and typically runs out of funds mid-year.

Property Tax Exemption – HF 626. House File 626 creates an additional option for a city or a county to provide a property tax exemption to owner-occupied residential property located in an area that was previously in a lending discriminatory (“redlined”) area prior to the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity partners with Habitat-Iowa on legislative priorities at the Iowa statehouse, advocating for policies that boost affordable homeownership opportunities in central Iowa and across the state.

Sign up for Advocacy Action Alerts. You’ll receive email alerts about small actions you can take to support housing.

Find and contact Iowa’s governor & your state legislators here:

Habitat for Humanity affiliates gather annually at the Iowa Capitol for Habitat’s Day at the Capitol to meet in person with Iowa legislators on Habitat’s state priorities. In 2022, affiliates, partner families, advocates, and staff from across the state met with Governor Kim Reynolds, Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, and nearly 40 legislators to share Habitat’s mission and affordable homeownership initiatives.