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Story County Housing Inc. (SCHI) was founded in 1968 as a result
of then Gov. Harold Hughes’ encouragement for Iowa communities
to work on housing for low-income residents.
During its more than 30 year history, SCHI has pursued a number
of strategies to help low-income families with their housing.
- SCHI helped with the repair and maintenance of homes owned by
low-income residents. This included a program to weatherize their
houses and reduce heating bills.
- It pursued the possibility of operating a credit union.
- It tried several times, although without much success, to export
its programs to other communities in Story County; and
- It accepted used furniture and appliances and distributed these
to its low-income clients.
Home Ownership Program
As the nation wrestled with housing issues at the national level
in the 1970's, SCHI adjusted at the local level to make use of the
resulting programs.
SCHI obtained grants to purchase, rehabilitate and sell homes to
qualified low-income families. This program required little on-going
administration after the initial grant-writing.
- SCHI helped Betty Oxley purchase a home at 122 Maple St. in
Ames.
- An immigrant family, the Brauns, were helped in the purchase
of their home at 805 Wilson in Ames.
- More recently, SCHI helped another immigrant family, the Chanthevongs,
purchase a home at 334 E Avenue in Nevada.
Rental Housing Program
Over the years, major cash loans and gifts to SCHI from religious
organizations and individual donors helped purchase several homes
in Ames. These homes made it possible to offer housing to low-income
families at affordable rents.
To pay back the loans from donors and banks, SCHI participated
in the Section 8 Federal housing program. By making some of their
homes available to families enrolled in this program, families received
subsidized rent payments while SCHI received guaranteed rent payments
-- something difficult for low-income families to do.
Now, with all loans and mortgages repaid, SCHI can rent its homes
at affordable rates; pay for all taxes, insurance and maintenance;
and still generate income from them.
This money has been used to provide additional housing programs
to Story County families. For information on our current programs,
go here.
With the decreasing numbers of volunteers over the years, it has
been difficult to administer and carry out SCHI programs with SCHI
board members only. We have turned to other non-profits to provide
some of these services.
SCHI continues to move forward with new initiatives because of
the need for affordable housing in our community. In 2003, the board
went ahead with work to construct a 3-plex apartment at 414 S. 4th
Street in Ames. The Story County Building Trades Class was instrumental
in helping to make this project possible and actually acted as the
major contractor for the project. Go here
for more details.
Links to:
Affordable
Housing Opportunities - CLT
Emergency
Housing in Story County - ERP
Story
County Housing (SCHI) Homepage
Homepage
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