Updated: May 8, 2023
Oakridge Neighborhood provides affordable, quality housing coupled with supportive service programs for residents and others in the community.
Located in the heart of the city just north of Methodist Hospital, the community is home to 1,000 residents, 72% of whom are immigrants and refugees. In total the Oakridge Neighborhood brings together people from 22 countries speaking 21 languages in Des Moines’ urban core.
Oakridge is unique in its ability to provide for the needs of low-income and refugee families through government-assisted permanent housing in conjunction with human services, making it an integral part of the Greater Des Moines housing and human services continuum.
Oakridge has been called a jewel in the heart of the community in part because of its wrap-around supportive services that help residents build community and thrive.
Many of those services focus on kids as shown in this video:
At Oakridge, people are engaged in programs from morning to night. On any given day at the 17-acre campus, you will find kids attending preschool, people participating in workforce programs to boost their household wealth, families receiving needed medical care, and a thriving, close knit community.
Through these services, Oakridge is helping some of Greater Des Moines’ most vulnerable people succeed and thrive.
Learn more about Oakridge Neighborhood at www.oakridgeneighborhood.org.
This week, the Polk County Housing Trust Fund is sharing stories about some of our provider partners working to ensure housing opportunity for all. Make sure you sign up for e-mail updates to stay in touch when we share more stories like these.
Updated: Oct 31, 2022
This is a tough economy for housing progress, but Greater Des Moines has the skills and capability to respond.
It’s going to take continued innovation and investment - and your support - to make things happen.
The challenges facing housing production today can be absolutely daunting.
Prices have spiked and supply chain and workforce issues continue to roil the industry, leaving housing finance agencies tasked with supporting affordable housing development to scramble to keep projects moving.
While a majority of Iowans support housing our neighbors need, just a few skeptical neighbors can derail projects.
But providers are innovating to overcome these challenges, with inspirational results. The Polk County Housing Trust Fund provides advocacy and funding to to keep projects on track.
Developers Michael Kiernan and Jack Hatch recently opened Sixth Avenue Flats which offers badly needed workforce housing and unique programs to serve youth experiencing homelessness.
The Trust Fund was able to allocate funds to this project that filled the gap between the project's main source of funding (federal housing tax credits administered by the Iowa Finance Authority) and the cost of construction. The role of "filling the gap" is one we are often called upon to play.
YSS/Iowa Homeless Youth Centers will provide supportive services to youth in the program, who will also benefit from educational opportunities at DMACC’s Urban Campus, across the street.
Speaking to PCHTF for our video tour of the property, DMACC president Rob Denson called the partnership behind the project “the who’s who of helping people.” He is right, and looking inside the property is a reminder that at the end of the day housing is about helping improve the lives of real people in the community.
Check out the video tour below, and sign up if you'd like to stay involved in this work. Your voice in your community to call for continued housing progress can make a huge difference.
Updated: Oct 31, 2022
We can improve housing opportunities in your neighborhood, and you might not ever even know it.
Des Moines recently legalized the Accessory Dwelling Unit in far more places, and our colleagues at HOME, Inc. are about to put their first one on the market. ADUs are just a small home that shares a lot with a larger single family home.
HOME Inc’s ADU in Oak Park is nearing completion and brings many advantages:
ADUs allow new housing in existing neighborhoods you may not even notice.
They take advantage of existing community infrastructure.
They can be an affordable option, because the land they sit on is already paid for.
Des Moines recently dramatically expanded the portion of the city where ADUs can be built. That’s a good example of how changes to zoning law are essential to housing progress in our communities.
Unfortunately, zoning regulations often block housing solutions that would benefit communities by banning certain types of housing or driving up costs. Some communities recognize this and are taking action to change their practices.
Look back: At our housing symposium in April, Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity leader Lance Henning told the audience that for every $1000 increase in the price of home, hundreds of local families lose the opportunity to buy.
Ideas like accessory dwelling units, missing middle housing, and more are a way to push back against that worrisome trend.
We’re closely watching the construction of HOME Inc’s ADU and look forward to sharing a tour when it’s completed. For now check out our latest video tour below and sign up to see the next update.