(Atlantic) The Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund has awarded $81,500 to demolish six dilapidated houses in three southwest Iowa communities. The grant includes one property in Griswold, two in Red Oak, and three in Villisca.
Southwest Iowa Planning Council Executive Director John McCurdy says the application process is highly competitive as there is a large need throughout the region to remove houses that are beyond repair.
“In many cases, it’s not only an immediate positive by removing a dangerous structure, we oftentimes see knock-on effects for the neighbors who weren’t going to invest in new paint or other home improvements,” said McCurdy. “When they see that eyesore on their block is gone, we usually see a lot of positives.”
McCurdy says awards pay up to 50-percent of the actual cost of asbestos testing, removal, and demolition, up to a maximum grant of $15,000 per property. The city must own the property and demonstrate the removal is the best option for the improvement of the neighborhood.
The Southwest Iowa Planning Council Administers the housing trust fund. The main programs carried out include new homeownership grants and loans, housing rehabilitation, and dilapidated property removal. This is an annual program, and information about the trust fund is available at swipco.org under the “Housing” tab.
SWIPCO serves the counties of Harrison, Shelby, Cass, Montgomery, Page, and Fremont. It is supported by membership dues paid by the participating counties by grant funds, including from the Iowa Finance Authority, and by revenue generated from loans made to first-time homebuyers.
