The Heart of Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund continues to make an impact in local communities.

The Trust Fund is reaching people in more communities who need financial help to fix up and ultimately stay in their homes. It initially served Hamilton and Webster counties. It recently grew to also include Calhoun, Humboldt, Pocahontas and Wright counties.

The Heart of Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund was organized in late 2018 thanks to $217,108 from the state, plus matching funds from local governments and banks. It started putting that money to work at the beginning of 2019.

Since then, the fund has paid for 50 to 60 projects. That project list includes roofs, furnaces, water heaters, windows and accessibility needs like walk-in showers. All of those projects were vital to the people who live in the homes where the work was done.

The projects also demonstrate the mission of the Heart of Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund, which is keeping people who need a little financial help in their own homes.

The trust fund uses money from government and private sources to provide financial help to people who own a single-family home and meet income guidelines.

Priority is given to those whose income is at or below 30 percent of area median income, those with disabilities and those who are 62 or older.

The assistance isn’t exactly a handout, however. The money comes in the form of loans to the homeowners. They are five-year interest free loans that will be completely forgiven for those who stay for at least five years in the home where the money was invested.

It is refreshing to see a housing program that produces real results for people, and does so quickly.

We believe the Heart of Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund is worthy of support.