Pictured: The first Homes for Iowa house was transported to Jefferson in February 2020.
The first privately coordinated prisoner-built house from Homes for Iowa will likely be going to Sac City. According to Administrator, Jamie Lawrence, the city council has been searching for ways to address the shortage of affordable housing in the community and replace its aging housing stock for years. He says the topic was the main item on the agenda during their Oct. 27 meeting.
Lawrence says there are still plenty of details left to be finalized, but he and the council are optimistic the effort will progress through completion. Lawrence says the city’s primary role in the project will be the transfer of municipally owned property.
In February, Jefferson was the first community to place a prisoner-built house from Homes for Iowa. This was part of a development initiative between Region XII Council of Governments, the City of Jefferson and other partners. Multiple homes have been shipped throughout the state since then, but Lawrence says this one is different from the others.
If everything goes according to play, the new home could be placed as soon as the spring of 2021. The houses are built for about $75,000 each by inmates at the Newton Correctional Facility. After finishing their sentence, ex-offenders leave with marketable skills and credentials to aid with their reintegration to society and reduce recidivism rates. Including site preparation, lot purchases and other variable costs, homes generally come in below $180,000.
