Region XII Council of Governments received confirmation yesterday (Wednesday) that they will be receiving over $243,000 from the Iowa Finance Authority for their subsidiary, the COG Housing, Inc. Trust Fund. COG Housing, which services Carroll, Audubon, Crawford, Greene, Guthrie and Sac Counties, is one of the 27 recipients of more than $6.3 million dollars in grants awarded to Local Housing Trust Funds across the state. Local Assistance Director at Region XII, Chris Whitaker said the money is used in a variety of ways to help out local homeowners in need.
COG was awarded $243,339, and that amount will grow with a 25 percent match comprised of $3,000 from each of the six counties and contributions from approximately a dozen regional banks who fully support the program. Whitaker says homeowners interested in receiving funding from the trust fund will need to contact Region XII for an application, and they must meet some income requirements for consideration.
It will take approximately three to six weeks to complete the application and verify income, and if a rehabilitation request, complete an inspection on what is needed and obtain quotes. The State Housing Trust fund was created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003 and has provided over $50 million in affordable housing assistance, benefitting more than 17,600 Iowa families. Region XII has been involved with the program for approximately 10 years. Other areas awarded funding include $295,311 to the Homeward Housing Trust Fund which services Calhoun County, $291,718 to the Northwest Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund serving Buena Vista County and $160,508 to the Western Iowa Community Improvement Regional Housing Trust Fund covering five counties including Ida and Cherokee.
