Spotlight: Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines

Rural LISC is thrilled to recognize the generosity of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLB) in its continued support. FHLB has been a longtime donor to Rural LISC, contributing $15,000 this year alone to support Rural LISC’s affordable housing efforts across Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. 

Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Vice President/Director, Community Investments, Gary Dodge presented Rural LISC Vice President Suzanne Anarde with the Bank’s $15,000 contribution at the Rural LISC Advisory Committee meeting in Albuquerque February 21.

FHLB is committed to providing safe and affordable housing, creating sustainable communities and promoting economic development and jobs. It offers various affordable housing products to support the purchase, construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing, including a Competitive Affordable Housing Program and Down Payment Products. Rural LISC and FHLB share a footprint of 12 states, and Rural LISC is proud to support the daily work of our 17 Partners in these states, who are fulfilling the vision and goals of FHLB, through financial awards like this one. These partners include:

• Rural Alaska Community Action Program – Alaska
• Community Housing Initiatives, Inc. – Iowa
• Midwest Minnesota CDC – Minnesota
• Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership – Minnesota
• Central Missouri Community Action – Missouri
• North East Community Action Corporation – Missouri
• Ozark Action, Inc. – Missouri
• Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana – Montana
• Human Resource Development Council of District IX, Inc. – Montana
• Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota – North Dakota
• GROW South Dakota – South Dakota
• NeighborWorks Umpqua – Oregon
• Neighborhood Nonprofit Housing Corporation – Utah
• Self-Help Homes – Utah
• Catholic Charities Housing Services - Diocese of Yakima – Washington
• OPAL Community Land Trust – Washington
• RCAC – Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming

Catholic Charities Housing Services - Diocese of Yakima (CCHS) is an example of a Rural LISC Partner within FHLB’s footprint committed to creating new affordable housing. Since 1998, CCHS has worked to offer hope and support to families seeking to move out of poverty through comprehensive programs and services focused on providing housing, education, reduced barriers to service and opportunities for growth.

Some projects CCHS is working on over the next two years are:

• Prosser Housing LLLP, which will provide 60 units of affordable senior housing
• Wenatchee Supportive Housing, 86 affordable units for homeless, low income and disabled individuals
• Toppenish Farm Worker Housing, which will provide 40 affordable units
• Yakima Supportive Housing, which will offer 50 affordable units for homeless and low income individuals

Prosser Senior Housing, Prosser, Wash.

In addition to these affordable housing projects, CCHS provides programs to build family wealth and income, and stimulate economic development in the seven central counties of Washington: Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat and Yakima. CCHS implements education programs in its multi-family housing developments on topics including ESL and financial literacy, with homebuyer education and credit counseling available specifically for those interested in homeownership.

A notable demonstration of the success and impact of CCHS’s programs is that 20 percent of the organization’s new single family homes have been purchased by former tenants of CCHS rental units. Once a family is qualified for a new home, they provide sweat equity to help build their house. This not only imparts marketable skills, but also prepares people to maintain their new home. Rural LISC proudly supported CCHS’s ongoing work in affordable housing, and the development of strong and sustainable communities through a Capacity Building Grant of $25,000 this January.

GROW South Dakota is another Rural LISC Partner whose longstanding work supporting housing and community development has had an ongoing impact on low income populations within FHLB’s footprint. This Partner offers financial and technical assistance to local economic development groups in their service area, as well as a variety of loan programs to support affordable housing, small businesses and job creation. They also work with homebuyers and homeowners on providing flexible loan products, weatherization and home rehabilitative services, green and energy efficiency standards and construction management.

Through Rural LISC’s 2016 Healthy Housing Initiative, GROW South Dakota was awarded $20,000 to support the use of Green Standards and Healthy Housing Standards in home rehabilitation and weatherization projects. This award is expected to benefit 70 homes through improvements using green and healthy methods, and assist GROW South Dakota in supporting low income households’ efforts to make their homes healthier, safer, more energy efficient and environmentally sound. Improvements include: indoor air quality, identifying lead base paint and utilizing lead safe measures during improvement, utilizing low VOC paints and adhesives, and many more healthy and safe home measures.

An almost completed Governer's House, Langford, S.D. These homes are built for the elderly, persons with disabilities, and income-qualified families.

Rural LISC is grateful to FHLB for its generous award, which helps us to support the broad and lasting impact of our Partners who are working to improve housing, strengthen communities and promote economic development across FHLB’s service area.