Eric Burmeister is Executive Director of the Polk County Housing Trust Fund , which allocates $2 to $2.5 million every year to affordable housing projects in Des Moines and surrounding communities, impacting 400 units a year. The Affordable Housing advocacy group of AMOS, a Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy, hosted the talk in Ames City Council Chambers on November 10. Story County is one of the few counties in Iowa that does not have such a trust fund, and is therefore ineligible for the state money for affordable housing that is distributed through these mechanisms. Mr. Burmeister also discusses zoning codes and community character plans that effectively "zone out" affordable housing from cities and neighborhoods.
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Online Information Sources:
- AMOS
- Iowa Finance Authority
- Polk County Housing Trust Fund
- Housing Tomorrow
Heart of Iowa program originally broadcast 12/17/2015
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