Affordable Housing in Polk County

The need for affordable housing in central Iowa continues to grow.

  • More than a third of the households in Polk County have incomes of 80% or less of Median Family Income (MFI).
  • 25,000 of these households pay more than 30% of their income for housing or live in overcrowded conditions.
  • 41% of renter households are unable to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the Fair Market Rent (FMR) of $727 per month.
  • A minimum wage earner making $7.25 an hour can afford monthly rent of no more than $377.
  • In Polk County, a minimum wage earner must work 67 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom unit at Fair Market Rent.
  • The Housing Wage, or the amount of a full-time worker must earn per hour to afford the FMR on a two-bedroom unit, is $13.98 – or 193% of the minimum wage.
  • According to the Polk County Assessor, more than 8% of all single-family homes in Polk County are in "poor" or "very poor" condition. In Des Moines, the number is 13%. In rural areas, the number is 10%.

While we take pride in what Anawim Housing has accomplished to-date, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Providing for those in need is more challenging than ever before.

Eric Belsky, executive director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, noted that affordable housing is being lost at an alarming rate. And higher-income residents who can afford to spend less than 30% of their income on housing are crowding out a growing share of the remaining affordable rentals.

In our area, according to Des Moines' Community Housing Affordability Strategies Databook, about 16,000 families are unable to find affordable rental units. There are more than 5,000 subsidized housing units in Polk County. The average three-bedroom unit rents for $850 per month, far beyond the financial reach of our lowest-income families.