Some Jefferson Elementary School families in Muscatine are moving into a new housing triplex at the corner of Orange and Fifth Streets next week, March 16th.
The rentals are part of a new pilot program for families who are seeking affordable housing.
The pilot initiative is funded by a $1.25 million grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust and various partnerships across the area.
Director of Housing Initiatives at the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine, Ron Monahan, said the project was a community effort.
“The community actually starts with the Carver Trust, Roy J. Carver Trust, who was the funder,” Monahan said. “HNI donated the parcel of land to the Community Foundation. Jefferson School and the city of Muscatine were all involved from very early on in the project.”
The fully furnished triplex comprises 3 family units with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a shared outdoor space. Each unit is about 1,700 square feet, with two bedrooms on the first floor and one bedroom on the second floor.
Monahan said stable housing is a critical foundation for academic support.
“It's really targeted to families that are housing challenged,” Monahan said, “[W]hat we know from the data is that housing-challenged children tend to perform lower in grade schools, and oftentimes they move multiple times and change grade schools. So the benefit is really to those children, giving them the opportunity to be all that they can be.”
Monahan hopes to see school attendance and academic growth, as well as stronger outcomes for families and their children.
“The target of the program is to work with them over the number of years their kids are at Jefferson School and then rotate through families,” Monahan said. “[O]ver time, they would be targeted for turnover.”
The Muscatine Center for Social Action (MCSA) is now managing the property, having completed construction, and connecting residents with beneficial services.
The non-profit’s Housing Stability Navigator will begin to provide case management, resource navigation, and financial assistance coordination.
Additionally, the non-profit will offer support services, such as a partnership with the Robert Young Center for behavioral health services, MCSA’s food pantry, and Section 8 housing assistance to ensure long-term housing placement stability.
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