Woman known for helping others find homes gets helping hand a home of her own

CEDAR RAPIDS — After years of helping others find affordable housing, Kathie Pennetta found a new affordable home of her own through Matthew 25 and the city's ROOTs program.

Matthew 25, a local non-profit working to strengthen Cedar Rapids' neighborhoods, oversaw the construction of her home, while the income-based ROOTs program provided Pennetta with down-payment assistance of 25 percent of the purchase price of her home.

'You just can't beat the deal,' Pennetta said.

Though Pennetta's home was Matthew 25's third new build — in addition to the 250 homes they've rehabilitated — this one was particularly special because of Pennetta's involvement with affordable housing programs such as Jump Start, Block by Block, and the Affordable Housing Network, Inc.

In her roles with these programs, Pennetta has helped hundreds of families with rebuilding assistance after the Flood of 2008 and with neighborhood revitalization in places such as Wellington Heights.

'It's more than just a job to her,' said Cameron Proctor, one of her 23-year-old twin sons. 'She wants to help people's lives and that's all she does.'

'She always puts other people's needs before hers,' said her other son, Chase Proctor.

'Kathie is one of the most generous, loving people that I know,' said Clint Twedt-Ball, Matthew 25's executive director. 'She has been a rock for people in this neighborhood that were displaced by the flood ... it's just a huge gift to be able to give back.'

Steve Allsop, a friend and colleague of Pennetta, said seeing her move into a house of her own after she's helped so many others 'is just poetic justice.'

Her three-bed, two-bath, 1,900-square-foot home on the northwest side of town replaced her 1,280-square-foot mobile home she occupied for years.

'My mobile home was falling apart at the seams,' she said. 'Leaky roof, leaky windows ... and they're not very energy efficient.'

Not only is her new home more efficient, she now has an open floor plan, custom cabinets, a detached two-car garage, tons of closet space and decks at the front and rear of the home.

'This was a monumental task,' said Pennetta of building her new house. 'I'm so fortunate and so blessed ... Matthew 25 and the city of Cedar Rapids' down payment assistance, I couldn't have done it without (them).'