Cedar Rapids City Council candidates pitch solutions for homelessness, affordable housing

Editor’s note: This article is part of The Gazette’s coverage leading up to the Nov. 7 city and school elections.

CEDAR RAPIDS — With homelessness on the rise and residents needing more affordable housing, candidates seeking Cedar Rapids City Council seats in Nov. 7 elections pitched their visions for supporting equitable housing access for those living in Iowa’s second-largest city.

Cedar Rapids’ latest housing market analysis, conducted by Maxfield Research and Consulting of Minnesota, identified a potential demand for 5,536 new general occupancy units and 2,314 age-restricted and service-enhanced housing units between 2022 and 2030. But the issue goes beyond boosting housing stock.

A report released this summer by the Alliance for Equitable Housing — a local coalition made up of governmental, nonprofit and other partners — stated that other key steps to address housing issues include:

The City Council also this year also enlisted the National Alliance to End Homelessness of Washington, D.C. using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to assess the area’s support systems for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This summer’s Point in Time count found a record 123 people living on the streets in Linn County.

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The national organization recommended establishing a local oversight board to assess data and set goals; re-imagining the coordinated entry system to ensure all people have equal access to services; and investing in diversion to support people before they experience homelessness

Here’s what City Council candidates said about the issues in response to a questionnaire from The Gazette:

Affordable housing

At-large

The three candidates vying for two open at-large seats on the nine-member council identified affordable housing and homelessness as top issues facing the community.

Council member Pat Loeffler, a retired carpenter and co-owner of Corner Store Apothecary & Wellness, said that while Cedar Rapids has multiple development projects in the works, the city needs more truly affordable housing.

“There is still a population that cannot afford the ones being built,” Loeffler said. “Affordable is tough to define. $800 to $3,000 a month is not possible for everyone. We need to attract more contractors and developers to rehab and infill. Larger developments are great but we still have a great need for neighborhood redevelopment.”

Council member Ann Poe, program manager for The District: Czech Village and New Bohemia, said that the city must continue to encourage emerging and large developers through tax increment financing and supporting developers to apply for various state tax credit programs, renovate existing homes or add accessory dwelling units.

She also said she supports technical assistance workshops to emerging developers, promoting infill development opportunities, exploring ways to offset infrastructure needs and barriers for development, engaging in monthly small developers meetings and continued financial support of the Neighborhood Finance Corp., which provides forgivable loans for low- and moderate-income homeowners in certain lending areas.

Poe said the city needs to create more “missing middle” housing types, such as duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts and multiplexes.

“These house-scale buildings fit seamlessly into existing residential neighborhoods and support walkability, local retail and public transportation options,” Poe said. “They provide solutions along a spectrum of affordability to address the mismatch between the available housing stock and shifting demographics combines with a growing demand for walkability.”

David Maier, a finance and control manager for Transamerica, said many affordable housing services currently are available including Waypoint’s Tenant Academy, Neighborhood Finance Corp. and the Affordable Housing Network, among others.

“The city (and county) as well as nonprofits could be more creative at marketing and promoting these programs, including providing information through local churches and shops frequented by underserved individuals,” Maier said.

He said the city’s $6.9 million project dubbed The Heights, to rehabilitate a dilapidated Wellington Heights building into 25 affordable rental units, could be a model for future affordable housing projects. He said he appreciated the community input, plans to turn over management and ownership to a qualified third-party entity and possible provision of supportive services for tenants.

To spur more housing development, he said the city could pursue more multiunit or mixed-use buildings in non-historic areas, lowering minimum lot sizes and eliminating or lowering minimum parking requirements. Maier said Montgomery County, Maryland, and King County, Washington, could provide inspiration for making public land and buildings available for affordable housing development.

District 4

Council member Scott Olson, a semiretired real estate broker who is seeking re-election to his District 4 seat representing parts of western Cedar Rapids, said until interest rates lower and construction costs retreat, it will be difficult to create new units unless the city provides large incentives or state and national grants are available.

“Affordable housing will require our council to be part of a coalition of local, state and national efforts,” Olson said. “With inflated construction costs and high interest rates, it will take a broad base of funding sources and local partners to create truly affordable housing options.”

Olson’s challenger, Dan Bahan, a senior technician for Nordstrom, said the city should embrace mixed zoning regulations so that businesses and homes can intermingle.

“We also need to prevent large private equity firms from hoarding all the available houses causing artificial scarcity and driving up prices,” Bahan said.

District 2

Council member Scott Overland, vice president of investments for Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, who is uncontested in the race for District 2 representing parts of eastern Cedar Rapids, said since the city’s Neighborhood Finance Corp. was established in 2018, the nonprofit has helped homeowners in the city core to remodel and improve their homes.

“In addition, the city should look at how to best help the existing older supply of affordable rental units by looking for ways to help landlords improve their property to make it more cost effective for lower-income renters to rent a quality place to live that has been updated with energy efficiency in mind, especially air conditioning in all units,” Overland said.

Homelessness

At-large

To support those experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, Loeffler said existing resources often rely on volunteers — who are tougher to find these days.

“State resources need to be utilized to the fullest,” Loeffler said. “Nonprofit organizations are overwhelmed. We as the city can try to support as much as we can. Can always do better.”

Poe called for elevating the city’s role as a “guiding force with service agencies in collaboration with Linn County” to address the growing number of unsheltered people in the community. She said she attended the design clinic the National Alliance convened earlier this year with the county and service providers to discuss long-term solutions.

“We need to add more capacity by building homeless shelters and removing the barriers to entry that prevents people from taking advantage of existing services,” Poe said. “Housing is the beginning but not the only answer. It is a complex problem that includes not just housing security, but addresses wraparound services for mental health and substance use disorder many of the homeless face.”

Maier said “any number of unhoused people is too many.” As communities nationwide grapple with this issue, he said Cedar Rapids’ partnership with the National Alliance is a good step to seek experts and leverage best practices implemented in other communities. He supported implementing the alliance’s recommendations.

“The City Housing Services and Community Development departments should consider implementing unsheltered best practices proven effective in other cities, similar to Houston’s ‘Housing First’ approach, which is a housing program that seeks to quickly move homeless individuals and families from shelters to permanent housing,” he said.

District 4

Olson said among the many services available to support those experiencing homelessness is a transitional housing program to give homeless and near-homeless people time to find a sustainable future and job opportunities.

“The city, county and agencies are working to create permanent housing options versus overnight shelters,” Olson said. “We have landlords and nonprofits willing to offer housing with long-term government rental funding to those who are willing to move from the streets to a permanent space of their own. Even with our increasing numbers, a program like this will dramatically help many of those who are homeless.”

Bahan said he would explore options for zoning changes to encourage lower-cost housing options and meet with local leaders in the various industries involved in supporting those who are experiencing homelessness.

“I also want to do things like … increase access to public transportation and make it so that once they do have homes, they can actually get to the jobs that are in our area, because it doesn't do you any good to have a house if you don't have a way to continue to support yourself,” Bahan said.

District 2

Overland said the national alliance partnership was a good step to support residents experiencing homelessness.

“In addition a coordinated effort with local organizations, the county and state will be needed to find ways to fund and house people experiencing homelessness on a one-on-one basis,” Overland said.

Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com