Offenders now have place to live with their families

It's yet to open, but a new housing project for released prisoners has virtually no vacancies.

“We're close to getting it full right now,” Gary Hinzman, director of correctional services in the 6th Judicial District, said of the Home to Stay project.

An official opening for the 24-unit complex at 845 31st Ave. SW is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday with the first tenants moving in in February.

With former prisoners banned from most public housing, the complex and the Home to Stay program will give offenders a secure place to live with their families as they re-enter society and build a rental history. In addition to one- to four-bedroom apartments, the complex includes offices for counseling and other services supporting ex-offenders.

Funding for the $3.45 million project included $200,000 from Cedar Rapids and $800,000 in state housing funds. The project also received up to 2.9 million in tax credits to sell to investors.

Ex-offenders and their families may stay at the complex longer than two years while working with counselors on a plan to regain self-sufficiency. The program is reserved for low-income families.

Hinzman said the Wednesday grand opening will include tours of the facility.

The complex will be called the Lundby Townhomes in recognition of Mary Lundby's “tireless and compassionate work as a public servant,” Hinzman said.

Lundby, a longtime state lawmaker, died last January. Hinzman said she was a board member of the Community Corrections Improvement Association in its formative years, 1992 to 2000.