News : Open House planned for ECICOG Housing Opportunities in Atkins July 21

The United Way of Iowa recently released its "United Way ALICE" report for Iowa.  In 2021 the report documents 10,075 households in Benton County.  Of these, 29% are unable to meet a basic needs budget. In Iowa, 381,266 households - 31 percent of the state's total - are unable to afford the state's cost of living, according to the United Way June 29, 2024 ALICE Report for Iowa.
"This is also wonderful window into the type of person I believe would benefit the most from affordable housing.  ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) individuals are people who are working and earning, but are not able to afford a basic needs budget," Jeff Ralston of Ralston Eco Homes said.
The three duplexes (6 units) Ralston Eco Homes are building in Atkins are precisely the type of homes leaders in our communities have been asking for.  Deanna Robinson from ECICOG stated "affordability remains an issue for many households because of various community-specific factors."  

Ralston said, "The Atkins project helps meet the needs of LMI individuals in rural Iowa.  Six new affordable housing units in rural Benton County will be a wonderful opportunity to help retain people currently employed locally and recruit new employees to the area. The project will help ALICE workers build wealth and avoid being housing cost burdened."

Two duplexes with two units each, are for sale in Atkins as part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) in response to the 2020 derecho.  

The duplexes are located at 510/514 and 537/539 Driftwood Ln, Atkins. Each unit will be fully electric, having a 1323 sq. ft. on the upper level, and energy efficiency well above code requirements. 

Ralston went on to explain that grant money awarded for this project will allow low-to-moderate income individuals to purchase these high efficiency, durable, resilient, healthy homes.  The units are selling for $175,000 to qualifying individuals.  The market value for the property is approximately $280,000, offering the buyers a significant discount.  Down payment assistance up to $35,000 is available for qualifying individuals.  
Requirements for the homes include:-must be the buyer's primary residence -buyers must meet income limits (at or below 80% area median income for family size).  In Benton County a family of four must have an income at or below $81,200.   

More information is available at our website:

https://www.ralstonecohomes.com/homes-for-sale-cedar-rapids

This listing is also available for review on For Sale by Owner:
https://www.forsalebyowner.com/listing/514-driftwood-lane-atkins-ia-52206/666116c3d2ea3ea44903cfb4
An Open House event will be held on July 21st from 12-2:00 p.m.
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-Advertorial