Task force looks to bridge affordable housing gap in the Quad Cities by 2030
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DAVENPORT, IA (WQAD ) — Iowa Legal Aid says Scott County is seeing a huge spike in evictions with 88 filings in one week alone. They say the number is usually around 40 each week.
The QC Housing Cluster is working to combat those numbers with their Affordable Housing Task Force who will work to bring more affordable housing to the Quad Cities and help low income families.
Tiny homes in west Davenport are one way some people want to bridge the affordable housing gap. But Ashley Odom with Family Resources says the area needs variety.
“It’s a vast array of housing options that we should be able to see in the community,” says Odom.
She’s a member of the Affordable Housing Task Force. A group whose vision is to build new developments and renovate existing homes for those with lower incomes ($21,000 salary) across the Quad Cities.
“Addressing affordable housing is a big issue, which is why we decided to focus on the extremely low income first.”
Over the past couple months the Salvation Army of the Quad Cities says they’ve helped 400 families who faced evictions.
“We get 100 or so calls a day that are needing assistance,” says Kelle Larned, Salvation Army of the Quad Cities Program Director. “The amount of people we are getting calls for there’s just not enough housing – there’s just not.”
Larned is also a member of the Affordable Housing Task Force trying to address the gap, and that means developing about 6,600 units in the Quad Cities.
“Getting profit owners who are builders – things like that – to get on board with us who are willing to assist.”
While there’s no final plans on where or when projects will start, the group plans to take it year by year.
“One to two years to really accomplish some of the shorter term stuff,” says Odom. “But then by 2030 we should really see some progress made with some of that.”
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