Advocate
Talk to your local and national elected officials about the need for increased affordable housing and homelessness resources. Discuss the need to listen to community voices and reduce barriers to housing and supportive services.
*ACTION ALERTS*
Often times, legislative action occurs with little to no warning and requires mobilization of advocates to contact their respective legislators. Complete the form below to be added to the Action Alert newsletter.
Who are my state legislators?
Often times, it can be difficult to track who is your local State Senator and Representative. That information can be found at www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find
Federal Advocacy
RELEASE HUD FUNDING
On January 17, 2025, federal funds were awarded to local Continuum of Care entities. In Polk County, Since then, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was instructed to stop working on award contracts. While a stay was granted, this has not yet been honored. As of March 7, Homeward has heard national commentary that award letters and contracts will start moving again the week of March 10th.
We are thankful to the members of the HCC, the Metro Advisory Council, and local providers and allies for their persistence in contacting our congressional delegation to emphasize how important these contracts are to maintain housing and services for our most valuable neighbors. Work is not done, but we are optimistic that contracts will be in place prior to evictions needing to be issued.
State Advocacy
Thank you to all of the advocates who helped stop the criminalizing of homelessness this week!
Legislative Priority 1: Increase Housing First and Supportive Services (evidence-based practices) to Reduce Homelessness
On March 4, 2025, Senate Study Bill 1195 was introduced for consideration by the Senate Local Government committee. A companion bill, House Study Bill 286 was introduced in the House. This legislation goes against best practices and criminalizes homelessness, requiring city-created encampments, punishes any entity who assists those who are homeless, and mandates arduous reporting requirements. Cities could also be financially punished for not arresting individuals experiencing homelessness. This specific legislation is backed by the Cicero Institute. While this legislation did not advance through funnel, we remain vigilant to see if elements of it resurface in amendments tacked on to other pieces of legislation.
For talking points on how to respond to legislation criminalizing homelessness, please see the Housing not Handcuffs talking points HERE.
Additional local talking points can be found HERE.
Legislative Priority 2: Eviction Expungement
Homeward continues to advocate for eviction expungement . Currently, Iowa has no process to seal an eviction even if the eviction was resolved prior to going to court or if the eviction was made in error. Work still continues and HSB261 and SSB 1204 still remain after funnel. Amendments will be needed to each of these bills to effectively create eviction expungement.
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Eviction Expungement talking points can be found HERE.
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A fact sheet to understanding homelessness in Iowa can be found HERE.
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A fact sheet to understand how Iowa data compares to surrounding states, can be found HERE.
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A fact sheet published by Iowa Legal Aid related to 2023 and January 2024 eviction filings in Iowa can be found HERE.
For more on eviction record sealing and expungement, please see the National Low Income Housing Coalition's toolkit on Eviction Record Sealing and Expungement.
Iowa Homeless Coalition
Throughout 2024, several providers across the state came together to form the Iowa Homeless Coalition. This coalition of providers across the state is committed to addressing homelessness and housing issues. Our mission includes:
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Advocating for housing and homelessness policy at the state level.
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Raising public awareness about homelessness and housing instability.
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Enhancing communication among housing and homeless service providers.
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Offering relevant training for member agencies.
Current Board members include Ben Brustkern, Julie Eberbach, Angie Arthur, Heather Harney, Brandy Waller, J’nae Peterman, Crissy Canganelli, and Courtney Guntly.
If you would like to learn more about how your agency can join the Iowa Homeless Coalition, please contact Courtney Guntly or any of the board members listed above.
Advocates speak out against criminalizing homelessness. Over 430 public comments were logged against the 2025 bills. Social media posts were shared over 170 times and hundreds of individuals against criminalizing homelessness showed up at the virtual meeting while over others braved a blizzard to pack the rooms in person to testify against this harmful legislation. Thank you for showing up for our unsheltered neighbors!
In October 2024, the City of Des Moines City Council, on a vote of 5-2, passed two city ordinances that also criminalize homelessness. While some services accompany these ordinances, they still do not address the fundamental challenge of homelessness, which is a lack of affordable, quality housing.
We encourage advocates to speak to their city council about evidence-based practices to address the lack of affordable housing specifically for those who have a disability, live on a fixed income, or are employed and fit into the definition of ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). To find out more about ALICE, please visit https://www.unitedforalice.org/state-overview/Iowa
Local (Polk County) Advocacy
One Iowa Action updates a legislative tracker every Friday during session to keep individuals informed about what is happening in the legislative realm.
How is homelessness connected to LGBTQ+ status?
It's important to note that according to a 2020 UCLA study, 8% of transgendered adults experience homelessness as compared to 3% of cisgendered straight adults. Moreover, 17% of sexual minority adults experience homelessness as compared to 6% of cisgender straight people. (https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/lgbt-homelessness-us/)