Governor Tom Vilsack wants to consolidate state government housing programs so lenders and potential homeowners can more easily negotiate the red tape. Vilsack’s own “housing task force” concluded 54-thousand Iowa homeowners live in “sub-standard” housing.Vilsack proposes using the eight million dollars from the now-closed Iowa Housing Corporation, along with seven-and-a-half million from other state housing programs to start a trust fund.Vilsack says a recent study found there’s a financing gap in rural Iowa.Vilsack says if his plan is enacted, the state can leverage up to a billion dollars of private sector home construction over the next 10 years.
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