A central Iowa nonprofit group is bringing a new affordable housing development to the Des Moines area.
The Oakridge Neighborhood’s $15-million Cynergy project will include 33 affordable family apartments, each with three or four bedrooms.
Oakridge President Deidre DeJear says she consistently sees families seeking comfortable and affordable housing in the area.
DeJear says, “Our three and four bedrooms on any given day are going to have more than 100 folks on the waiting list.”
She says one- and two-bedroom units in the building will be reserved for people earning less than 60 percent of the area’s median income.
She says the building’s first floor will house services that support workforce training for tenants, as well as wellness services, like financial wellness, dentistry, and cosmetology.
“We’re able to share what those opportunities are,” DeJear says, “and we’re able to prep people for those opportunities so they can go in with their best foot forward.”
The project received around $425,000 in funding from the City of Des Moines, Greater Des Moines Community Foundation and Polk County to secure the site.
(By Maura Curran, Iowa Public Radio)