The price of living in Ames has been on the rise, and an event Wednesday aimed to start a discussion on the issue. 

A housing conference, sponsored by the city of Ames in partnership with Iowa State and Story County, brought together a diverse group of developers, leaders and organizations to discuss solutions of long-term strategies for affordable housing in Ames and Story County.

The conference took place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Scheman Building.

About 170 individuals from a variety of organizations across central Iowa were expected to attend. The conference exceeded the expectation, with about 200 people attending throughout the day.

The need for the conference emerged during the last two City Council campaigns, where housing was a major point of discussion. The issue originated because of growth during the past few years at Iowa State and the increase in jobs in Ames and Story County.

City Council member Amber Corrieri gave insight into the event, saying that while housing conferences have taken place in other cities, this particular one was not modeled after any other.

Different guest speakers from around the state attended to discuss their best practices and policies and also talked about the challenges they faced. Counties that were represented included Linn, Johnson and Blackhawk. Polk County had two speakers, one representing the government and another representing the county.

Offering a variety of different presentations, the conference engaged its attendees with ways to help find a solution to the housing problem within Story County and took a look at initiatives taking place in other communities.

Speakers Lori Kauzlarich from Polk County and Tracey Achenbach from Linn and Johnson Counties discussed local housing trust funds within their counties, the different programs/projects this funding has made available and the challenges between fund development and fundraising.

Lori Kauzlarich explained that the Polk County Housing Trust Fund is not only used to make affordable housing available but also gives citizens access to different programs such as Common Bond and Forgivable Loans.

Common Bond provides affordable rentals within central Des Moines. It also sponsors an after-school program at the community center for children who live in the area.

Forgivable Loans was created to help single-family homeowners. The project gives families a $15,000 loan to help with their mortgage. If the family occupies the house for more than 10 years, it does not have to repay the loan.

Breaks between sessions created time for ISU students to present their solutions. Students enrolled in the Community and Regional Planning: U.S. Housing Policy class designed posters around the topic of housing in Ames. During the breaks, attendees engaged in conversations with the students, discussing not only the problem at hand but also the reasons behind it and some solutions the students created.

Ryan Vest, senior in design, presented the decrease in development within Ames and how that has affected the housing market.

Vest said he believed a possible housing trust fund for Story County would essentially be beneficial.

“I have no doubt that the trust fund would help reduce some of the issues,” Vest said. “The only problem people would need to look at is space: where are we going to put these developments?”

The conference stemmed from the city project organized by A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy (AMOS) known as “A Place to Call Home: Options for Housing Stability in Ames and Story County”. The organization has worked with the Ames City Council to not only organize this event but has also been involved in other projects to help with the housing needs all across central Iowa.

One particular project, Mainstream Living, has helped provide safe, stable housing and support services to individuals with disabilities. Corrieri is not only a City Council member but also represents Mainstream Living on the city’s planning committee. Corrieri expressed that she is pleased to find so many within our community willing to work together to identify possible solutions.

With the housing trust fund for Story County being a major possible solution, a community development workshop will take place April 14 at the Ames Public Library to discuss some of the logistics of a possible plan. The all-day meeting will cover information needed to work with financial institutions to invest in lower-income communities. More details will be available as the event approaches.