Around Des Moines

“Shall [Polk County, Iowa] be authorized to renovate and improve the existing courthouse and construct an 8-1/2 story courthouse facility…with related site improvements, at a total cost not exceeding [$127 million] and issue its general obligation bonds in an amount not exceeding [$132 million] for that purpose?” That is the question being put to voters in a special election on April 29, 2008.

To promote support for the referendum, officially known as Public Measure Letter A, judges have been giving tours of the current courthouse. I participated in the first tour, led by Judge Robert A. Hutchison, on March 25th. There was a strong case made for the need to do something in order to improve the current operations of Iowa’s Fifth Judicial District. However, there were virtually no pleadings on why this particular referendum should be approved.

On the county’s website there is a 21 page referendum document. This provides sketches of plans for the renovated courthouse and the new facility. On page 20 is a chart comparing various options that were considered before this option, known as 5A, was selected for the referendum. From a non-detailed look at the chart, 5A appears to be in line with other options with the important component of retaining use of the historic current building. Allegedly there has been strong public support for retaining the courthouse as a courthouse.

To help understand how the current courthouse and the new facility will be used, I recommend at least a quick look at the Iowa Judiciary’s website. On that site is information about the types of judges and magistrates that use space in county courthouses. There is also a map that shows which counties are in which district.

There are numerous reasons for building a new facility, but there are also questions voters need to ask. For instance, the new facility is projected to be maxed out in terms of space at about the time the general obligation bonds used to construct it are paid off, approximately 20 years from start of construction. Is that a reasonable planning timeframe? As businesses and residents move westward into Dallas County, will there be a related shift in where court cases are filed?

In previous reports on the courthouse, I had mentioned that access for disabled jurors, litigants, and attorneys was a matter of concern. Yet, when I asked Judge Hutchison how many jurors he had excused due to accessibility issues, he said there had been none. Although, he did acknowledge that it was sometimes a challenge to accommodate those particular jurors. During the tour a woman in a wheelchair was seen moving easily in the fourth floor hallway. In the new facility, a large juror orientation room is included in the first floor plans.

In economic terms, the lack of space in the current courthouse means that various types of courts and judiciary services are in rented space throughout Des Moines. In addition to the cost of space, this adds to the strain on budgets and personnel for deputies and other necessities of court. Costs for 5A also include temporary relocations while the current courthouse is renovated. The referendum does not provide details on this item.

In terms of physical safety, there are concerns over matters of physics and matters of law. For instance, the current courthouse does not have enclosed stairwells appropriate for fire evacuation. Neither does the courthouse permit defendants, witnesses, and jurors to be separated easily as they all must use the same hallways.

For Judge Hutchison, the human need is also important. He noted that juvenile courts handle both Child in Need of Assistance (CINA) cases and cases of juvenile justice. In the latter, it is not uncommon for teenagers to be taken into the courthouse in handcuffs. Judge Hutchison believes it is inappropriate to have youth sitting in a public hallway while handcuffed. He wants a building design that will offer them some privacy.

A new facility could also serve the public interest. Lack of space in courtrooms means the family members of defendants and of victims may have difficulty finding seating in criminal cases. Even the media must sit outside courtrooms when covering cases. This means nuances of reaction and interaction that are important may be missed.

A few polling places have been changed for this special election. If you know how you will vote, absentee voting is already taking place. In the comparison chart for the various options, it is estimated that a homeowner with a $100,000 house would pay $23.24 under 5A. A business property owner would pay $286.44 on an assessed value of $500,000.

M.R. Field covers local issues for AroundDesMoines.com.

Fare increases to take effect on June 1, 2008, were approved by the commission of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority at its March 25th meeting. Only one change was made to the original fare proposal. Transfers will be good for 2 hours, up from the current 30 minutes, but only in one direction of travel. A request made at the March 18th hearing for discount passes to look like full-fare passes also was incorporated into the approved proposal. The vote to raise fares was unanimous with Commissioner Angela Connolly absent and Des Moines’ City Manager Rick Clark serving as an alternate for Commissioner Christine Hensley.

A major topic of concern and discussion was the increase of OTT passes from $17 to $21 per month. OTT stands for Opportunities Through Transit and is paid for through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and DART. Low income riders can apply for OTT funds through several community organizations. Each of those organizations has a waiting list. Commission Gaye Johnson asked for additional information on the number of people on waiting lists. According to DART General Manager Brad Miller, the City of Des Moines contributes $20,000 to OTT through federally-funded CDBG and Polk County provides $13,000 from its CDBG allocation. DART contributes $54,000. The amounts provided by the city and by the county cannot be increased before January 2010. Miller said not raising the OTT pass to $21 would cost DART $50,000. How to ease the burden of $4 extra for qualifying riders was discussed and ultimately tabled in favor of moving along the vote for the full fare proposal.

After the meeting I confirmed with Chief Development Officer Brian Litchfield, since Miller had left for another meeting, that the $50,000 would be from lost revenue. Consider this in context of a presentation Miller made that showed OTT accounted for 6.6% of riders. Additionally, consider that Litchfield had responded to an e-mail from AroundDesMoines.com for additional information with the figure of $150,000 as the amount of new revenue to be raised by the fare increase. This would mean that the lowest income riders, accounting for 6.6% of all riders, will be paying one-third of the new fare dollars. However, regular monthly pass riders account for 22.5% of rides, or more than 3 times the number of OTT riders, with a monthly rate increase is $7 per pass. That should account for more than two-thirds of the expected revenue increase. According to minutes from the DART Commission’s March 4th meeting, additional revenue to help offset rising diesel fuel prices will come from parking garage revenues in the city of Des Moines.

A new $24 paratransit fare for anyone anytime is one of the interesting additions to DART fares. There are also five paratransit zones with various fare rates for qualifying riders. Miller explained that the $24 fare is more than taxi fare so the service option is unlikely to be used. However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering revamping reimbursement rates. Currently, DART is compensated at $16.44 per trip. To protect that revenue, DART needs to have the $24 published rate. As the meeting proceeded to other matters, several commissioners stressed that federal dollars for transportation are likely to be decreasing in the years ahead.

Apparently there is some disagreement within DART and on the DART Commission over the future direction of the transit authority. At the March 4th meeting, Commissioner Steve Van Oort asked for a comprehensive plan to cover the next 10 years. Van Oort is not convinced that the proposed transit mall, for which conceptual drawings and a $15 million tentative price tag were presented at the March 25th meeting, is in the best long-term interest of DART. Commission Chair Skip Conkling countered that the transit mall was necessary for all other development to happen, including a tram from the Capitol to downtown for which Allied/Nationwide has agreed to fund a feasibility study.

Trolleys for the new city- and state-funded shuttle from Meredith Corporation offices to the Capitol are expected to be delivered the first two weeks of April. According to the March 4th meeting minutes the new shuttle will be called the D-Line, a name selected by “a steering committee, consisting of DART and other downtown functionaries….” (For the record, I recommended the name Boondoggle. I can think of several choice D words, too.)

A presentation was also made at the March 25th meeting on responses to challenges posed by this past winter’s weather. DART staff recommended buying another sander and a bobcat. Currently there is only one sander, which was out of commission during part of the season due to damage, and no bobcat. On 74% of the days from December through February there was either snow or freezing rain.

M.R. Field hopes to cover future DART Commission meetings for AroundDesMoines.com. 

(Des Moines, IA, March 18, 2008) People attending a public hearing for a proposed transit fare increase were very clear. Support for a fare increase cannot be separated from the service provided or from who is paying the fare.

Fewer than 20 people attended the noontime hearing held at the Central Library. About half of those people were staff of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority or DART commissioners. DART General Manager said that about 32 people had already submitted comments on the proposed fare increase. Half of those comments were in support, half were in opposition. However, most of the complaints were targeted to specific parts of the proposal.

Miller delivered a slide presentation that had previously been given to the DART commission. He clarified several components of the proposed fare increase included in the letter and attachment sent to riders via e-mail and distributed on buses. One proposed change is that the reduced fare for seniors be offered to be people 65 years or older. Currently, people age 60 can pay the reduced fare. Seniors between age 60 and 65 who currently pay the reduced fare would be grandfathered in and not be required to pay full fare. Federal law requires senior citizens be allowed to ride during off-peak hours at half price. The new fare proposal would allow seniors also to ride at half price during peak hours (i.e., morning and afternoon commute times).

The discount fare for youth age 6 to 10 years would stay at $0.75 while the fare for seniors and disabled riders would increase from $0.50 to $0.75. This would make all discount fares the same. Similarly, the monthly express plus pass would stay at $50.00 but those areas paying less would see an increase to the $50.00 level.

DART staff would like to see more riders use the weekly pass instead of tokens. According to Miller, tokens from pizza parlors are getting dropped into fare boxes. Approximately 4.1% of riders use tokens and 4.4% use weekly passes. Monthly passes are used by 22.5% of riders and 21.9% of rides are given under the Unlimited Access program.

How good a deal is the $50 pass? Consider some calculations for a rider working full-time. For ease of comparison, the monthly commute will be considered to be 2 rides per day, 5 days per week, 4 weeks per month. This equals 40 rides per month. Single fare cost would be $60. Weekly pass fare cost would be $56. Monthly pass fare cost would be $42. On call service would be $120. Combine the monthly pass with the on call transfer cost and it would be $110 per month to take the bus to work. With an all-encompassing express plus pass, that cost would be only $50.

Nobody questioned the reason given for the proposed fare increase, i.e., increasing fuel costs. I sent an e-mail to DART Chief Development Officer Brian Litchfield for usuage details. He said the proposed fare increase would bring in an expected $150,000 annually. In contrast, DART uses about 785,000 gallons of diesel each year. With a current price of between $3.16 and $3.40 per gallon, DART has seen its fuel costs rise by $800,000 per year.

Even though the proposed fare increase is related to rising fuel costs, comments from people attending the fare hearing made it clear there are other concerns. These include the perception that an empty bus equals a poorly-designed route, the time wasted when a route zigs zags in different directions, and the assumption of who rides the bus. One attendee who works for a large downtown company and has her ride paid for under the Unlimited Access program said, “I’m concerned about the poor schmucks” who have to pay $7 more for a monthly pass.

In response to a question I asked about future fare increases or excess revenues should fuel costs stabilize, Miller said that there would not be another fare increase before July 2009. He also acknowledged that future service expansion could be limited by the rising fuel costs.

M.R. Field covers local news for AroundDesMoines.com.

(Des Moines, IA, March 18, 2008) At the March school board meeting for the Des Moines Public Schools, the superintendent’s report included recognition of a team of high school students who won an award for devising a mathematical formula to address the real-world problem of determining the cost benefit of renting a car versus driving one’s own car when going on a trip. Too bad the problem was not more civic-oriented, such as creating a formula for determining which riders should pay which portion of a public transit’s operating expenses. I continue to believe that the Des Moines Area Transit Authority (DART) determines its fare system based on the source of funding rather than the consideration of the ridership. The current fare proposal is just one more example of this.

When the downtown/Capitol shuttle begins, there will be no charge to ride between Meredith’s offices at approximately 16th and Locust to the state Capitol at approximately 13th and East Grand. The north/south route of the shuttle will be limited to the area near the west side of the Des Moines River. In contrast, the downtown zone for route buses will have a fare increase from $0.25 5o $0.50. This bothers me in a couple ways. First, with health care we are told repeatedly that patients must pay a portion of the cost to appreciate the value of the service. I find this is true with public transit, as well. The second concern is that as a city and a state taxpayer, I am subsidizing those free rides while also paying increased fares for downtown zones on weekends and in the evenings. Does DART have agreements with the primary funding entities for the shuttle that DART cannot assign a fare cost to riders to help with other DART services?

Below is a comparison of fares for Ames’ CyRide, San Francisco’s MUNI, and the proposed increase for Des Moines’ DART. I also have included the size of the service area for comparison.

The chart below shows data for 2006, including how much each funding source contributes to operating and to capital revenues (source: National Transit Database). The funding sources will indicate the primary purpose of the transit authority. In Ames, the dominance of local funding suggests the priority is to provide transportation for university students. In Des Moines, the federal funding is to target air pollution and possibly to avoid building extra road lanes to handle rush-hour traffic; the local funding forces riders to go downtown to transfer. In San Francisco, the primary source for operating funds means that riders’ needs will be heard with great respect.

I disapprove of the disproportionate price of a single fare. With an economy that places many residents in part-time and sporadic jobs, it is not cost-effective to buy a monthly pass. How much more should these occasional workers be forced to pay compared to a person who is working full time?

Also, why, when fuel prices are the reason given for the fare increases, are express buses from the outlying suburbs not having their rates increased? Certainly the stop and go traffic of urban routes increases gasoline consumption. However, the sprawl encouraged in an era of inexpensive gasoline is why public transit resources are being spent on daily commuter buses today. It is only fair to increase the monthly pass fares for these riders, too.

I think that before we raise fares, we should require the DART commissioners to take the bus to their monthly commission meetings and to give up their cars for one week in favor of taking the bus.

M.R. Field writes on transit issues. 

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie attended the March 11, 2008, Des Moines Public Schools School Board meeting to promote the Super Block. This is the stretch of land on the southern edge of the city that runs from SE 14th Street to SW 9th Street and from Army Post Road southward to County Line Road. There are two schools sitting in this giant block and the city wants to acquire some of the school district’s land.

The proposal before the school board was to approve the Super Block and to authorize district staff to negotiate further with the City of Des Moines. The city wants to acquire approximately 47 acres of the school property next to Studebaker Elementary and McCombs Middle Schools. No member of the public spoke on this portion of the meeting agenda. In addition to the mayor, Terry Rich, chief executive officer of the Blank Park Zoo, and a representative of the Polk County Conservation Board attended the meeting to lend support to the plan. The board’s vote was 6-0.

Members of the school board made sure to clarify that the city would be purchasing the property for fair market value. Board Member Patty Link said she heard over and over that there is growth on the south side. She and other board members wanted to make sure that if the land were sold there would still be room for the district to expand facilities. Link also inquired about horticultural opportunities for students at the A.H. Blank Golf Course. DMPS’ Chief Operating Officer Bill Good said the golf course is “enthusiastic” about working with students and that he believes there will still be “good growth potential” for school programs. Board Member Connie Boesen said she spoke from experience as a person who has sat on the zoo’s board. She believes the plan utilizes space well and that there are horticultural opportunities at the zoo, too. There was also a board member suggestion that students might be able to learn golf.

Board Member Jeanette Woods compared all the activities planned for the Super Block to the isolation of the Botanical Center. “I really like the idea it’s connected,” she said. She also thinks the entire plan is a good idea but she is concerned that Lincoln High School is overcrowded. In a response to Woods’ inquiry about the status of a demographic study, Good said a draft has been prepared and it should be ready in about a month. (The demographic study was authorized at an earlier board meeting and will look at projected growth in the district, with particular attention paid to the south side.)

The Super Block issue will appear before the school board again when terms of the land sale are finished. The Super Block vision is to stimulate economic and social growth on the south side, as well as to develop a signature a so-called green sustainable project.

Personal Note: As I have written on AroundDesMoines.com in regard to other development projects, residents throughout the city should be concerned about and involved in projects regardless of where in the city they are being proposed. This Super Block is just one of many plans the city has for the south side. In addition to the Super Block, the city is planning reconstruction of Indianola Avenue and development of the Highway 5/North River area that currently is outside of the city’s limits. All of these projects and the public meetings that have been held for some of them, merit far more comprehensive media coverage than they have received.

M.R. Field covers school board meetings for AroundDesMoines.com. 

If you have an opinion about fares charged for using any of the transit services offered by the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) now is the time to share them. The DART Commission may vote on fare increases proposed by DART staff as soon as Tuesday, March 25, 2008. A public hearing will be held immediately prior to the March 25th meeting (5:00 p.m. at DART’s offices) and on Tuesday, March 18th (12:00 Noon at the Central Library). Services include regularly-scheduled daily bus routes, paratransit services, on-call and van pool services, weekday express routes, and numerous weekly or semi-weekly trips from outlying suburban communities.

In a letter to customers from General Manager Brad Miller, rising fuel costs are cited as the reason for requested fare increases. If the commission accepts the fare changes at its March meeting, the new fares could take effect on June 1, 2008. The letter was distributed on buses, sent via e-mail to customers requesting such communication, and posted on the DART website. Fares were last raised in January 2007, with rising fuel costs given as the reason then, as well.

In other news, this time from the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (DMAMPO), DART wants to amend the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to include a $32,000 Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program project in the current fiscal year to promote and to market the Unlimited Access Program. There will be a public hearing on this request on Tuesday, April 1st at 7:00 p.m. at the DMAMPO offices. I spoke with Brian Litchfield, DART’s chief development officer, via telephone about the Unlimited Access Program and other DART-related items.

The Unlimited Access Program offers unlimited rides to people affiliated with various organizations and businesses in exchange for a flat payment by the companies and groups. Drake University, which is easily accessible by the #3 and #5 bus lines, is the only university currently participating. A three-day survey in Fall 2007 indicated approximately six university-based riders a day. Litchfield said that in the first two months of Drake’s participation in the program, university-related ridership vastly exceeded expectations. All of the Unlimited Access contracts are for five years with clauses for annual cost adjustments.

Whether a particular transit service is funded by a grant or by riders factors into which fares are recommended to be raised. For instance, the downtown zone fare would rise to $0.50 but a free shuttle between Meredith and the Capitol would run approximately every 10 minutes from at least 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. There would also be a north/south route that would replace LINK park-and-ride service and would also be free. (The Indiana-based manufacturer of the trolley cars for the shuttle did not deliver the four diesel-powered vehicles on time. They are now expected to be delivered the first week of April. Start of the free shuttle service is thus expected to be between late April and June.) West Des Moines zone fares would rise to $0.75.

The $0.10 charge for transfers would be eliminated but so would the discount for buying single-trip tokens. For fares that will rise, the proposed increases range from 20% to 50%.

For people who commute to work via private automobile, the DMAMPO is reviewing the 2007 Travel Time Survey and the 2007 Vehicle Occupancy Survey. An interesting item in the In Touch newsletter from the DMAMPO is that rush-hour travel time on non-interstate roads is below the posted speed limit. However, on the interstate performance is sometimes higher than the posted speed limit. In other words, people are speeding to shorten their commute times.

M.R. Field writes about transit issues for AroundDesMoines.com. 

The Des Moines Public Schools School Board voted 4-2 at its March 11, 2008, meeting to in favor of a resolution to create a district-wide foundation. This foundation would be a not-for-profit entity that could receive grants and tax-exempt donations for which the district, as a governmental body, does not qualify. The nay votes were cast by Board Vice President Ginny Strong and Board Member Connie Boesen. They wanted the foundation’s scope to be limited to pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. The majority favored including Grades 9 to 12, while placing an emphasis on pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. All of the high schools either have or are developing their own individual foundations.

Superintendent Dr. Nancy Sebring worked with a foundation when she was at a Colorado school district. The feasibility of creating a foundation in the DMPS district was studied by a committee authorized by the board in February 2007. Members of that committee were appointed by each board member and by the superintendent. Support was provided by the National School Foundation Association (NSFA), which is based in Des Moines.

NSFA is a product of the 21st century. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, secured by the efforts of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), a website was developed under the oversight of Dr. David Else of the University of Northern Iowa’s College of Education. The purpose of NSFA, the organizations from which it was formed, and the website is to provide information that aids in the start-up and sustainability of K-12 school foundations. The organization is partnered with the Iowa Association of School Boards. Both groups have offices at 6000 Grand Avenue.

The benefits of being able to pursue grants that can be given only to organizations to which the IRS has given 501(c)3 status was the basic reason the study committee recommended a foundation. There were general ideas that such grants and donations that a foundation might receive could help provide classroom supplies, make school facilities more appealing, and contain rising property taxes. However, the specific mission and purpose of the foundation will need to be set by a new committee.

There was opposition to the foundation on the feasibility committee. At the school board meeting and in the main text of the written minority report made by dissenting committee members, the emphasis was placed on how a district-wide foundation could compete with donations to individual high school foundations. This concern was expressed in terms of individual donors, corporate foundations, and local business partnerships. A list of concerns in the written report goes much farther, though. It questions the cost of creating “an all-encompassing foundation,” “oversight of the entity” and that “[t]he governing board will not adequately reflect the needs and desires of all of the schools in the district.” The dissenting members of the committee believe there needs to be “[a] wider, more transparent discussion in Des Moines at large….”

A new committee is being formed to decide how to implement the foundation. Its work should take place between March and August with the first meeting of the new foundation in August or September 2008. Decisions to be made include the name of the foundation, as well as its vision, mission, and purpose statements. A list of issues for the formation committee to address includes developing by-laws and filing articles of incorporation with the state, identifying “potential permanent board members,” establishing a budget, and seeking community support. The foundation will have a memorandum of understanding with the school board and a member of the board will be an ex-officio member of the foundation’s board.

M.R. Field covers the school board meetings for AroundDesMoines.com. 

Five counties in Iowa had subprime loans accounting for more than 40% of first mortgages in 2005. Polk County fell in the 15% to 25% range. This is just some of the information available in a 2007 report by Heather MacDonald of the Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Iowa. The report, Affordable Housing in Iowa: Meeting New Challenges, was prepared for the Iowa Finance Authority and paid for by the Iowa Department of Economic Development and Fannie Mae. Johnson County is one of four counties with less than 10% of first mortgages being subprime loans. However, “Johnson County is the only metropolitan area where rents have inflated faster than housing values [between 2000 and 2005], and estimated gross rents in the county are now the highest among central metropolitan counties.” Iowa City is located in Johnson County.

The report focused on two main questions: (1) “How have Iowa’s housing markets changed between 2000 and 2005?” and (2) “How effectively have state and federal programs responded to those changing needs?” Three recommendations were offered: (1) prepare a statewide housing policy, (2) provide stable and predictable funding, and (3) increase developer capacity and make it easier for them to build.

The movement of Iowans out of the state and from rural to urban/suburban areas is one of the challenges ahead. Many of the mulitfamily affordable housing units are in rural areas but the need for such apartments is growing in the metropolitan areas. The report states that providing direct rental assistance to households instead of offering assistance through specific housing “avoids this problem.” In contrast, assistance to homeowners is given to the individual and not to the community.

Real wages have declined since 2000, even as housing prices rose. As with many of the statistics, the report identifies these as suggestive rather than conclusive because the data comes from two different sources. The American Community Survey (ACS) is replacing data from the long-form decennial census. In addition to being a smaller sample size, the ACS has a different definition of residence than the census. This means that some snowbirds might not be counted in the state’s population but some seasonal migrant farm workers could be included.

Depending upon which numbers are used there either has been little change in housing affordability or increases for all incomes. The report opines that this might be due to the larger number of households with incomes over $75,000 that are homeowners. Among those households only 3.2% are cost burdened, up from 1.7% in 2000. In contrast, 23.1% of households with incomes between $35,000 and $49,999 are cost-burdened, up from 15.2%. However, because there are so many more homeowners with incomes above $75,000 the average affordability did not worsen significantly.

The report noted that considerable funding support for affordability programs comes from the federal government. Because the focus of the report was state policy, it did not explore local funding such as tax abatements and tax increment financing (TIF).

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa. 

What is the purpose of housing? Is it a place where you can express your personality? Is it an interchangeable investment to use like corporate stocks? Is it a place to build memories of childhood and family? Is it a necessity to keep the population safe and well? Is it a tool to provide profits for developers and legacies for elected officials?

The Federal Reserve’s March 6, 2008, release of home equity information should be bringing the question of housing to the forefront of talk shows and news reports. Americans now owe more debt on their homes than they own equity. Indeed, this has been the case for three straight quarters. Moreover, it is the first time there has been negative net worth in homeownership since the Fed started keeping statistics in 1945.

Government’s interest in housing is to generate income for providing infrastructure and services and to provide space for the population to be safe from nature. In some circumstances, housing can range from cots in a homeless shelter to an 8,000 square foot house.

People may view housing as a status symbol, an investment to sell at a market’s peak, a home to live in for generations, and/or individual liberty. Zoning laws, property taxes, sidewalk requirements, and other impositions often are seen as intrusions.

The current data from the Federal Reserve should raise serious and long-range discussions about the efforts of the federal government to push homeownership and to reward frequent selling, all in the name of wealth building. Perhaps this time the discussion can include what individuals want out of their housing instead of merely how developers can be given benefits to build more houses. Can we provide the needs of individuals and families by building smaller houses, by building larger apartments, by reducing new development and by rehabilitating older buildings? Can we meet the housing needs of individuals and families by improving wages and by giving more respect to renters. (Have you ever tried to recycle water bottles while living in an apartment building in Des Moines?) Can we lower the housing costs of property taxes by reducing sprawl so we spend less on salt and overtime for winter road care and less on eminent domain to build more road lanes?

There is much information of interest in a 2007 report on Affordable Housing in Iowa, not the least being the numerous programs for and statistics about housing in the past and in the present. At the heart of all this information is the definition of affordable housing. As it has been for decades, the definition is set at 30% of gross income. More recently, low-income households have included those with incomes at 80% of a community’s median income.

Many housing activists, myself included, find 80% of median to be ridiculously high. Government favors the 80% mark because more households are likely to qualify for mortgages even without assistance. However, at 30% of median, families begin to need help to meet the low-end of rental costs.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa. 

What does it mean to empower women? What is the definition of success? What are the tools and the resources needed to be successful? For the Women’s Alliance, the answer begins with its vision statement: “All women and girls in Greater Des Moines are economically self-sufficient and do not live in conditions of poverty.”

The Women’s Alliance is a project of the Chrysalis Foundation. The Chrysalis Foundation was founded in 1989 with an endowment from the late Louise Noun. It funds programs that help women and girls in Polk, Story, and Warren counties. The alliance is a project that brings together representatives from non-profit and governmental service agencies, and the occasional for-profit business. My business is part of that partnership.

Women’s Alliance partners met in several meetings over the past two years. Discussions included the definition of self-sufficiency and the particular skills and assistance needed in education, housing, and healthcare to achieve economic empowerment. With that information identified, the Chrysalis Foundation was able to issue requests for proposals so that it could fund projects that would help the Women’s Alliance reach goals set in the meetings. Another meeting, facilitated by Martha McCormick of Next Step Incorporated, was held in February 2008 to discuss the next phase of the alliance.

McCormick used a military theme to guide the meeting. She started by asking participants to identify what role they would serve in an army. Apparently all those novels set during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars that I read in my youth, as well as more recent non-fiction reading, left me being the most knowledgeable about military structure. One person vocalized that it was disconcerting to use war-evoking themes when talking about social services. Nevertheless, the answers revealed that there are several roles in any battle. There was the Corporal O’Reilly who keeps things running, the foot soldier who does the grunt work, the sergeant who attracts and shapes new recruits, the marauding scout who finds and disrupts opposition, the West Point analyst who takes successful strategies and turns them into new training courses, and the chaplain who counsels everyone else.

Another exercise was for participants to identify items that are being fought by women seeking self-sufficiency and for resources each alliance member brings to the war effort. The challenges ranged from internal expectations to physical limitations to external attitudes. The resources ranged from the motivational to the personal and on to specific services. As groups set about to put the lists into some order it became very clear that different interpretations were being assigned to the same items. For example, what is meant by “family values?” Is it the concept that there is a man and woman, married to each other, who have children? Or, is it the concept that each family has its own history and cultural story that can offer strength to an individual struggling to break out of poverty?

Any item in the list of challenges that was created could apply to a person who is not living in poverty. Yet, I thought of writing this post when I saw all the items that participants had thought of during the meeting. That was because I don’t believe most people understand the number and variety of problems encountered by women and girls at the lowest socio-economic levels of our society. Those challenges identified include: fear, prejudice, ignorance, bias, indoctrination, violence, media images, low expectations, need for immediate gratification, shattering of dreams, lack of love/compassion, lack of respect, put downs (e.g., too smart, too easy), poor parenting skills, failed family structure, depression, anxiety, stress, insufficient housing, poor transportation, lack of education, lack of childcare resources, lack of healthcare resources, lack of negotiation, low wages, teen pregnancy, sexually-transmitted diseases, and poor nutrition.

One part of the resources list came about because some participants in the meeting had previously commented that high schools in Des Moines do not have the spirit-building symbols of earlier times. Other resources describe what individuals can offer, what professionals provide, and what a partnership can do. The list includes: mascots, toys, fun, creativity, talking, listening, being inviting, gender-specific services, licensed counselors, money (e.g., sliding-scale payments, program funding), passion, optimism, personal energy, training, education, historical data, years of experience, ear of policymakers, ability to meet with legislators, diversity in programs, rights, clout, social capital, volunteers, male allies, friends, families, and bringing people to the table.

At the end of the process, the consensus was that the Women’s Alliance should continue with a few meetings each year. The majority of participants wanted opportunities to learn about each other’s services and agencies. My goal is to help bring that information to the general public so more people understand what is at stake and how they can help.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.