DES MOINES — The Iowa Finance Authority announced the award of a total of more than $11 million in grants to 26 Local Housing Trust Funds to support local housing initiatives, including initiatives that serve Mahaska and surrounding counties.

The AHEAD Regional Housing Trust Fund, which serves Mahaska, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Wapello, and Van Buren counties, will receive $425,870 and the Central Iowa Housing Trust Fund, which serves Marion, Jasper, Warren, and Boone counties, is set to receive $513,597. In total, the grant awards, which are made available through the Local Housing Trust Fund program, are expected to assist 2,390 families.

“The 2023 Local Housing Trust Fund awards represent the largest amount allocated through the program for local housing initiatives since the program’s inception,” said Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Debi Durham. “Thanks to the funding increase supported by Governor Reynolds and the Iowa Legislature, the program is able to serve as an invaluable and flexible resource for meeting the important and unique housing needs of each region of the state.”

“The State Housing Trust Fund is a critical financing tool that helps us to advance local housing priorities,” said Scott County Housing Council Executive Director Leslie Kilgannon.  “These funds allow us to provide safe, adequate housing opportunities for our workforce and members of our communities.”

The grant funds will be used for initiatives such as preserving aging housing stock, subsidizing local rental and down payment assistance programs, providing low-interest loans or grants to assist Iowans with home rehabilitation, financing construction of new single-family housing for low-income Iowans and supporting housing for persons with disabilities and homeless assistance programs.

The State Housing Trust Fund was created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003. The awards announced today will leverage an additional $3.2 million in other financing or $.28 for every dollar of Local Housing Trust Fund program funding. Since its inception, the State Housing Trust Fund has provided $112.2 million in affordable housing assistance to benefit more than 35,200 Iowa families, leveraging more than $175 million in other funding resources.

The State Housing Trust Fund helps ensure decent, safe and affordable housing for Iowans through two programs. The Local Housing Trust Fund Program receives at least 60 percent of the SHTF allocation to provide grants for organizations certified by the Iowa Finance Authority as a Local Housing Trust Fund.

The remaining funding goes to the Project-Based Housing Program, which aids in the development of affordable single-family and multifamily housing. The Iowa Finance Authority administers both programs and provides technical assistance to housing-related organizations.

AMES — Are you an Iowa 4-H’er planning to attend college? The Iowa 4-H Foundation knows it’s not easy to finance a college education, and we know that many Iowa 4-H’ers can use help achieving their educational goals. Consider applying for an Iowa 4-H Scholarship, funded by donors through the Iowa 4-H Foundation.

Designed to encourage Iowa 4-H members to continue their education beyond high school, our current scholarship program offers over 90 scholarships worth more than $100,000. Scholarships range in value from $250 to $5,000. Read more about the scholarships here.

Iowa 4-H members are eligible to apply for 4-H scholarships if they meet individual scholarship requirements (i.e. designated college and/or major program of study, county of residence, 4-H event participation, etc.)  Applicants must enroll as a full-time student (minimum of 12 credit hours) to receive scholarship awards. Only ONE application form is needed for all Iowa 4-H scholarships. Eligible Iowa 4-H youth may apply for more than one scholarship, however, only one scholarship per individual will be awarded per academic year.

To be eligible for any of the Iowa 4-H Foundation Scholarships 2 letters of recommendation are required – one from an Extension staff member or 4-H volunteer and one from a school/college academic advisor or teacher. College undergraduates may submit both letters from academic advisors.

All 4-H scholarship applications are due March 1, 2023, 11:59 p.m.

OSKALOOSA, IA — Enrollment in the Oskaloosa Community School District has increased by 46 students this school year, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

The latest numbers indicate a reversal of the decreases in enrollment the district has experienced in recent years. Certified enrollment at Osky Schools totals 2,255 this year, an increase of 46 students from the previous year.

Even with an increase in enrollment, the district continues to feature small class sizes, with an average of 18 students per class in elementary and 16 students per class in secondary.

“It is great to see our numbers heading toward pre-COVID-19 levels as more families enroll their students in our schools,” said Mike Fisher, Osky Schools Superintendent. “This growth is a very good thing for our district. Should this enrollment growth trend continue, we will continue to keep small classes a priority in order to provide the best possible academic experience for each and every student.”

Osky Schools delivers a diverse and expanding curriculum to its students. The district features one of the largest selection of courses for students in the area.

To view certified enrollment numbers by district in previous years, visit https://educateiowa.gov/data-reporting/data-reporting/certified-enrollment.