About Us
The mission of the PottCoHTF is to support and advocate for safe and affordable housing opportunities for Pottawattamie County residents.
The Pottawattamie County Housing Trust Fund (PottCoHTF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization designated by the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) as the certified Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) for Pottawattamie County, Iowa. The PottCoHTF received its initial LHTF allocation in 2011 as the Council Bluffs Housing Trust Fund to serve the needs of Council Bluffs residents. In 2019, the service area was expanded to serve all areas of Pottawattamie County.
The PottCoHTF provides grants annually to a variety of organizations working to provide affordable housing and support services for low- to moderate-income residents of Pottawattamie County. The primary source of funding comes in the form of an annual formula grant from IFA that must be met with matching funds from local sources. Pottawattamie County and the City of Council Bluffs provide the bulk of the match; however, additional funds are secured from local banks, the Iowa West Foundation, and private donors.
To be considered for funding, proposed projects must be eligible under the State Housing Trust Fund Program and meet one or more of the PottCoHTF’s objectives:
• Rental Housing, including rehabilitation, new construction, emergency housing, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing.
• Education of potential renters and owners.
• Home-ownership assistance, including direct assistance, rehabilitation and new construction.
• Owner occupied housing rehabilitation
A local housing trust fund must satisfy several requirements to be certified, including:
- Organizational, governing, and public hearing requirements;
- Designating affordable housing as its primary purpose;
- Demonstrated support from local partners;
- Creation of a housing assistance plan approved by IFA which, among other requirements must address housing needs of extremely low income households and the continuum of housing needs throughout the area; and
- Identify current and future local funding activities.