PERRY, Iowa -- This summer, Iowans will have the opportunity to help form Iowa’s housing policy at a series of meetings hosted by Iowa State University Extension. These public meetings, at various locations around the state in June and July, will feature panels of experts presenting housing priorities and goals.

ISU Extension and the Town/Craft Center in Perry are hosting the meetings to gather input from Iowans about housing needs and priorities, as part of an ongoing process to develop a state housing policy. The topics to be discussed were identified by community leaders from across the state and top national and regional experts during a housing policy roundtable sponsored by ISU Extension and Town/Craft in April 2009.

Housing policy roundtable participants identified five topics as crucial: governance, funding, sustainable housing design, capacity building and planning policy. Each meeting will begin with presentations on each topic by a panel of experts who attended the roundtable, after which participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and make recommendations. The meetings will close with refreshments and an informal networking session.

Input from the meetings will be used when the full group of experts reconvenes this August.

All meetings are on Wednesday afternoons, and start at 1 p.m. The meeting dates and locations are as follows:

• June 17, Ottumwa, ISU Extension Ottumwa County Office
• June 24, Sioux City, ISU Design West
• July 1, Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College
• July 8, Atlantic, Cass County Community Center
• July 15, Des Moines, location to be announced
• July 22, Bettendorf, location to be announced

Prior to each meeting, more detailed information regarding location will be announced locally.

The center for Town/Craft is an alliance of Hometown Perry, Iowa, the ISU College of Design and ISU Extension Community and Economic Development for identifying and developing new ideas and strategies that strengthen small communities. For information regarding the Iowa Housing Policy Initiative, contact Mickey Carlson at (515) 520-9505 or michaelc@iastate.edu.

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