A fire on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 4, destroyed much of an encampment near the Iowa River as it approaches the 1400 block of Gilbert Street in Iowa City. The individuals living there lost much of their possessions, and Shelter House is working to replace what was lost in the fire.
“These people need new tents, tarps, and sleeping bags,” Shelter House said in a statement posted on social media. “With temperatures anticipated to drop this weekend, they also need warm coats, gloves, hats, and footwear.”
Donations of these items can be dropped off at Shelter House’s emergency shelter in Iowa City at 429 Southgate Ave. “Any extra items donated beyond what the folks impacted by yesterday’s fire need will be distributed to others sleeping outdoors in our community,” the Iowa City nonprofit said.
In its posts about the fire and the people living with its aftermath, Shelter House made an important, broader point: “What they really need — what every person needs and deserves — is housing.”
— Genevieve Trainor/Little Village
Shelter House said its street outreach specialist had been working with people at the encampment for the last several months and had “helped secure housing vouchers for nearly all of the individuals staying there, and he further worked with them to complete and submit rental applications. Unfortunately, recent applications for housing for these individuals have yielded fully thirty rejections.”
According to Shelter House the rejections resulted from landlords refusing to rent to people using federal housing assistance to pay their rent, or “because they do not have monthly income equal to 3x the rent payment without including the voucher as part of that income.” These reasons not only reflect the lack of affordable housing in Iowa City, but also highlight the consequences of a 2021 change in Iowa law.
Prior to a law Gov. Kim Reynolds signed in April 2021, three cities in Iowa — Iowa City, Marion and Des Moines — had ordinances prohibiting landlords from discriminating against people who receive federal housing assistance. SF 252 stripped municipalities of the power to enforce such ordinances.
During the Iowa Senate debate on the bill, then-Sen. Jackie Smith, a Democrat from Sioux City, pointed out that the governor had repeatedly said that addressing the lack of affordable housing in the state was one of her top priorities.
“Why on earth would we cut off one avenue for affordable housing?” Smith said. “Why are we making laws that hurt veterans, the disabled, the elderly, poor families with children? Why are we using the strong arm of state government to take decision-making away from local elected officials?”
SF 252 took effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
This story originally appeared in LV Daily, Little Village’s Monday-Friday email newsletter. Sign up to have it delivered for free to your inbox.
