SWIPCO grant application nets $100,0000 for housing in downtown Stanton

Affordable housing in southwest Iowa recently got a boost from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. A grant administered by Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) will provide $100,000 to renovate and update two upper-story housing units in the City of Stanton.
“Housing is just one of the obstacles employers are facing as they seek to attract new staff,” SWIPCO Community Development Specialist Mackenzie Bandow said. “In addition to improving the aesthetic of downtown, this grant will help the City of Stanton ensure there is affordable housing for more of its residents.”
Bandow also praised the city’s commitment to affordable housing, and noted more units make the city a more inviting place to live for young professionals who may be looking to start a family someday. “This property is actually the site of one of the first completed Catalyst projects in Iowa, and it’s great to see more residential housing added to this structure,” Bandow added.
Southwest Iowa’s regional council of governments provided grant writing assistance to bring the funds, which will add one additional housing unit, to the City of Stanton.
The project will include an interior overhaul of unfinished second story space in the property at 312 Broad Avenue, along with exterior improvements such as brick tuckpointing, the addition of concrete parking stalls, and deck construction to add outdoor living space.
The Downtown Housing Grant is funded with State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
SWIPCO routinely provides grant writing and administration services to its member communities in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties and has brought over $100 million in grants to the region in the last two years alone.