Photo credit: Region XII Council of Governments
Homes for Iowa (HFI), in partnership with Iowa Prison Industries (IPI), is celebrating a significant milestone this week as the 100th home constructed through the program was delivered. HFI began in 2020 as a job training initiative for inmates at the Newton Correctional Facility, and the first home was delivered and placed in Jefferson that same year. The 100th HFI house was placed on its foundation in Rippey earlier this week. Region XII Council of Governments serves as HFI’s fiscal agent, and Executive Director Rick Hunsaker says they are proud to be associated with this work.
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The HFI board is led by Mike Norris, the executive director of the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission. Two locals, Wall Lake City Clerk Chris Rodman and Badding Construction President Nick Badding, also serve on the board. Hunsaker says housing has been and continues to be a significant challenge in rural Iowa, but HFI is filling in the gaps where it can.
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HFI and Region XII work with cities, developers, and everyday Iowans to develop a plan to bring the prisoner-built home to its new community. The houses range between $200,000 and $270,000 when it is all said and done, which is a much lower cost than private contractors are often interested in doing, and that is because Region XII only wants to recoup its expenses rather than turn a profit. Of the 100 homes constructed so far, nearly 20 percent have been placed or will be placed by year’s end in the seven-county region. Not only is HFI addressing housing needs, but it also helps inmates reintegrate into society after their release. Hunsaker says the anecdotal evidence is promising.
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Offenders participating in the program have a five-year recidivism rate of only 6.1 percent, compared to the 34.3 percent three-year recidivism rate for the Iowa Department of Corrections general population in 2023. HFI has not reached the annual production it had hoped to be at in its fifth year, but it continues to improve each home’s overall construction timeline. Homes for delivery in 2025 are still being accepted now, and developers, cities, and others interested in purchasing an HFI house can learn more online at www.homesforia.com.