Everyone needs a place to live. Des Moines, similar to other areas of the country, is facing affordable housing pressures. Affordable housing is defined as a home that costs no more than 30% of a person’s annual household income. In an article published earlier this year by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, found that 60% of extremely-low income tenants cannot afford rental units in Central Iowa and the Downtown Workforce Housing Study found that 58,000 households in Des Moines are cost-burdened spending more than 30% of their income on housing.

Panelist: Emily Osweiler, MSW; Executive Director of the YMCA Supportive Housing Campus

This panel discussion hopes to learn from some of the leading organizations in the area with a mission to provide affordable housing.

• What are some of the biggest issues facing their organizations?

• How can the design & construction community or you as an individual make a difference?