Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency
The Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency (DMMHA) owns and manages Public Housing units for eligible low- and moderate-income families and individuals. All of these rental units are located within the city limits of Des Moines.
Public Housing General Information
The Public Housing program consists of rental units, within the City of Des Moines, owned and managed by the Department of Housing Services. Upon acceptance of a unit, participants enter into a lease agreement with the Department of Housing Services and pay approximately 30% of their monthly adjusted income for rent. A full-time Service Coordinator is available at our five manors to ensure that residents have access to support services necessary for them to live independently. The five manors consist of 390 units. The manors are Royal View Manor (singles, elderly, disabled), East View Manor (elderly only), Southview Manor (elderly only), Highland Park Plaza (elderly only), and Oak Park Plaza (elderly only).
The DMMHA also has a limited number of scattered site units that can accommodate larger households (2 persons or more).
*** PUBLIC HOUSING APPLICATION ***
*** PUBLIC HOUSING ACCESSIBLE UNITS ***
*** PUBLIC HOUSING NEWSLETTERS ***
More about Public Housing
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program provides rental assistance to low-income families and elderly or disabled individuals who rent from a private landlord. Eligibility for the Section 8 program is determined by family composition and income guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which provides the program funding. Approximately 3,200 households are served through Section 8 programs. The DMMHA administers the Section 8 program throughout Polk County. Participants in the Section 8 program pay 30-40% of their monthly adjusted income for rent..
Eligible applicants for Section 8 program are given a Housing Choice Voucher and 60 days to find an approved rental unit. The Section 8 program provides rental assistance to participants who want to rent from a private landlord. Participants may choose the type of housing they wish to rent. Prior to being placed under the program and at least annually thereafter each unit must pass a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection to ensure that the unit is a safe and decent place to live.
*** LANDLORD INFORMATION PACKET ***
GoSection8.com - Rental search resource with nationwide information
Iowa Housing Search - Rental search resource targeted to the State of Iowa
More about Section 8
Project Based Vouchers
The Project Based Voucher Program (PBV) is rental assistance for eligible families and individuals who live in specific housing developments or units within Polk County. Under the PBV program, DMMHA enters into a housing assistance payment contract with the owner for specified rental units for a specified term.
The City of Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency (DMMHA) Family Self Sufficiency Program (FSS) is a voluntary self-sufficiency program which coordinates housing assistance with public and private resources to enable assisted families to achieve economic self-sufficiency. This is accomplished by providing linkages to resources within the community, case management, and education through workshops. These resources can assist FSS participants in obtaining opportunities for education, job training, counseling and other forms of assistance that will lead to economic independence and to maintain self-sufficiency.
The objective of the FSS Program is to reduce the dependency on welfare assistance and housing assistance. Use of housing as a stabilizing force permits the families to invest their energy in other efforts - including employment, education, and job training, all necessary to achieve self-sufficiency. The FSS Program utilizes a holistic approach as best practice for providing services and assisting families to Coordinators reassess the situation monthly and adjust supports and services for the family as necessary. The FSS Coordinator works with each participant to bundle appropriate supports and services and to establish a goal plan for moving toward self-sufficiency.
The FSS Program has used UWCI funding to employ an additional part-time FSS Coordinator which increases the number of participants the FSS Program is able to serve. This additional staff person also increases the number of partnerships with other agencies the FSS Program is able to seek out and maintain. The FSS Program will continue to utilize UWCI renewal funding in the same manner to serve more participants than would be able to if only HUD FSS grant funding were available.
Information not available at this time.