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During last year’s floods, the Polk County Housing Trust Fund (PCHTF) was able to distribute more than $1 million to help rebuild homes in the Birdland area, a mobile home park in Pleasant Hill and other areas around Polk County. This year, the nonprofit is responding to the recession by helping groups acquire foreclosed homes and rehabilitate them into affordable housing.

These are just a few examples of how the organization tries to fill the gaps in housing needs from transitional housing to home ownership.

“Every year it’s a new challenge; needs change,” said Sheila Lumley, executive director of PCHTF. “The good thing about us is our money is flexible. It’s not tied to federal rules and regulations, so a lot of times we can come in where somebody else can’t, and that’s, I think, the most positive thing about us. While we do our standard programs and projects, we also try to reserve some funds for those types of things, like if a mobile home park closes and people have to relocate.”

PCHTF was established in 1995 with the mission “to create and support opportunities to collaboratively develop resources and facilitate effective solutions to make housing affordable.” It receives $1.5 million annually from the county and this year received more than $500,000 from the state. It is trying to raise another $750,000 through private donations.

Most of the funds support nonprofits Anawim Housing, Community Housing Development Corp., Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity Inc., HOME Inc. and The Home Connection, as well as city and county programs. It provides funding for technical assistance, pre-development needs, development needs such as acquisition, rehabilitation and new construction, and closing cost and down payment assistance.

Last year, PCHTF served 839 families, 94 percent of which have incomes of less than 50 percent of the median family income of $35,850.

Lumley expects the staff of four will focus on renovating existing homes for at least the next couple of years. “We would really like to focus a little more effort in communities that have older housing stock that maybe see a need to address some of their housing needs that aren’t currently being met,” she said.