Quad Cities Housing Council receives major three-year Transformation Grant

by Sue Hafkemeyer
President & CEO

This morning, I have the distinct honor to announce that the Quad Cities Housing Council is the recipient of a three-year, $300,000 Transformation Grant from the Quad Cities Community Foundation. 

The Transformation Grant, the largest grant we award each year, is made possible by generous donations to our Quad Cities Community Impact Fund.

Our region is experiencing an affordable housing crisis. Families are now the fastest-growing group entering homelessness, and our community is short more than 6,000 affordable units. While no single initiative can close that gap overnight, the Housing Council’s innovative and collaborative leadership can give us a foothold. 

For the first time, six housing organizations, led by the Housing Council, are aligning their efforts to bring new or rehabilitated affordable units to Davenport. The initiative is guided by extensive assessments and studies, and leverages partnerships and programs already active in the neighborhood. The units will include both new construction and renovated properties. Many will include support services for residents. 

That type of impact is possible thanks to the collaborative leadership of the Quad Cities Housing Council and their partner organizations in this project: Vera French Housing Corporation, Ecumenical Housing Development Group, Habitat for Humanity of the Quad Cities, Humility Homes and Services, and Rejuvenate Housing.

Our Board and staff see the housing challenges we face as an opportunity for regional leaders to come together. Sometimes that takes a spark. And that’s why the Transformation Grant was created—to bet big on the vision of nonprofits, the generosity of our community, and the future of our region. 

This project is going to create momentum. And this collaboration models the kind of innovation, compassion, and shared purpose our region needs. I invite you to read more about the solutions this collaboration is working toward, and encourage you to add your support to their effort by giving here.