Colombian immigrant and Iowa City resident Francisco Rodriguez said his family felt "helpless" when searching for a place to live.
Between application fees, deposits and the need for a translator, he struggled to land a place for his five-person family for six months.
Rodriguez is one of many Iowa City immigrant workers who are asking the city to establish more minority-specific affordable housing.
Members of Escucha Mi Voz, the self-described eastern Iowa immigrant empowerment organization, asked the Iowa City City Council Tuesday to dedicate a portion of its $3.75 million Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing, PRO grant, and portions of its local match to alleviate financial pressure on the area's immigrant workers.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced its nationwide grant winners in late June. Iowa City officials held a formal press conference to announce the award.
City Manager Geoff Fruin told the Press-Citizen that the city has not yet received the grant agreement or instructions on how to spend the money. He said the city will determine the match when it receives the necessary information.
What does the local immigrant community want?
In a letter signed by 33 local members of the organization submitted to the council, Escucha Mi Voz was critical of the city's "fair market rent housing," which is orchestrated by the Iowa City Housing Authority using American Rescue Plan Act money.
"Renting out three-bedroom townhouses to working families for $1,400/month is market-rate rent extraction, not fair and just housing," the letter read.
City leaders and the organization will meet to discuss potential uses of the federal funds.
Community flocks to City Hall
Escucha Mi Voz members showed out at Iowa City City Hall on Tuesday, July 16, sharing their rental experience and why there's a need for specific affordable housing.
Yaneli Canales has lived in Iowa City since she was three years old. Her parents immigrated to the community, and she experienced firsthand her family's struggle to find a stable and affordable housing option in the area.
"Due to the limited housing options for immigrant families, my family lived in almost every mobile home park and at one point, we were able to save enough money for a home which was lost shortly after due to a foreclosure," Canales said. "This left my family financially scarred and humiliated."
Canales asked the council to include a "civil rights and racial equity analysis" to prioritize ethnic minorities. She said minorities are "least likely to benefit from current assistance programs."
Local Latino community struggles with homelessness
Escucha Mi Voz, in a joint study with the University of Iowa College of Nursing and Johnson County Public Health, gathered data early in 2024 which revealed that more than half of the Latinos in the community consider themselves "technically homeless," Canales said.
Francisco Rodriguez, a Columbian immigrant working and living in the Iowa City area, spoke of his struggle to find affordable housing. He said the many fees and large deposits he was required to pay make it tough to secure a home.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to obtain somewhere to live as an immigrant?" Rodriguez said.
The apartment hunt took him more than six months, despite having a work permit and a social security number, he told the council through a translator.
Rodriguez said he paid $50 per person as an application fee at "over 10 places" for his son, his brother, his nephew and his pregnant wife.
"We can't say anything because we feel helpless," Rodriguez said.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached atrhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
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