“I just wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank you for everything you’ve done over the past four years. […] As I’ve grown into adulthood and fatherhood, having a reliable and supportive rental service [through the Housing Fellowship] has made a bigger difference in my life than you may realize. Knowing I had a place that feels secure and a team that truly cares took a lot of stress off my shoulders and allowed me to focus on being the best parent and person I can be. Your hard work does not go unnoticed. Please keep doing what you’re doing! You are truly a blessing to many families and individuals, including myself. I’m thankful for the role you’ve played in making these years easier and more stable for me.”
This message came from a single father of 11 who had struggled to find stable housing for his family. Because of the Housing Fellowship, one of United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties’ partner agencies, he was able to find and afford a six-bedroom home. The difference that safe, stable housing can make in a person’s life is profound. When someone knows their family has a safe place to call home, they have the stability to focus on work, their children, their health and their future. But for far too many families in our community, that stability remains out of reach.
Over the past year, United Way’s 211 emergency support line received more than 26,000 contacts related to housing. In Johnson and Washington counties alone, housing-related 211 calls increased by 23% from FY25 to FY26. More than 30% of Johnson County households and more than 17% of Washington County households are cost burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their gross income on housing. The numbers reflect what our community partners see every day. In the past year, more than 57% of Iowa Legal Aid’s issues in our community focused on preventing homelessness and preserving housing stability. At the same time, declining federal funding is making it increasingly difficult for local organizations to meet growing needs with fewer resources. Our communities are facing two challenges at once: helping people who are experiencing homelessness or living in unsafe or unaffordable housing today, while also planning for the housing needs of tomorrow.
Affordable housing is about much more than where someone sleeps at night. It is a foundation for financial security. When a family is spending too much of its income on housing, something else often must be sacrificed. Parents may have to choose between paying their rent or saving for their child’s education. Someone may delay a medical appointment, skip a prescription or put off buying groceries to make ends meet. A household may be one unexpected car repair or missed paycheck away from losing its home. In Iowa City, a household needs to earn approximately $21.94 an hour to afford a two-bedroom rental home at the area’s fair-market rent. For households earning less than that, maintaining stable housing can require these difficult choices every month. This is why housing is a key part of United Way’s work to build financial security. Safe, stable and affordable housing gives individuals and families the foundation they need to weather unexpected challenges, build savings and create a more secure future.
In FY26, United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties invested more than $248,000 in local partner agencies working to address the housing crisis. Our partners provide a range of critical services—from emergency shelter and legal assistance to housing development and long-term support. Shelter House, a United Way funded partner, provided 626 individuals with over 33,000 nights of shelter in FY26. Similarly, in FY26 the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP) helped house almost 700 survivors seeking emergency shelter. These services meet an immediate need, while other partners are working to address the larger systems and supply challenges that contribute to housing instability. For instance, Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity built or improved 33 units of housing in the past fiscal year, which helps to prevent the need for emergency shelter by providing long-term housing, both for families now and for generations in the future.
United Way is also bringing organizations together to look beyond individual programs and work toward community-level solutions. Our recent Strategic Doing session on housing brought United Way and the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition together, along with many other area partners, to identify opportunities for greater collaboration and collective action. The goal is not simply to respond to the housing crisis, but to build stronger systems that can help our community create and preserve safe, stable and affordable housing for the future.
The story of the father and his 11 children is a reminder of what is possible when a community comes together. For his family, finding a six-bedroom home meant more than finding a place to live. It meant stability. It meant less stress. It meant being able to focus on raising his children and building a future. That is the difference safe and affordable housing can make. United Way cannot solve the housing crisis alone. It takes nonprofit organizations, government, businesses, community leaders, volunteers and donors working together.
Your support makes that work possible. Whether through a donation, volunteering your time or connecting with one of our partner agencies, you can help create the stability that allows individuals and families to move forward.
You can learn more about how to support United Way here.