Community Partners Charter New Structure to Address Housing Solutions 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                              

July 31, 2025 

Media Contacts:  

Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines Emily Toribio, Chief Marketing Officer 

toribio@desmoinesfoundation.org, (515) 447-4205  

 Community Partners Charter New Structure to Address Housing Solutions 

Public and private stakeholders announce Polk County Blueprint for Housing Solutions Alliance  

NEWS RELEASE – Des Moines, IA – Through cross-sector collaboration, community and business leaders have committed to driving progress through a re-envisioned community-wide structure to address homelessness and ensure that one day, everyone in Polk County has a safe place to call home. The Blueprint to Address Homelessness (The Blueprint), a five-year strategic plan, was released this spring by Homeward, Polk County’s homelessness planning organization, and strategic funding partner, the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. The Blueprint called for reorganization of the existing Homeless Coordinating Council (HCC), as an implementation strategy necessary to activate recommendations.   

The reorganized HCC has been reconstituted and renamed Polk County Blueprint for Housing Solutions Alliance (Housing Solutions Alliance), a naming convention representative of the public/private collaboration and leadership required to address identified challenges and gaps, and support implementation of The Blueprint. 

“The transformation of this activation and oversight body will allow our region to better support both those experiencing homelessness and the organizations that serve them,” said Chris Coleman, councilmember of the City of Des Moines and co-chair of the Housing Solutions Alliance. “Increased engagement by business and civic leaders and increased coordination will ensure systems work even better, allowing individuals facing homelessness to build lives of dignity.” 

The Housing Solutions Alliance exists to lead, coordinate and accelerate implementation of The Blueprint. It will convene across sectors, including public, private, business, nonprofit and philanthropy, to provide guidance and oversight, as well as align funding resources for the region’s plan to address homelessness.  The Housing Solutions Alliance will be supported by a governance structure that allows for community-wide action. 

The following Housing Solutions Alliance members listed have committed their time, expertise and leadership to advancing The Blueprint:   

·        Chris Coleman (co-chair), Councilmember, City of Des Moines 

·        Scott Jean (co-chair), EMC Insurance 

·        Bob Andeweg, Mayor, City of Urbandale  

·        Connie S. Boesen, Mayor, City of Des Moines 

·        Nola Cartmill, Holmes Murphy 

·        Angela Connolly, Supervisor, Polk County 

·        Molly Cutler, Cutler Development 

·        Joe Gatto, Councilmember, City of Des Moines 

·        Susan Judkins, Councilmember, City of Clive 

·        Kristi Knous, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines 

·        Kathryn Kunert, MidAmerican Energy 

·        Matt McCoy, Supervisor, Polk County 

·        Jo Christine Miles, Principal Foundation 

·        Mary Sellers, United Way of Central Iowa 

·        David Stark, UnityPoint Health 

·        Russ Trimble, Mayor, City of West Des Moines 

·        Annie Uetz, Homeward Board of Directors (chair) 

Additionally, The Blueprint identifies that staffing is necessary to drive collective action.  A senior-level director will provide strategic leadership for the Housing Solutions Alliance, identify challenges and support the leveraging, scaling and alignment of funding resources to activate The Blueprint. The full job description and application information is available here.  

“We are grateful for our community partners that are stepping up with intention and leadership, allowing this governing Housing Solutions Alliance and future new hire, to implement the best practice strategies of The Blueprint and strive for long-term success to move people into stable housing,” said Scott Jean, CEO of EMC Insurance and co-chair of the Housing Solutions Alliance. 

To advance the work of the Housing Solutions Alliance and garner expertise and engagement from community stakeholders, roundtables will be formed that will include past members of the former HCC, aligned funders focused on housing solutions and advocates to inform on policy, strategy and implementation.   

To learn more and access The Blueprint to Address Homelessness and the Executive Summary of the plan, visit//homewardiowa.org/blueprint. 

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About The Blueprint The Blueprint to Address Homelessness (The Blueprint) is a five-year strategic vision plan that reflects community-defined priorities for improving services and resources within the homelessness response system throughout Polk County. The Blueprint focuses on improvement in seven key areas that ultimately achieve better housing and quality of life for residents who experience homelessness. It was developed after an extensive community engagement process that involved community members from across sectors in the Central Iowa region. The Blueprint is intended to be nimble and responsive in the ever-changing landscape of addressing homelessness in our region. Learn more by visiting, homewardiowa.org/blueprinttoaddresshomelessness.