Rockford, IA

With the successful application for an AmeriCorps worker grant for the 2008-2009 school year, and the Rudd Rockford Marble Rock Community School District agreeing to house the after school program, the Visions group is looking forward to working with school administration in the hiring and supervision of the AmeriCorps worker. We’re also anticipating some assistance in directing the AmeriCorps coordinator on the needs of the program. The elementary principal/curriculum coordinator has been involved in the Horizons program herself and has spent time working with the Visions group already. The school superintendent in on board with supporting the after-school program as well. The school also has a new secondary principal, who is anticipated to bring new ideas and a fresh, open-minded perspective.

The Rockford Visions group has streamlined its procedures by establishing a committee charged with fundraising and financial reporting. A representative of this group will communicate the overall Rockford Visions progress, making achievements more visible to the community. The treasurer of Rockford Visions will regularly report financial standings to all interested parties. We hope and expect this to result in more awareness and buy-in from the entire Rockford community.

July of 2008 is the scheduled release of a new brochure targeting first-time home buyers. The brochure, currently under construction, will contain step-by-step instructions for people looking to purchase a home for the first time.

A step-by-step guide will lead buyers through the process, beginning with pre-qualification for a loan by contacting a lender, followed by the home search and how it can be effectively accomplished. The brochure will discuss the benefits and protection of working with a Realtor® if a formal offer is written, inspections and closing procedures, etc.

The brochure will also contain a renting vs. purchase comparison, where the average $400/month rent X 5 years would result in $24,000 spent paying for someone else’s property and could be used to purchase one’s own property, thereby building their own equity. Purchasing vs. renting is an automatic savings plan.

Area lenders typically agree to help cover certain costs associated with this type of project, which is currently being researched with the assistance of local real estate professionals. Even with bad credit, lenders can be found to finance the purchase of a home.

The plan is to incorporate the brochure with the proposed housing assistance program being researched and planned for beginning in 2008. It will be updated as needed to follow the movements of the Rockford housing assistance program.

The Affordable Housing committee of the Rockford Visions group continues to work with the Charles City Area Development Corporation (CCADC) in order to find county funds that can be used for the proposed housing assistance program being explored for Rockford. Tim Fox, Executive Director of the CCADC, has expressed that the CCADC wishes to do a project in Rockford. This opportunity may prove very fruitful for future first-time homeowners in Rockford, as the housing assistance program is targeted to help those who have never owned a home before.

The group of energized Rockford citizens that has stepped forward to work through the Horizons program calls itself Rockford Visions. Made up of several committees that target certain needs related to poverty eradication, they’ve decided there’s a need to form a new committee - one that solely raises funds. It will likely consist of a person or persons from each of the existing committees, and will decide how funds will be raised and how they’ll be spent. One citizen has agreed to bookkeep the funds and has created a voucher system for receipts and disbursements of funds raised and used for Horizons / Rockford Visions projects. The Rockford Visions funds will be filtered through the City of Rockford as a line item in their budget, enabling us to obtain 501(c)(3) status at no cost.

In a continued effort to create a Main Street cultural change from a mind-set of poverty to one of prosperity, the main street improvement committee is working on designing some building-front beautification. They hope to place some planters on main street in addition to the ‘Welcome to Rockford’ banners that have already been purchased and placed on light poles. The planters could be filled with annuals in the summer and evergreens/lights in the winter.

Our affordable housing committee has been researching available programs. We met with the Executive Director of the Charles City Area Development Corporation (CCADC) to discuss some possibilities, which include loan guarantee, tax abatement, and down payment assistance programs. The CCADC, which serves all of Floyd County, is interested in doing a project in Rockford.

One committee member will attend the Rockford City Council meeting in May to propose city policy wording for a downpayment assistance program. The wording was plagiarized from a nearby prosperous town that has a similar program

A brochure is in the drafting stage that outlines steps to take and programs available to assist potential homeowners. The brochure is anticipated to include buying and selling tips, financing steps, choices, and cautions, and general guidance for helping people make a home purchase.

The affordable housing committee hopes to see more home-buyers building equity, possibly folks who formerly only rented property.