GLENWOOD, Iowa (KMTV) — Homelessness exists in small towns — it just isn't always visible.
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Local leaders from across southwest Iowa met up in Glenwood to collaborate on solutions for the housing crisis affecting some of the region's most vulnerable residents, including low-income seniors and veterans.
"We can definitely learn from other communities that are doing some parts right and then other communities can learn from us," said Montgomery County Supervisor Alex Barton.
"The thing that struck me most in Shelby County was the elderly population and how close they were to either not being able to stay in their own home or now having a home at all," Shelby County Supervisor Mike Kolbe said.
He was struck by one data point: 16% of Shelby County seniors are living below the poverty line. For a two-person household in southwest Iowa, that's roughly $21,000 a year.
People who are housing insecure in small towns may wind up living with friends or in their cars, one step away from the street.
Glenwood City Councilwoman Christina Duran sees the consequences up close: "There was gentleman that, he has heart disease and diabetes. He has to choose between those medications if he wants to pay his rent."
Duran also works for the Corporation for Supportive Housing, which — along with the Iowa West Foundation — hosted the training that brought these leaders together
"We're trying to proactively come up with some type of programs so that we can make sure people are able to age in place," she said.
Duran and Kolbe emphasizes that inaction often means more expenses in the long run such as an increase in 911 calls or deteriorating houses.
"Yes, there's price tags on all of these things but maybe it's more expensive to do nothing than it is to fixing a problem before it starts," said Kolbe. "We're all connected in southwest Iowa, especially, it seems like we all have the same problem."
This was the last day of a three-day training. Each day focused on a different aspects of the housing crisis. Leaders plan to take the conversations back to their home counties as they work to connect residents with housing resources and solutions.
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