A statewide association that provides technical assistance to Iowa cities, counties and businesses is backing an idea that could address the state’s housing shortage and provide prisoners who’ll be paroled some marketable job skills. The Iowa Association of Councils of Governments is offering to create a non-profit called Homes for Iowa to operate the Rural Homes Initiative. Rick Hunsaker, executive director of Region Seven of the Iowa Council of Governments, says the initiative would be modeled after a successful program in South Dakota.

Hunsaker and others who are urging legislators to try the same program suggest it could be called the Rural Housing Initiative. They envision having prisoners at the Newton Correctional facility build homes that would then be shipped to areas in need of affordable housing. Advocates for this initiative are asking legislators to commit about four-million state tax dollars to cover start-up costs.

Inmates involved in South Dakota’s home construction program have a 35 percent lower rate of committing another crime compared to the general prison population. Hunsaker is among those hoping to build a coalition of groups to lobby legislators to authorize this program. The idea won initial committee approval in the state senate this past year but did not wind up in the legislature’s final budget plan.