(KMAland) — Assistance continues for residents who were forced to evacuate due to the tornado outbreak late last month.
The Iowa Association of Realtors said after severe storms on April 26 brought strong tornadoes to Pottawattamie, Shelby, Harrison, Mills, Ringgold, Union, Crawford, Polk and Clark counties. It is one of the organizations that provides financial assistance to people without homes. Ashlee Kieler is the director of marking and communications for the Iowa Association of Realtors. Keeler said the Iowa Association of Realtors is partnering with the Realtor Relief Foundation to provide housing relief payments of up to $1,500 to displaced residents.
“The number one mission of real estate agents in Iowa is to help local residents get into homes,” Keeler said. “We work with people at all stages of life, including first-time homebuyers and repeat homebuyers, so ensuring people have a place to call home is part of our job. We also know about these tornadoes that were very destructive to a lot of people. ”
In Pottawattamie County alone, officials said more than 300 homes and businesses suffered some damage from the storm, which spawned 24 tornadoes across Iowa. Keeler said the Relief Foundation provided a $150,000 grant to help fund recovery efforts.
“These funds will be used to offset mortgage payments and rent payments, and the other side of that will go toward paying for hotel rooms and taxes for displaced people,” she said. “So if they have to leave their home and they have nowhere else to go and they have to go to a hotel, they can use some of that money for that. But the grant is up to 1,500 It's important to note that it's a dollar amount, so if you take out a mortgage for less than that, you're capped at the amount you took.”
Recipient must be a principal resident of Pottawattamie, Shelby, Harrison, Mills, Ringgold, Union, Crawford, Polk, or Clark counties. Assistance will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and Keeler said there are at least seven applicants. But she also has support from real estate agent associations across the region, she said.
“We have been very fortunate to receive donations from both states and local Realtor associations across the country,” Keeler said. “That's why Illinois Realtors and the Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors are also making donations. So all of those funds will go toward helping those affected by last month's tornadoes.”
Applications can be made from the “Tornado Relief” page on the association's website. For questions or more information, please contact relief@iowarealtors.com or call 800-532-1515. Most Iowa counties affected by last month's tornadoes will also receive state and federal aid.
