Dallas County Habitat for Humanity is getting ready to build at least one house this year in Perry, and they recently got some help for the project with a state grant.

The Iowa Finance Authority awarded a $50,000 State Housing Trust Fund grant, which will go towards the construction of a new Habitat house. The funds were made available through the Project-Based Housing program, and provide financing for the development of affordable single-family and multifamily homes. Dallas County Habitat Coordinator Omar Padilla says the funds are greatly appreciated by the organization and the families looking to move into the new houses by next summer.

He adds, he’s always impressed by the support the organization gets, which includes those who help fund projects and those who help build them. “As always, I say, ‘Thank you.’ Without volunteers, without the support of communities, programs like Habitat really don’t have a lot of juice. And so the fact that Dallas County Habitat has grown so much over the last three years in the County is because people have supported it. So thank you so much!”

The State Housing Trust Fund is a frequent partner of Habitat for Humanity, as well as other affordable housing developers. Since the program’s inception in 2003, they’ve awarded more than $70 million in grants and assisted more than 25,000 projects.