St. Theresa Transitional House Background
After working many years with large, low-income families, the Social
Concerns Committee came to know the discrimination large families face when
looking for a house to rent. Our search
for housing for large families opened our eyes to the lack of affordable,
decent housing in the Des Moines area.
This lack is driven by inflated prices in the housing market, the
excessively low salary of the family's wage earner, and the anti-life prejudice
against families with more than 2 children.
The lowest monthly rent to house a large family ranges from $1,000 to
$1,500—not including utilities. Most families with 4 or more
children have to rent 2 apartments, with mom and the girls in one and dad and
the boys in the other.
The Social Concerns Committee proposed to the parish to buy a modest
house to lease to a large family at a reasonable cost. Through generous donations and a modest
mortgage, we purchased a 4BR, 2BA house at 2828 School Street in September
2001.
St. Theresa Transitional House Philosophy
There
is an enormous need for transitional housing to provide decent housing at an
affordable cost while the family works on building job and credit histories and
saving money for deposits and down payments.
The St. Theresa Transitional House gives a low-income family with 4 or
more children affordable, decent housing for up to 2 years while working
towards the goal of a more permanent housing solution for their large family.
How St. Theresa Transitional House works
The St. Theresa Transitional House is not a house of charity—rather it
is a house of justice. The program is
designed to make the house to be self-sustaining. St. Theresa Church has incurred no expense with the purchase and
maintenance of the St. Theresa Transitional House. Families are charged a monthly rent to cover the maintenance
costs of the home and are responsible for paying all utilities. Before a new family comes in, dedicated St.
Theresa parishioners and other groups clean, paint and repair the house. In less than 3 years, the mortgage was paid
off. Additionally, because of the transitional status of the house, it is
exempt from property taxes. In the past
5 years, we have received two grants to make the house more energy-efficient
and functional. The Housing
sub-committee of Social Concerns, regularly meet with the family to ensure
progress on their housing goals and to ensure that the house is
maintained.
For more information on donating or volunteering, contact