HOME, Inc.

Home Opportunities Made Easy (HOME, Inc.) is the oldest nonprofit housing organization in Des Moines. We are a small, local non-profit that has been serving Des Moines since 1967, when less than a dozen citizens were fed up with all the talk yet lack of action from the Government and took matters into their own hands. It started with a simple idea of families helping families and has now grown into who we are today a nonprofit HUD certified Housing Counseling Agency and Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO). Were very proud of our history of rising to the occasion, and of being nimble and flexible enough to be able to change our programming to deal with the issues that people are facing right now.

Our mission is to meet individuals and families where they are in their housing journey. We surround our clients with compassion, support, and education so they feel empowered to make a safe, stable home for themselves or their family.

Our vision is that every person has a place to call home. Because we believe that everyone deserves a place to call home!

1. Property Development We build new, affordable homes for low-moderate income families and individuals.Think teachers, single parents, young families, multi-generational families, marginalized communities, people with disabilities, etc. "Affordable" is a fluid term - that means something different from you to me. Affordable is not just those without any means.
2. Hope for Stable Families Our Rental Assistance and Case Management program for families with children in school facing eviction to help prevent houselessness and keep kids in school.
3. Providing free Homebuyer education and counseling so first time homebuyers feel empowered to make educated decisions in the homebuying process.

• Homebuyer Education Class: We host four free, 2 hour, in-person classes over the course of 4 weeks on the basics of homeownership, including finances/money management, debt and credit, the homebuying process, and home maintenance. We also have an individual, self-paced online class called eHome. We help walk people through the entire homebuying process.

Homeownership/Pre-purchase Counseling: Individual counseling to assess housing needs and property selection, create and manage a budget, set financial goals, refer to assistance programs, assist in finding/understanding lending, education on the homebuying process, and develop a plan to move toward homeownership.

1. Providing free Tenant education and counseling so renters know their rights and responsibilities and are better prepared get into a rental and to work with Landlords/Property Managers.

• RentWise: Free monthly class on landlord/tenant rights and responsibilities such as moving into an apartment, leases, deposits, maintenance, ending a tenancy, explanation of notices, and pest control.