Housing initiatives in Washington and neighboring counties have been announced to receive grants from the Iowa Finance Authority.

The Authority Board of Directors announced Wednesday the award of a total over $7 million in grants to 27 Local Housing Trust Funds. These grants are expected to assist more than 2,100 families. This includes the East Central Iowa Housing Trust Fund that serves Washington County, and Great River Housing, Inc. which serves Henry and Louisa counties. The grant funds will be used for initiatives such as preserving aging housing stock, subsidizing local rental and down payment assistance programs, and financing construction of new single-family housing for low-income Iowans. The State Housing Trust Fund was created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003.