The Elm Street Corridor project in Creston—a partnership between Southwestern Community College, the City of Creston, and the Southern Iowa Council of Governments—received the HousingIowa Award for Innovation from the Iowa Finance Authority during the 2016 HousingIowa Conference in Des Moines earlier this month.
Lindsay Stoaks (in photo, second from left), SWCC assistant vice president of instruction, and Dennis Downing (in photo, fifth from left), carpentry and building trades instructor, represented the college at the awards presentation. The HousingIowa Awards recognize outstanding programs, projects, and professionals for leadership and innovation in advancing affordable housing development in Iowa. The award categories included Innovation, Multifamily, Single-Family, Special Needs, and Legislative Friend of Housing Award.
Since the Elm Street Corridor project began, the carpentry and building trades program has completed the construction of four houses on Elm Street in Creston. Once constructed, the houses are turned over to and sold by the Union County Development Association.