A New Home

“Indiana is where I’m originally from,” explained Will Winder. “Des Moines is my home.”

Will was at a crossroads. With the assistance of Joppa he had overcome multiple obstacles, including addiction, homelessness and unemployment. He obtained and sustained meaningful employment and relocated from his car to an apartment.

However, as rent and other essential expenses relentlessly increased, Will was overcome with the burden that so many Iowans on a fixed income face – making ends meet. In his quest for clarity and answers, Will prayed for guidance, “Lord, I need direction; if there is a path you want me to take, please open a door.”

Will’s prayers were answered and a door was opened; a bright-yellow door leading into a 384-square foot Cottage Home. As part of its unwavering mission to prevent and end homelessness, Joppa is building truly-affordable Cottage Homes as permanent residences for seniors, veterans and others on fixed or part-time incomes.

“I don’t see this as a new beginning,” explained Will. “I see this as the start of a new chapter. You know when you are reading a good book and you can’t put it down? When one of the main characters overcomes difficult times that lead to a triumphant ending? That’s how I want my life to be.”

Will’s new chapter began on February 14, 2019, when the keys to his new home were presented during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held onsite. Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, Polk County Supervisor Matt McCoy and Joppa cofounder Joe Stevens spoke at the event. The affordable housing crisis was addressed.

According to the 2015 Polk County Housing Trust Fund report, there is a serious shortage of affordable housing – approximately 8,500 to 10,000 units – in the Greater Des Moines Area. Today in Central Iowa, there is essentially a zero-percent vacancy rate for rental units under $600 a month. Ultimately, minimum wage earners are faced with the dilemma of either paying rent or purchasing other life-sustaining supplies and basic services including food, medicine, clothing and transportation.

These uniquely affordable cottages are a less expensive, practical alternative to apartment buildings and low-income housing.

“I look around and I just can’t believe it,” explains Will, “I never thought that I would ever be able to have a new home, not in a million years.”

Will pays $550 per month in rent for his fully furnished home, far below the average rent for an unfurnished, one-bedroom apartment in Des Moines, which is $792 per month, according to a 2018 survey from CBRE/Hubbell Commercial. Smaller Joppa Cottage Homes will rent for even less.

In the Cheatom Park Neighborhood of Des Moines, one home and particularly one door, a bright-yellow door, serves as an illuminating symbol of hope for persons facing homelessness in the Greater Des Moines Metro area. Much like the warming and welcoming amber rays of the spring sun, the gilded entrance represents the dawning of a new day for Will Winder and the entire Des Moines area.