2024 Bus Tour
Wednesday June 12th was the annual Anawim bus tour and went off as a roaring success. With two rounds of the tour each with busy busses, a combination of interested citizens, current and prospective board members, media, and Anawim employees were able to learn more about the current buildings we manage, as well as our exciting upcoming projects. Anawim President Cynthia Latcham lead the tour which began with a viewing of the currently under construction Monarch Apartments. The Monarch was previously a motel that is being converted into 40 permanent supportive housing units and will have ADA units on the entire first floor as well as on-site support services and staff upon opening. President Latcham explained that those moving into the Monarch will be individuals who are leaving homelessness after referral from centralized intake, and that most will have a disability of some kind. As with all Anawim properties, individuals that live here will have a lease that helps to support the housing first method Anawim follows which allows for more security and responsibility on the part of the tenant. Latcham also elaborated on the fact that live in support will be provided by those with lived experience of homelessness to promote the peer support model, which has greater success do to the trust and understanding those staff members can provide to tenants as they move through the process.
As the tour continued Latcham also touched on statistics of local housing for Des Moines and surrounding Polk County, as well as the state of Iowa as a whole. Moving away from the Monarch tour attendees were able to see a section of townhomes along Forest Ave that are highly sought after by families. From there we also viewed the nearby Legacy Park project, a combination of single family homes as well as apartments. The project is ongoing and continuous with apartment buildings receiving renovations to better serve our community members. Latcham also took the time to highlight the significance of the fact that Anawim properties are “scattered sites”, meaning that our buildings are spread throughout Polk county and those that live within our buildings live within the wider Polk county and Des Moines community in the same way that those who do not need the assistance that Anawim can provide. Latcham noted that currently 84% of those experiencing homelessness within the greater Des Moines area are from Polk County originally and that the work that Anawim does to provide housing and support is at its core work to help support and bolster local community.
As the tour came to a close attendees were able to see Anawim founder Sister Stella’s historic home and hear a bit about what her ethos and inspiration behind creating Anawim was. A subject that will be further explored and expanded upon in our upcoming Sister Stella Revitalization Campaign. The final moments of our tour were spent along historic 6th Avenue, where Anawim has some of its oldest roots. The Maine, an apartment building listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was highlighted as a symbol of both Anawim’s past commitments as well as future plans of continued community support. Overall the tour was once more a huge success, as we were able to highlight the importance of the role Anawim plays within the community as well as share our past successes and upcoming projects with supportive and excited members of our Des Moines community.
