HEART

Housing Education and Rehabilitation Training Project Wins National Award

June 22, 2007

HEART Partnership Named *Program of the Year* DUBUQUE , Iowa * Dubuque*s Housing Education and Rehabilitation Training (HEART) Partnership has received the 2007 Program of the Year Award from the Iowa City/County Management Association. 

The award is in recognition of an innovative grassroots program that has positively influenced local government and the quality of life in the community.  It was presented to the City of Dubuque yesterday in Burlington .  Other members of the HEART Partnership include the Four Mounds Foundation, the Dubuque Community School District, Four Oaks Inc. of Iowa, Gronen Properties, Iowa State University Extension*s Dubuque County Office, Juvenile Court Services, and Loras College. *The City of Dubuque is proud to be a member of this partnership of public and private agencies that has been a catalyst for renewal throughout the entire Washington Neighborhood,* said Dubuque Mayor Roy D. Buol.  *The HEART Program has been integral in building an increased sense of neighborhood pride in the Washington Neighborhood.

Seeing the work being done on these homes has inspired residents throughout the neighborhood to undertake a variety of improvement projects on their own properties.*

The HEART Program provides the opportunity for high school youth to rehabilitate derelict housing through an on-site job training experience where completed homes are sold to low-income families. The Four Mounds Foundation purchased three vacant and abandoned homes in the Washington Neighborhood Revitalization Area, a district identified by the City of Dubuque as an area in need of revitalization. The Dubuque Community School District supports the educational services delivered by Four Oaks of Iowa and Four Mounds Foundation, who have job coaches and teachers guiding students on-site and in the classroom.  Before purchase, buyers receive homeownership and financial counseling and classes provided through Iowa State University Extension*s Dubuque County Office. Loras College provides program tracking and evaluation.  Three of the four homes have been sold to first-time homebuyer families earning less than 30 percent of area median income.  Two of the families are participants of the Section 8 Homeownership Program which allows their rental housing assistance to be applied to their mortgage payment.

Multiple funding sources that have been used for the HEART project, including Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Grant, Special Purpose Grant, Iowa Finance Authority Housing Trust Fund, and others.  Local financial supporters include the Dubuque Racing Association, Butler Family Foundation, R.J. McElroy Trust, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, the Prudential Foundation, and many area service area organizations.    

The HEART Program was awarded the National Community Development Association*s 2006 Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award for exemplary use of CDBG funds which best address the needs of low-income families and neighborhoods.  The HEART Program was also a finalist for the National League of Cities 2006 Awards for Municipal Excellence which recognize outstanding programs that have significantly contributed to the quality of life in their city.  The program has received numerous state and local awards for restoration of these historic homes.

MISSION of the HEART Program:
The mission is to assist at-risk students who face barriers to self-sufficiency. These barriers include alcohol/drug abuse, poor health and nutrition, low educational achievement, poor employment history, criminal history and mental illness. The housing project addresses these barriers through a training model that enables participants to acquire education, employment and technical skills.

Link to Movie 1

Link to Movie 2

Link to Movie 3 (The Safety Shoe Story)

HEART is a public/private partnership changing lives of today's youth by providing vocational construction training and education through the complete rehabilitation of blighted properties in Dubuque. HEART seeks to inspire a lifelong love of learning, while teaching self-reliance and instilling personal growth.

The project carries out the mission of serving at-risk youth with a visible community impact. Fifteen young men and women work alongside their job coaches throughout the school year dry walling, pouring concrete, installing siding and more. When the first phase of HEART is complete in 2006, students will have created four quality affordable homes for first-time homeowners.

"They're not only learning worthwhile carpentry skills, but learning project cooperation, task scheduling, and of course, good employee to employer relations. They're going to be great assets for employers. And I think some of them will be good business owners one day." Chris Sullivan, Teacher

TYPICAL SCHOOL WEEK:
Students participate in classroom academics at Four Oaks from 8:00-10:45 or 11:00-2:00 M-T-Th-F. Lunch is from 10:45-11:00. Students are at the work site the opposite hours of academics.

*Four Oaks provides student transportation

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
· Must be age 16 or older
· Receiving Special Education services
· Have a need in a vocational area that the high school is unable to meet
· Not in need of intensive behavior treatment
· Shows consistent attendance from previous semester
· Meets job description as specified
· Commitment to at LEAST one semester
· Must have own steel toed boots

"Students continually advance. When they started, it was a hundred questions a day. Now, I'll be surprised if they approach me more than once. And they take on increased responsibility. For instance, each week two students are responsible for all job site safety. When a student is the safety manager and others don't practice proper techniques, the safety manager is held accountable. Independence and interdependence - that's what it's all about." Ron Fritz, Job Coach

HEART Partnership

· City of Dubuque: funding, leadership, community development
· Dubuque Community School District: educational curriculum, student placement, social services, funding
· Four Mounds Foundation: carpentry training, construction management, fund raising, property development
· Four Oaks: educational curriculum, student placement, social services, funding
· Gronnen Properties: property development, fund raising, construction guidance
· Juvenile Court Services: guidance
· Loras College: guidance, outcomes tracking
· Supporters: American Trust & Savings Bank, Butler Family Foundation, Continental Realty, Iowa Finance Authority, Jeff Morton, Architect, RJ McElroy Trust and various material suppliers and contractors

If a student is interested in the HEART Project:
1). Take a tour of the work site with their parent/guardian
2). Set up a date for the student to observe at the work site

For more information please contact:
Four Oaks
205 Bluff Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Contact person: Chris Sullivan, 590-2068

Please log on to the Dubuque Community School District's Website: www.dubuque.k12.ia.us/heart. Students and families can view two videos that further describes the project.