A first-generation HFI house being placed on its foundation

About Homes for Iowa

Homes for Iowa is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that has been working to train offenders, reduce recidivism (reincarceration), and benefit Iowans since 2019.

HFI trains offenders in the building trades by giving them practical experience in building houses. Each house is built at the Newton Correctional Release Facility (NCF) and delivered directly onto the foundation on the buyer's lot. The money from each sale pays for the offenders' training.

Homes for Iowa believes in growth through hard work and discipline. While not all of our crew members remain in the trades after release, all of them benefit from the structure and sense of achievement they gain from training.

A first-generation HFI house being placed on its foundation

About Homes for Iowa

Homes for Iowa is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that has been working to train offenders, reduce recidivism (reincarceration), and benefit Iowans since 2019.

HFI trains offenders in the building trades by giving them practical experience in building houses. Each house is built at the Newton Correctional Release Facility (NCF) and delivered directly onto the foundation on the buyer's lot. The money from each sale pays for the training.

Homes for Iowa believes in growth through hard work and discipline. While not all crew members remain in the trades after release, all of them benefit from the structure and sense of achievement they gain from training.

PARTNERSHIP

The HFI program is a partnership with Iowa Prison Industries (IPI). IPI is responsible for most of the onsite work, including training the crew and building the homes. IPI trains the crew in all aspects of the homebuilding process, and crew members can eventually specialize in a specific trade, such as painting.

In exchange, HFI manages sales, decides program policy, and coordinates moves.

The partnership's vision is to be the premier public-private partnership that trains offenders, reduces recidivism, and benefits Iowans.

The first home was moved to Jefferson, IA in January 2020 for Region XII COG. Since then, HFI has delivered 126 houses to over 40 counties in Iowa.

Homes for Iowa Delivers its 100th Home

Homes for Iowa (HFI), in partnership with Iowa Prison Industries (IPI) is celebrating a significant milestone as the 100th home constructed through the program was delivered in August of 2024.

Read the full article here.

THE CREW

HFI trains roughly 50 minimum-security inmates per year. Everyone joins the program voluntarily, and crew members are able to earn practical certificates and begin apprenticeships.

Post-release, crew members may receive employment assistance from the Iowa Corrections Department and Iowa Workforce Development. Many go on to have successful careers in the trades.

For more information on the HFI curriculum or hiring a crew member, see here.

Total Crew Members Since Founding - 516
Crew Members Onsite - 75
Crew Members Certified - 140
Lifetime Recidivism - 6.1%

TESTIMONIALS

B.B., Crew Member

"...just wanted to let you guys know I started my own company and am remodeling for a rental investor. I'm doing a complete remodel on a home that was trashed by the tenants. I've done a ton of trim work, I stained over 100 picture frames and 20 floating shelves for a brand new chiropractic office in west Des Moines. I am so thankful for the skill you all taught me!

J.H., Crew Member

"...I wanted to thank you for your support while I was in prison. I also wanted to thanky ou for holding the job fair while i was there. I was able to reconnect with an employer and he offered me a job. I probably would not have mad that connection if I had not seen them at the job fair. Thank you so much for making that happen!"

A.W., Crew Member

"The rest of the jobs I ever worked, I just hated the job. You wake up not wanting to go to work everyday because your body's sore...Now I don't mind going to work because I know I won't kill myself with the work. I'm working towards something." (quoted in the Gazette)

B.B., Crew Member

"...just wanted to let you guys know I started my own company and am remodeling for a rental investor. I'm doing a complete remodel on a home that was trashed by the tenants. I've done a ton of trim work, I stained over 100 picture frames and 20 floating shelves for a brand new chiropractic office in west Des Moines. I am so thankful for the skill you all taught me!

J.H., Crew Member

"...I wanted to thank you for your support while I was in prison. I also wanted to thanky ou for holding the job fair while i was there. I was able to reconnect with an employer and he offered me a job. I probably would not have mad that connection if I had not seen them at the job fair. Thank you so much for making that happen!"

A.W., Crew Member

"The rest of the jobs I ever worked, I just hated the job. You wake up not wanting to go to work everyday because your body's sore...Now I don't mind going to work because I know I won't kill myself with the work. I'm working towards something." (quoted in the Gazette)

B.B., Crew Member

"...just wanted to let you guys know I started my own company and am remodeling for a rental investor. I'm doing a complete remodel on a home that was trashed by the tenants. I've done a ton of trim work, I stained over 100 picture frames and 20 floating shelves for a brand new chiropractic office in west Des Moines. I am so thankful for the skill you all taught me!

J.H., Crew Member

"...I wanted to thank you for your support while I was in prison. I also wanted to thanky ou for holding the job fair while i was there. I was able to reconnect with an employer and he offered me a job. I probably would not have mad that connection if I had not seen them at the job fair. Thank you so much for making that happen!"

A.W., Crew Member

"The rest of the jobs I ever worked, I just hated the job. You wake up not wanting to go to work everyday because your body's sore...Now I don't mind going to work because I know I won't kill myself with the work. I'm working towards something." (quoted in the Gazette)

PROGRAM STATS

516

TOTAL CREWMEMBERS WHO HAVE ENTERED THE PROGRAM

140

CREWMEMBERS WHO HAVE EARNED A CERTIFICATE

75

CREWMEMBERS ONSITE

6.1%

LIFETIME RECIDIVISM RATE

126

TOTAL HOMES SOLD & MOVED

42

COUNTIES WITH HFI HOMES

61

CITIES WITH HFI HOMES