Thousands of central Iowa residents could lose federal rent assistance benefits if the government shutdown extends into March.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has enough money to keep the Housing Choice Vouchers program going next month, but payments will stop in March unless officials take action to keep it afloat, according to Chris Johansen, Des Moines’ community development director.

More than 3,100 Polk County families receive federal rent assistance, which totals about $1.3 million each month.

The subsidies range from small stipends to as much as 90 percent of some recipients' monthly rent payments, Johansen said.

“That is money they absolutely need in order to pay their landlord,” said Eric Burmeister, executive director of the Polk County Housing Trust Fund, a group that advocates for affordable housing in the county.

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Des Moines officials will meet in the coming weeks to discuss possible stopgap strategies in case the shutdown continues, Johansen said.

However, if payments stop and residents aren't able to pay rent, landlords could begin the eviction process.

“There’s no landlord in the city that wants to kick people out, put families out on the street for no fault of their own,” said J.B. Conlin, the COO of Des Moines' Conlin Properties, provides housing for 650 individuals and families who use the voucher program.

The partial shutdown, which began Dec. 22, left about 380,000 federal workers on unpaid leave as President Donald Trump on Congress fight over funding to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.

Trump earlier this month suggested the shutdown could last “months or even years” if he doesn’t get funding for the wall. The U.S. Senate will take up two bills that could reopen the government on Thursday.

If that happens, it will be a crisis for the renters who receive federal assistance, Burmeister said.

“You are talking about removing the largest resource we have for affordable housing in central Iowa,” he said.

Impending crisis

Across Iowa, housing agencies are authorized to offer up to 22,940 federal housing vouchers, according to a HUD database.

Des Moines is the single biggest user with 3,403 vouchers. It handles rental assistance for the entire metro. Cedar Rapids is second with 1,277 vouchers.

“Crisis is not an overused term,” Conlin said.

His company has begun evaluating short-term solutions in case HUD funding runs out, including using cash reserves and asking lenders for “leeway” on payments. Conlin said he has approached a credit union about offering loans to renters who lose subsidies.

Conlin said the company wants to do everything it can to keep families in their homes, but if that's not enough — or if the shutdown goes on too long — it could be forced to make evictions.

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Frank Levy, president of Newbury Living in Des Moines, said losing the federal voucher program “might be an issue” for his company. At least several hundred Newbury residents receive HUD assistance.

Newbury won’t immediately evict people, Levy said. But if the voucher program isn't fixed by spring, it would have consider all options.

“I can’t tell you right now how long our accommodation would last,” he said.

Burmeister, the Polk County housing advocate, said it's unlikely Des Moines would be able to make up for the loss of federal funding.

“Realistically, I don’t know where the city of Des Moines or any of the housing agencies would find ($1.3 million) a month,” he said. “That is just a crazy number, and it only covers a month.”

Johansen said the city has reserves it could tap, but accessing that money requires HUD authorization, which would be prevented by the shutdown.

He'd like to get guidance from HUD officials, but "they have to be there to do that," he said.

When will it end?

City Councilwoman Connie Boesen, who serves on the Polk County Housing Trust Fund board, said the city will work with landlords over the next few weeks to make sure there is safe and affordable housing in the city.

“It’ll start impacting citizens in a greater way, and the people who can’t afford to be impacted,” she said. “We’re talking about the people that are on the lower scale of income, and they need the assistance.”

The Treasury Department recently re-activated a program that allows the Internal Revenue Service to process lending forms, and Burmeister said the government could reach a similar compromise on HUD rental assistance payments.

Meanwhile, Johansen is keeping an eye on the City Council's calendar. If the shutdown continues, he'll have to bring the issue before the panel.

He plans to meet with the city manager and the city's finance department in early February to start "gameplanning."

“I think everyone is obviously hoping it doesn’t go that far because it’s going to be difficult to come up with that money," he said.

Alexander Kornya, an assistant litigation director with Iowa Legal Aid, said residents who want to know their rights if they're evicted because of a lapse in their subsidy can call 1-800-532-1275 or go to iowalegalaid.org for more information. They may qualify for free legal assistance.