In September 2022, the DRA Board voted to approve a $200,000 Mission Grant to Habitat for Humanity - Dubuque and Jackson Counties to help with the purchase of land as a part of the organization's Mt. Pleasant Pocket Neighborhood Project in Dubuque's Wood Street neighborhood. After a year of planning and negotiations, the sale was recently finalized, so the DRA officially presented the $200,000 check to Habitat for Humanity as a part of the November board meeting.
Totaling approximately three acres, the land purchased will eventually be the site of 14, small to moderately sized, single-family homes and provide a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom floorplans designed to control long-term housing costs and offer ownership opportunities for families. Habitat for Humanity plans to begin work on the first four homes in 2024, with the goal of constructing four new homes per year depending on the availability of donor partners, in-kind donations and volunteers.
"We are so pleased with the generous donation DRA has made and are very appreciative of their interest in supporting our efforts to bring affordable housing to the community," said Rachel Daack, Interim Executive Director at Habitat for Humanity - Dubuque and Jackson Counties. "There is a great need for this type of housing locally, so DRA's help in making this happen is timely."
As a part of its mission to help grow the community and contribute to projects that have a lasting impact, DRA officials are fully supportive of Habitat for Humanity's efforts, especially given the shortage of affordable housing in the Dubuque area.
“Given our community's need for more affordable housing, we are pleased to be able to help support Habitat for Humanity's ongoing efforts. This project, which will result in the completion of a number of homes, will clearly make a positive difference on the community and should help Dubuque grow its workforce," said Alex Dixon, President & CEO of the DRA and Q Casino.
"DRA has a long history of partnering with organizations who want to be a positive catalyst for improvement and change in the community and we are proud of our continued philanthropy and firmly committed to being at the forefront of supporting efforts that not only have a positive impact on growth and change in Dubuque, but also the tri-state area," continued Dixon. "Given this, providing funding that helped secure land for the future development of affordable housing fits well with our own mission and goals when it comes to giving back."
DRA is the non-profit entity that owns and operates Q Casino and is the co-licensee for Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque. Since 1985, the DRA has awarded 5,000-plus grants to more than 1,500 organizations in the tri-state area (Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois). DRA’s commitment to the community is made possible by proceeds that come from both Q Casino and the Diamond Jo Casino – both of which attract tens of thousands of visitors to Dubuque each year from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and beyond.