UpLift - Research to Inform Economic Mobility Solutions

08/26/2026

It’s been a busy summer for UpLift! Last week we visited the Waterloo community and this week we headed to Grinnell. Stop by and say hi 👋 Wednesday - Friday, August 26 - 29, at the Grinnell Drake Community Library!

08/21/2026

We had an incredible time connecting with the Waterloo community at Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity’s Sites & Bites Bus Tour! 🏡

The UpLift team loved learning alongside community members and talking about the challenges of affordable housing and, most importantly, the innovative ways their community is creating more opportunities for homeownership.

A big thank-you to the Otto Schoitz Foundation for hosting The Community Crate and bringing everyone together for such a meaningful event. We’re grateful to be part of these conversations and the work happening across Iowa! 💛💓🖤

08/11/2026

08/05/2026

A big thank you to Batman who swung by The Crate at the Urbandale Public Library tonight!
He is Batman and he thinks you should visit The Crate August 5-6 between 10-2 to learn more about Iowa’s housing issues and solutions. Iowa League of Heroes

07/28/2026

More than 25 Iowa communities, 350+ books, and countless critical conversations about housing insecurity in Iowa.
This year’s statewide UpLift Community Book Club features Pulitzer prize-winning book, There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America, by Brain Goldstone. Currently, more than 25 different communities across Iowa are using the book’s topics and UpLift's Iowa specific materials on homelessness, eviction, and available and affordable housing, to illuminate the struggles of working families as they navigate the complexities of housing insecurity.

Find a book club near you by visiting: https://upliftiowa.org/book_club

07/24/2026

Mark your calendars to see The Community Crate at the Urbandale Public Library August 4-6!

📍Check out The Community Crate during National Night Out on Tuesday, August 4!
📆 Join us for a book discussion of "There Is No Place for Us" by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Brian Goldstone on Thursday, August 6. Multiple copies can be checked out at the front desk.
🔗https://urbandale.librarycalendar.com/event/uplift-book-club-2026

07/22/2026

UpLift is excited to visit the Waterloo Community!

The Otto Schoitz Foundation is bringing the Community Crate to Waterloo—an interactive exhibit that explores housing challenges through local stories, data, and practical solutions. Visitors are invited to learn more about the barriers to housing stability and the opportunities that can help strengthen our community.

Waterloo Center for the Arts
August 19–20
Open 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 3:00–4:00 p.m.

No tickets or registration are required. If you're attending Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity's Sites & Bites Tour, be sure to stop by the Community Crate while you're there—or simply visit during the public hours above.

Learn more: https://upliftiowa.org/the-community-crate/

07/13/2026

UpLift - Research to Inform Economic Mobility Solutions uses community-based participatory research methods to curate local data to help inform decision-makers regarding the design of impactful and cost-effective policies and programs. Learn more about our approach and our portfolio of work by downloading our new overview document at: upliftiowa.org/about-us/

07/08/2026

UpLift is excited to announce it's next economic mobility research study - the Central Iowa Emergency Rental Assistance Study, also known as CIERAS.
CIERAS seeks to inform local decision makers regarding the most effective length of time to provide assistance to a low-income household experiencing a crisis in order for that household to regain their economic stability. As a homelessness prevention initiative, the study seeks to utilize scientifically-valid research to improve central Iowa's public and nonprofit systems in order to keep people stably housed.

Get to know the study's research team from Grinnell College here: https://bit.ly/4p4SbsS

Four faculty members at Grinnell College have been awarded a $311,000 grant from the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation (MIHF) to lead a collaborative research study examining the impact of emergency rental assistance on low-income households across Central Iowa.

04/01/2026

We had a great time with Drake Occupational Therapy students and staff last week.
Don’t miss The Crate at Des Moines University April 22 -24.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWkKYDTkXqD/?igsh=dDM0b281ajQ2b3d2