WATERLOO - A universal building code, available resources and need are part of ongoing discussions to develop a state housing policy.

In April key leaders representing builders, developers, lenders and real estate agents met with technology and field experts and state agency leaders for two days in Perry to identify housing issues that affect Iowans.

Town/Craft, a center for ideas and strategies to strengthen small communities, along with Iowa State University Extension are now hosting six public meetings across the state to gather input. Housing experts led a two-hour workshop at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo on Wednesday.

Among the dozen area community leaders who attended were Lekeisha Veasley with Operation Threshold, Janet Buls with Hawkeye Valley Area Agency on Aging, and State Rep. Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls.

Discussions included the impact of state and federal regulations, programs to encourage sustainability and green building and the overall impact of housing on quality of life in the state.

Strong leadership and sufficient resource support are key to establishing a successful housing policy, said Lynnae Hentzen, with the Center on Sustainable Communities in West Des Moines.

Iowa has a lack of affordable housing, and a one-stop agency may be the ideal solution to coordinate deals for cost-burdened Iowans, said Bobbi Bendickson, executive director for Habitat for Humanity of Iowa.

"There is not one county, one city in the United States where people who are making minimum wage can afford to buy a house," she said.

A few suggested building a model home to demonstrate energy efficiency and styles. Guidelines for the reuse, rehab and preservation of existing housing stock also are needed, they said.

"I don't know why Iowa communities would want to develop without some kind of a plan," said Mickey Carlson, State of Iowa housing policy liaison. "It's possible to bake a cake without a recipe, but it is sure easier if you have one."