Program helps low-income Iowans save money

State officials Monday celebrated the one-year anniversary of a statewide program that helps low-income Iowans save money. The “Iowans Save” program provides participants one dollar for every dollar they save — up to three thousand dollars for individuals and eight thousand for families. The money can be spent for buying a home, on education, or to help start a business. Monday Mii a refugee from Nigeria says the matching funds allowed him to save enough to buy a new home. He says they also taught him how to manage his money.Mii says he came to Iowa with nothing.Brandi Lynn Stone of Des Moines was the first person to use the money to buy a home. She was surprised to be able to buy the home in less than a year.The one-point-two millon dollar project is funded by the U-S Department of Health and Human Services and the Iowa Department of Human Services. Bankers Trust serves as the central bank where participants deposit their money. The program has offices in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Leon, Orange City and Ottumwa.