Four faith and community-based groups in Iowa are getting checks from the federal government today for a total of just over one-million dollars. Joan Ohl, commissioner of the U.S. Health and Human Services Administration for Children, Youth and Families, was in Des Moines to make the presentations. Ohl says one grant of 450-thousand dollars is going to the Institute for Social and Economic Development. Ohl says that group has offices in Des Moines and Waterloo, which, along with Lutheran Services of Iowa, provides job training services and helps create new jobs for low-income Iowans, particularly those on welfare. She says the grant should have a significant impact on the lives of at least 150 people. A slightly larger grant is going to another Iowa agency. Serve Our Youth Network of Iowa, or SOY, will use the 467-thousand dollars in federal funding to provide mentoring services to approximately 375 children of prisoners. Two other agencies are getting 50-thousand dollars each: Marriage Matters of Iowa will use the funding to enhance its ability to provide healthy marriage education services for couples who choose marriage for themselves; and Churches United of the Greater Des Moines Area will expand its job skills, training and placement services to homeless people.
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