The state’s Thrive Iowa program is now operating in 20 of the state’s 99 counties.
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services launched the initiative this summer to help connect people with services and resources.
In Buena Vista County, the Storm Lake Community School District received program funding to hire staff to work directly with families. Superintendent Stacey Cole says Thrive Iowa is designed to give them more stability.
“It was really important to us to really say, what are the things that are available to people? How do we coordinate those,” Cole says, “and how do we work together as one functioning system to help people get the resources that they need?”
The Iowa Legislature approved up to $8-million for Thrive Iowa in 2024. Democrats criticized the program at the time, saying Iowa already had organizations providing similar services for less money.
Cole says the initiative assists families with incomes at or below 200-percent of the federal poverty level.
“The bottom line is, we have kids in our school system who need that safety and that security in order for them to thrive also. And for us, that was the goal of this program, to help every single kid who walks through our door thrive,” Cole says. “In order to do that, we’re going to have to make sure that their families have what they need to be successful.”
Thrive Iowa provides help in 13 areas, including housing, employment, food insecurity and childcare. The program also identifies gaps in services. Cole says in her community they need more mental health and dental providers.
Organizations contracted by Iowa HHS to run Thrive Iowa receive $320,000 a year.
Two other school districts are serving as backbone organizations for the Thrive Iowa Program. They are the Fort Dodge Community School District in Webster County and the Colfax-Mingo School District in Jasper County.
(Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)